Pepsi-Cola Cake/Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting

Cola in cake batter isn’t a gimmick. The carbonation reacts with the baking soda for extra lift, while the sugar and caramel notes in Pepsi deepen the chocolate flavor in a way that plain water never could. Add buttermilk and cocoa to the mix and you get a fudgy, deeply chocolate cake with a tender crumb.

Mini marshmallows stirred into the batter melt during baking and create pockets of gooey sweetness throughout. They make the texture unpredictable in the best way.

The frosting is where things get wild. Butter, dark brown sugar, peanut butter, milk, and chopped peanuts get creamed together and spread on the cake while it’s still warm. Then the whole thing goes under the broiler for just seconds until the frosting bubbles and starts to caramelize. Watch it like a hawk because it goes from bubbly to scorched in a blink.

Chef Tips

• Frost the cake while it’s warm so the frosting melts slightly and bonds to the surface. Cold cake and warm frosting don’t stick well.
• Stay at the broiler. Literally do not walk away. The sugar in the frosting can go from golden to black in under 10 seconds.
• Let the cake cool at least 30 minutes after broiling. The frosting needs to set or it slides off every slice.

Variations

• Use Coca-Cola or Dr Pepper instead of Pepsi for a slightly different caramel-sweet note in the cake.
• Swap peanut butter for Nutella in the frosting for a chocolate-hazelnut version.
• Skip the broiler step and serve the frosting as-is for a simpler, no-risk finish.