This old fashioned 7UP Pound Cake recipe is a simple Southern dessert that's perfect for just about any occasion. The smooth, buttery pound cake is made from scratch with just a hint of lemon. Enjoy the glazed cake on its own, or pair it with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream!
Every home cook should have a delicious and easy go-to cake recipe that she can always turn to when hosting a party or attending a potluck. This 7UP Pound Cake is a classic favorite -- with a crisp exterior and a soft, buttery crumb that's dense (but not dry or crumbly)! The secret ingredient it the 7UP soda!
What does 7UP do for cake?
In this particular recipe, the 7UP soda serves a few different purposes. It acts as a leavening agent (instead of baking soda, for instance) to help the cake rise, it adds a hint of lemon-lime flavor, and it serves as the liquid for the batter.
How to make 7UP Pound Cake from scratch:
You'll need just a handful of simple ingredients for this made from scratch pound cake recipe (without shortening)! It's really an easy dessert that even non-bakers like myself can pull off...
Ingredients for 7Up Pound Cake:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Lemon zest
- 7UP soda
- Powdered sugar and lemon juice for the glaze
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This can take anywhere from about 12 minutes or up to 20 minutes, so just be patient, and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Add the eggs (one at a time), and then gradually add the flour and lemon zest.
Fold in the 7UP and your batter is ready for the Bundt pan!
What temp should you bake a pound cake?
Bake the cake in a 325 degree F oven for about 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once the cake cools completely on a wire rack, you can finish it off with a sweet lemon glaze!
How to make 7UP Pound Cake Glaze:
Some recipes for 7UP Pound Cake include the 7UP soda in the glaze as well. I prefer a very basic lemon glaze, which is just a combination of powdered sugar and lemon juice. You can start with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and then add more to thin the glaze as necessary. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle over the cake, but not too runny. To thicken the glaze, add more powdered sugar. You really can't screw it up!
What to serve with Pound Cake:
This cake is absolutely delicious served plain, so there's really no need to fuss with much more. That said, you can make it even fancier with some fresh berries on the side and a dollop of whipped cream! You can never go wrong with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, either...
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- According to this Southern Living article, you should not try to substitute Sprite or other lemon-lime flavored sodas for the 7UP. The 7UP has a higher level of carbonation than Sprite, which helps the cake rise beautifully!
- Can I make a Bundt cake in a regular pan? Yes. If you don't have a Bundt pan or a tube pan, you can typically use 2 loaf pans. The volume of batter should also fit in either two 9-inch round cake pans or in one 9 x 13-inch pan. I haven't tested this particular recipe in anything other than a Bundt pan, though, so try it at your own risk.
- Remember that when zesting the lemons, you only want to scrape off the very outer peel. This is where all of the essential oils and flavor can be found. You do NOT want to scrape off the white pith, which has a bitter taste.
- Make sure that you spray your Bundt pan really well with cooking spray, or grease with butter and sprinkle with flour. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
- The pound cake will stay fresh when covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also wrap the cake and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To extend the life of your cake, wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months.
More cake recipes that you might enjoy:
7UP Pound Cake
Ingredients
CAKE:
- ¾ lb. (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups white sugar
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- ¾ cup 7-Up soda
GLAZE:
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more, as necessary)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 12-13 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each one. Gradually add flour and lemon zest, mixing just until everything is combined. Fold in 7-Up.
- Pour batter into a well-greased Bundt cake pan.
- Bake for 70-80 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add extra lemon juice (1 teaspoon at a time), just until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle over the cake. If the glaze is too thin, add a little bit of powdered sugar until it reaches the desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over cake.
Notes
- According to this Southern Living article, you should not try to substitute Sprite or other lemon-lime flavored sodas for the 7UP. The 7UP has a higher level of carbonation than Sprite, which helps the cake rise beautifully!
- Can I make a Bundt cake in a regular pan? Yes. If you don't have a Bundt pan or a tube pan, you can typically use 2 loaf pans. The volume of batter should also fit in either two 9-inch round cake pans or in one 9 x 13-inch pan. I haven't tested this particular recipe in anything other than a Bundt pan, though, so try it at your own risk.
- Remember that when zesting the lemons, you only want to scrape off the very outer peel. This is where all of the essential oils and flavor can be found. You do NOT want to scrape off the white pith, which has a bitter taste.
