The site’s most popular recipe of all time: Jack and Coke Cupcakes! Rich chocolate cola cupcakes filled with a Jack Daniel’s whiskey chocolate ganache and topped with a creamy whiskey buttercream frosting.
My Jack + Coke Cupcake recipe is, hands down, my most popular and most pinned recipe. Despite it’s obvious success, I’ve been wanting to tweak the recipe for a long time. And now only that, but I wanted to get new pictures. This time two years ago (when I originally created that post), I didn’t have a camera and was living in a very dark apartment. It was like living in a cave. All my pictures were taken with my iPhone and under the horribly unnatural glow of the stove light.
I liked the cupcake batter I used, but I knew I could make it better. I wanted to create a richer chocolate base that would give me more of a domed, cracked top. I never liked that the original recipe would leave the cupcakes flat on top, even though that just encouraged me to pile on more frosting. Okay, fine – because it would encourage me to pile on more frosting. I wanted to feature the cupcake just as much as the ganache and the frosting. Let’s take a look at the difference between the two, shall we?
Not only does my new recipe have the domed, cracked tops that I like, but the color is darker and more rich. The original recipe has more of the “Coca Cola Cake” color and appearance, which isn’t a bad thing – just not what I wanted as the base for the whiskey additions.
I mean, really – the difference is night and day. I’m almost embarrassed.
My love affair with cracked, puffy cupcake/muffin tops is borderline obsessive. They’re just so pretty.
The changes I made aren’t huge, but enough to make a huge difference. Note: They’re still not going to get you drunk – sorry. I decreased the amount of butter and eliminated the sour cream altogether. To make up for those, I tripled the amount of Coke and doubled the amount of egg. I also tweaked the amounts of cocoa powder, flour and upped the amount of baking soda just a smidge. I didn’t change the amount of white sugar, but I did add brown sugar to the mix to make the cupcakes a bit softer.
I’d say this email from a coworker after eating one speaks for itself:
Subject Line:
I might need a designated driver
Message Body:
Just inhaled your cupcake (that’s what she said) and it was . . . well, after that first bite it’s all a blur.
Seriously, SO delicious and I could eat an entire cake-pan full of that icing. In fact, I’m headed to rehab this afternoon because of it.
You’re a baking genius. Thank you so much for honoring me with one of the few your had!
. . . . And now, I will attempt to walk a straight line.
I didn’t change anything about the ganache or frosting in the recipe itself, but I did play around with dark chocolate chips in the ganache and adding a bit of vanilla extract to the frosting. Both were delicious, but I like the original recipe I had for each so I just added those notes as optional in case you wanted to try something a little different. 
I’m thrilled with the way the revised version turned out, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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Jack and Coke Cupcakes: The Sequel
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 20-24 cupcakes 1x
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Description
My most pinned recipe of all time! Rich chocolate cola cupcakes filled with a whiskey chocolate ganache and topped with a creamy whiskey buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups Coke (don’t use Diet or Coke Zero! You need the sugar that’s in the original)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Ganache Filling
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Jack Daniels whiskey
Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Jack Daniels whiskey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 24 gummy cola bottles or 24 lime fruit slices (garnish, for adorableness)
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line 24 cupcake cups with aluminum liners (or use silicon cupcake holders). Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine Coke and butter and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add cocoa powder, sugar, brown sugar and whisk until sugars are dissolved and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes or so.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, lightly beat egg. Add cooled cocoa mixture and stir to combine. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 of the way. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.
Ganache
- Place the chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it’s simmering and then pour it over the chocolate in the heatproof bowl. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
- Let the ganache cool enough that it won’t give you trouble when you place it in a piping bag.
- Cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes – I used a small paring knife, but you could also use an apple corer or a cupcake plunger (if you’re fancy schmancy and have one).
- Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. If you’re like me and don’t have a real piping bag, just put it in a plastic freezer bag and cut off a small corner.
Frosting
- Whisk the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer for a couple minutes. You want it to be light and fluffy.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Trust me – you don’t want to pour it all in at once. For one, you’ll make a gigantic mess because the sugar will explode all over your kitchen and make it appear as though a blizzard blasted through your window. Also, the frosting will be grainy and impossible to mix properly.
