The Real Thing - Coca Cola

It's been quite a contest over the years. Coke vs. Pepsi. To our family Coca Cola has always been "the real thing." This year the drink company celebrates 125 years of its tasty cola drink. On May 8, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton carried a jug of the cola syrup to Jacob's Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta where they mixed it with carbonated water and sold it for five cents a glass.

Atlanta is the home of Coca Cola. The World of Coca Cola Museum looks like a fun spot to visit on a vacation stay or if you're in Atlanta on business and have some free time. Of course if you're a Pepsi fan, you may want to just go to Sone Mountain and indulge in your favorite drink there--that is if they sell Pepsi in Atlanta.

On the Coca Cola website there are quite a few recipes for using Coke in cooking/baking. My favorite has always been Chocolate Cola Cake:

1 18.5-ounce devil's food cake mix
1 16-ounce bottle Coca-Cola®
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 16-ounce package confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons powdered chocolate drink mix such as Nestle's Quik
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350°F; grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Prepare cake mix according to
package directions, using 1 1/3 cups cola in place of water and stirring 1 tablespoon
grated orange peel in batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes until
wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert cake onto wire rack cool
completely. Cake may be made and stored, tightly wrapped, up to two days before
decorating.

Frosting: Beat butter in large bowl with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy;
gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and chocolate drink mix until smooth. Beat in
1/3 cup of remaining cola, remaining 1 tablespoon grated orange peel and vanilla
until thoroughly blended and smooth.