Joanna Gaines' chocolate-cola cake: My dinner party secret weapon

I'm a major dessert person – you know, one of those people who looks at the dessert menu before deciding on my appetizer and entrée.

That's why, regardless of what I'm serving for dinner, the night always ends with decadence, namely, Joanna Gaines' chocolate-cola cake with chocolate-cola buttercream.

It's as scrumptious as it sounds and has become one of my go-to desserts for dinner parties and special occasions.

Gaines' recipe calls for 12 ingredients, including nonstick baking spray, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, dark-brown sugar, kosher salt, salted butter, natural unsweetened cocoa powder, cola, baking soda, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract.

The salted butter, cocoa powder, and cola are also used to make the buttercream frosting, along with powdered sugar.

Once I have all the ingredients handy, I preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 10-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray.

Then, I begin making the cake batter by adding all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, dark-brown sugar, and salt to a large bowl and mixing thoroughly.

To continue making the batter, I add salted butter, cocoa powder, and cola to a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until it's completely smooth.

Then, I pour the mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps.

In another small bowl, I dissolve the baking soda in room-temperature buttermilk before pouring it into the existing batter.