- Once you’ve used about half your powdered sugar, add in a bit of whiskey and then mix again. This will thin it out a bit, allowing you to continue mixing in the remaining sugar. Continue to add a bit of whiskey and mix until you’ve used all the sugar. As far as I’m concerned, using more than 3 tablespoons whiskey is NOT a problem. I accidentally dropped 5 tablespoons in the bowl… and a few tablespoons in my mouth… oops.
- You can also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract if you want it to be less whiskey-y.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes however you’d like. Top them with the little gummy cola bottles and voila – adorable, deliciously whiskey infused cupcakes!
Notes
Keep in mind that elevation can affect your results, as well as the temperature of your ingredients.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
Keywords: jack and coke, cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, jack and coke cupcakes, boozy dessert, boozy cupcake
I doubled this and my hubby and I each took a batch to work, everyone loved them. The cakes are so moist and soft, and the sugar really tones down the Jack Daniels, it is a great cupcake! Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it!
What changes would you suggest as far as using recipe to do a layered cake instead of cupcakes? I’m thinking of still layering ganache between but not sure about measurements for the cake itself?
I’d recommend doing a 9″ round 2 layer cake – but I wouldn’t make any changes to the cake mix. You’ll probably need to increase the amount of ganache filling (depending on how much you want in there) and spread it in between the two cake layers. Not sure how well it would turn out, but if you do it please let me know how it turns out!
Hi,
The top of the recipe mentions it yields 24 but the recipe itself says 12?
Thank you
You’re absolutely right – thank you for pointing that out! I changed recipe plugins and didn’t notice the discrepancy. I just changed it 🙂 Thank you again!
No problem 🙂
I’m still confused, the recipe says I need 12 cola-bottle candies, so does this make 24 or 12? :O
Thanks for the note – I’ve updated the recipe to reflect the change of 24 candies!
I AM MAKING THESE FOR MY BROTHERS WEDDING! Are they safe for kids??
I can’t recommend allowing children to eat these due to the alcohol, however small the amount may be per serving. Maybe make a batch without the whiskey just for them!
So first off i would like to say Awesome recipe! Loved Making these. The recipe was easy to follow and a joy to make.
i do have to say about half way through i realized i may still have a little ptsd from the smell of jack and it might of been to soon to make these. but they are headed to a party. I did soak the coke bottles in jack as well before topping my cupcakes. and added some sugar beads (to imitate bubbles from the coke) Thank you so much for this recipe. i will try and attach a photo
https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11825611_1036374796382490_3724605957832801930_n.jpg?oh=b8884c6c13fdef5c7bbbe36dbb8151ae&oe=563C0A30
Those are gorgeous! I’m sure your guests will absolutely love them 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I am making these for my husbands 30th birthday. Is it possible to fill the cupcakes with the ganache and keep them in a Tupperware overnight and then frost them in the morning? What would you suggest?
I’d recommend prepping the ganache and then filling them right before frosting – but I *have* filled them AND frosted them, and then covered them in the fridge for a couple days and they were still delicious 🙂
I’m trying these for my boyfriends 29th bday which is Friday. But I work everyday I’m trying to get them done tomorrow since I have a day off. How should I go about making them so they’d be fresh for Friday evening? Or maybe just leave the actually cupcake making till Friday morning before work? Any suggestions? Thank you so much!
Hm…I’d recommend waiting until Friday for the best results. You could also make the frosting, ganache and batter ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake, but I’m not sure what that might do to the effectiveness of the Coke and/or baking soda. Let me know how it works out for you!
How could I make the jack Daniels stronger? Any suggestions
You could increase the amount in the frosting and the ganache by a little bit – but if you add *too* much, it’ll get overwhelming. Good luck!
Hi There! I wanted to know if i could use a photo from this series for a piece I am doing for BridalGuide.com. Please get back to me ASAP. Thank you!
Do you think I could use Kraken instead of JD? Kraken and Coke is my bf’s favourite! I’m thinking of making him these for Valentine’s Day 🙂
You definitely could! Let me know how he likes them 🙂
I made mini cupcakes and they came out wonderful!!! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad that you liked them!
Hi! You think Black Label will work instead of JD?
I don’t see why not!
How would you adjust the recipe for mini cupcakes?
I’ve never tried to make them in mini form before since they wouldn’t be big enough for the ganache filling. But if you left that out, maybe reduce the baking time to 8 minutes and check on them and see if they’re done, and then frost!
