Coca-Cola Cake with Fernet-Branca

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Here's what you need:

Cake:

• 1 cup (+2 tbsp) Coca-Cola (don't come to me with that diet zero shit, get the regular stuff)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder (make these slightly bigger than a tablespoon, but not heaping)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 6 tbsp half & half
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 tbsp Fernet-Branca
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar

Here's how you do it:

1. First, preheat your oven to 350.
2. Put the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a stand mixer and whisk them together.
3. Get a medium saucepan and put in the Coke, canola oil, cocoa powder, and butter.
4. Turn up your heat to medium and stir that all together until the butter's melted and mixed in. Bring it to a boil, then immediately take it off the burner and let it cool for a few seconds.
5. Pour the chocolatey goodness into the stand mixer with the flour mixture, then beat it on medium low for a minute.
6. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the buttermilk and vanilla. Once that's all mixed in, give it another minute on medium-low.
7. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick, then pour the batter in and cram it into the oven for about 35 minutes. When it passes the toothpick test, you're in good shape.
8. RIGHT after the cake comes out, start making the frosting. I know this runs counter to all of the cake-making lore I've lovingly presented to you on this site, but for some reason that melty, slightly-grainy texture just works with this one.
9. Get out the saucepan again and stir together the butter, cocoa powder, and half & half over medium heat.
10. Once again, bring it up to a boil and take it off heat the second you see bubbles.
11. Whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Fernet-Branca, then pour it all over the cake and smooth the top with a spatula. I personally like bitter stuff and felt like I could've gone a little further with the Fernet, so if you feel like adding more, go for it.
12. Let it cool to room temperature, then cut yourself a melty slice and put the rest in the fridge.

As always: thanks.

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bon appetit