- Make sure that you spray your Bundt pan really well with cooking spray, or grease with butter and sprinkle with flour. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
- The pound cake will stay fresh when covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also wrap the cake and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To extend the life of your cake, wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months.
You didn't add any Baking Powder? If you add Lemon Juice or any acid such as Orange Juice,White Vinegar to Baking Powder it will make a cake rise. The Acid will interact with the Baking Powder.Also if you add some sour cream I like using Daisy or Mayo either Miracle Whip or Kraft I don't like using Hellman's it will make it moist 1/4 Cup. I haven't made this yet but it looks good but looks a little dry.
Hi, Tara! You don't need any baking powder. The 7UP helps the cake rise. The cake has a classic pound cake texture -- dense, but not dry. Hope you'll give it a try! 🙂
OMG Amazing cake I made this for my birthday, super moist, tender & delicious. The only difference is I used Diet Coke & Raisins & I added Rum & Rum Extract. So it was a Rum, Raisin & Coke Pound Cake. I didn't have 7up on hand. My sister whom is pregnant I made another batch as though 1 wasn't enough leaving the Rum out. Tysvm best Pound cake ever & super easy to put together & make.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a note, Tara! I'm so glad to hear that it was a success -- and your version sounds delicious too! 🙂
I have 7 up. But it is flat is it okay to use or should I a dd baking powder or baking soda to the recipe?
It probably wouldn't hurt to add the Baking Powder if it was me yes I would do that 1 teaspoon Double Acting or 2 teaspoons regular Baking Powder. Also if you add Lemon Juice 1 Tablespoon it will interact with the Baking Powder to make it light & fluffy. I do this alot with baking muffins,cakes biscuits. Any type of acid like Vinegar either white,apple cider etc.As for another acid Orange Juice,Lime. I hope this helps or just get a new 7up that isn't flat & you can use any kind of soda that you like,such as Diet or regular Ginger Ale, Diet or Regular Coke even Root Beer. I recently made Corona Beer bread so delicious. I also made tacos with Corona Beer or any beer you like,instead of water. I took 1 pound Ground Chicken got it crumbly & well done in skillet,then sprinkled on the taco seasoning & added 1/4 Cup Beer then Mild taco sauce 1/4 Cup then when I turned the heat off so it had the taste a little of the beer some more about 1/4 Cup.REALLY DELICIOUS.
Totally agree -- thanks, Tara!
I would use it, but also add the baking powder with lemon juice like Tara suggests. Enjoy! 🙂
Hello,
I tried this recipe for the 7up cake and I don't know what happened. It did not turn out at all, it would not bake. The butter separated and just sat on top of the mix. After letting it cook for 2 hours, i took it out of the oven and it was like caramel. I am not even sure if I can get it out of the pan. The only thing i can think of , is that i used diet 7up.
Do you have any thoughts on what happened?
I really want to try it again!
Thanks!
Hi, Kay! I honestly have no idea -- I've never had that happen with any pound cake recipe. I can't image that the diet soda would have made that much difference. Baking is an exact science, so it makes me wonder if you accidentally mis-measured one of the ingredients? For instance, not enough flour, not enough eggs, too much butter, or the butter wasn't at room temperature? It just doesn't make sense to me that you would have a caramel-like mixture after 2 hours in the oven, so I'm just trying to troubleshoot. Sorry I can't be more helpful since I wasn't there in the kitchen with you at the time. 🙁
Ok I gave it another try today using regular 7up and it turned out perfect ! So yummy! My family loved it
Oh, good! Thanks for the update, Kay! So glad that it worked. 🙂
Back track & write down exactly what you did. I made this & it turned out great it was super moist & delicious. I've made this many times. Here's my comment OMG Amazing cake I made this for my birthday, super moist, tender & delicious. The only difference is I used Diet Coke & Raisins & I added Rum & Rum Extract. So it was a Rum, Raisin & Coke Pound Cake. I didn’t have 7up on hand. My sister whom is pregnant I made another batch as though 1 wasn’t enough leaving the Rum out. Tysvm best Pound cake ever & super easy to put together & make.
Thanks, Tara! I'm so happy to hear that you've made the cake multiple times and that it always works out. The rum raisin and coke version sounds amazing!
Tara this recipe sounds so good, want to make..question about the 7-up, should it be cold or room temperature
Hi, Patsy! Room temperature is great!
Can you use cake flour instead of AP flour?
Hi, Anita -- yes, I think that should work fine. 🙂