Diet Coke to the Rescue!

I am so relieved it's the weekend. For a host of reasons, it's been a stressful few weeks and I feel like I'm finally going to get a chance to catch my breath this weekend.

Mmmmm, cake!

I'm actually venturing up to my parents' house in central CT this weekend for a few activities. Saturday I'll be reuniting with my friend Tricia from high school whom I haven't seen in years. She moved to San Diego for travel nursing and she's finally back East for a few months before her next assignment begins. Tricia is the only person from high school I still talk to. Interestingly, while in school we didn't even talk save for a few exchanges at swim practice. She was a super cool senior and I was a lowly freshman and we had nothing in common. Until I started lifeguarding and discovered that that cool upperclassman from swim team was also assigned to my pool. So yah, we go way back.

My housewarming party, circa 2008

Saturday is also my big brother's birthday. He's got plans Saturday so we'll be celebrating on Sunday. Last week I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday.

"I'll make you anything in the whole world," I said.

What did he request? Diet Coke cake. 

Mise en-place is not so surprisingly simple with this recipe

Talk about a throwback. I haven't made this cake in probably six years. It's an old Weight Watchers staple that I started baking in 2003 when I joined WW. I used to make it anytime anybody requested I bring a dessert to a function or when I had a hankering for cake. It's literally the simplest thing in the world. Ask a friend who was a WW member at one point, and I'm sure she knows all about this classic trick. Huffington Post even wrote an article about it a few years ago.

Step 1: Cake mix in bowl

Step 2: Add Diet Coke

All you need is a box mix of your favorite cake mix and a can of Diet Coke. You can actually swap the Diet Coke for any diet soda. I tend to use Diet Sprite with white or yellow cake mixes, and Diet Coke with chocolate based ones. You add the can of soda to the packaged cake mix (in a bowl obviously), mix until combined, and pour into a greased pan. Bake according to package directions.

Now, is a Diet Coke cake anything like a from scratch cake? No, of course not. Don't be silly. There's no oil, no eggs, etc. The texture, as a result, is markedly different from a traditional cake, even one made from a boxed mix with the suggested add-ins. Anyone with any sort of palate will be able to know something's up when eating this cake. So don't try to pull any fast ones on your persnickity boyfriend, mother-in-law, etc.

Step 3: Mix w/hand-mixer

Of course, my brother, who is the easiest to please human in the world, loves this cake and thinks it's absolutely awesome that you can just add a can of pop to a cake mix and voila! Cake! How sweet is he? He specifically requested a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting (NO CREAM CHEESE, PLEASE) so that's what he's getting.

I'm waiting until Sunday morning to throw it together so you'll need to wait until then to see pictures of the process. But I think you can visualize what adding some liquid to a box of cake mix might look like. (Update: Pictures added!)

Step 4: Bake

For frosting, I will likely make a from scratch frosting. I'll post that another time. For a simple fix, you could just mix your favorite instant pudding (sugar-free works here too) with a tub of Cool Whip and you've got an easy, instant frosting. Or use the canned stuff if that's too hard. I know I'm horrifying some of you from scratch bakers with this processed junk, but listen, sometimes you can be Martha Stewart, and sometimes you can't. And sometimes your brother asks for nothing else, but this special recipe.

Mikey's on the right! Happy birthday, bro!

Ignore that big thumbprint in the middle- I'll fix it later

Diet Coke Cake*

Ingredients

• One box of your favorite cake mix (devil's food cake, red velvet, funfetti, yellow, etc)
• One can of diet soda (Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Sprite, etc.)
• One egg (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven according to box mix directions. Grease your desired baking pan/line cupcake pan. To prepare cake, place contents of cake mix into a large bowl. Pour in the can of diet soda. Add egg (This is an optional step; adding the egg doesn't make too big of a difference to the texture, but I just think eggs add a little richness to cake, so it doesn't hurt.). Mix until combined; use hand-mixer if contents are not breaking up and you've got lumps of cake batter. Pour batter into your greased or lined pan and bake according to package directions. Frost with your favorite frosting (from scratch or not; I'm not telling!). *1/12th of the cake (before frosting) is about 5 SP.