Look delicious !!! have you tried them with rum instead of jack daniels ????
I have not, but I think it would be delicious as well!
I wanted to use this recipe to make a 3ft x 3ft grooms cake. Do you have the recipe or cooking times for larger batches and pans? This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe. The Jack is amazing and not overwhelming at all.
I don’t, I’m sorry! But if you give it a shot and find out what works, come back and let me know!
Do you think these would taste okay with a candied bacon
EVERYTHING tastes okay with candied bacon 😉
Making this recipe for my boyfriends birthday but wanted to make a layered cake or regular.sheet cake…. any idea if the recipe should be changed or the cook Time? Either for 2 round 8 or 9 inxh pan or a 13×9 in pan?
I haven’t made this in cake form before, but I’d recommend doing a 9″ round 2 layer cake – I wouldn’t make any changes to the cake mix. You’ll probably need to increase the amount of ganache filling (depending on how much you want in there) and spread it in between the two cake layers. Not sure how well it would turn out or what the baking time would be, but if you do it please let me know how it turns out!
What’s the reason for the use of aluminum liners or silicone? Aluminum liners are not easily found where I live. I didn’t want to use silicon because I’m making them for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner and I wanted the liners to match the color scheme.
I find that I have a harder time peeling off paper liners cleanly, but you could certainly use them and spray the insides with non-stick spray 🙂
So how far in advance can u make these and refridge them 2 days? Would they still b good?
I think that would be fine! I would just hold off filling them with the ganache or frosting them until the day you’re ready to serve them (but go ahead and make them ahead of time, too) 🙂
So I can make the cupcakes put those in the fridge and the ganache and frosting all before hand and just store all in the fridge and assemble the day of
I made these last night and I’m not sure what went wrong. The flavor is awesome but my cupcakes turned out chewy, dense and kinda dry. Maybe over baked? I checked them at 15 mins and they were still liquid in the middle so I gave them five more. I’d like to try them again but not sure what to change.
Hello! I just made these cupcakes (actually they are in the oven right now.) the recipe says it makes 24.. I only got 18…. And I didn’t even fill the up 3/4… I was lucky to fill they half way. The batter was super thick and hard to divide evenly… Any idea? I followed the recipe exactly and am an avid (sled taught) cup cake baker. ????
I followed the recipe exact also and only got 18 and did not have enough frosting or filling someone needs to readjust things was not happy because was making for a party
Sorry I was dissapointed by this recipe. The cake rose to a beautiful dome and looked nice but it tasted bland and not moist. The ganache was very good. The frosting was too sweet and gritty. I whipped in a bit of heavy cream thinking it would lighten it up but it turned a bit runny and still tasted gritty.
I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m not sure what may have affected your results, but it could always be your elevation, the temperature of your ingredients, how long/what speed the frosting was mixed, etc. I wish I could provide more insight into what may have happened, and hate that you didn’t have a great experience with this recipe since it’s always such a hit for me and so many others.
Leslie i’m going to make this tomorrow ,is it necessary to put them in foil liners, your photo actually has and people liners, please answer ASAP ,thank you cupcakes look amazing can’t wait to taste them
I’m so sorry I didn’t see your comment until today! It’s not necessary to use foil, but it is a lot easier.
Your frosting recipe calls for 3/4 stick of butter, which is about 1/3 cup – is that correct? With 3 cups of icing sugar? Made the cupcakes last night, they look & smell awesome!
It’s 6 tablespoons. I hope you loved them!
Has anyone used the Wilton Shot Tops Flavor Infusers to give this a stronger Jack Daniels taste? I’m making Rumchata Cupcakes and want to make these too for Friendsgiving tomorrow and was wondering how this addition might affect this recipe. Thanks!
Is is possible that i could use a white cake mix being that the person doesn’t like the chocolate
Hm… you probably could, but I don’t know how the texture (or color, for that matter) might turn out. Even if the texture and flavor is good, they might look sort of muddy 🙂
Would Pepsi work the same as coke?
I can’t say for sure since I’ve never done it, but I would think so!
I’m happy to be your photographer anytime. 🙂 Have you tried this with Captain Morgans spiced rum?
I haven’t, but I know other people have and loved it!