I love baking, and I love buying new baking “toys”. Shortly after I purchased my bundt pan I was very excited to make new sweets and try new recipes. I have quite a few recipes under my belt that my family loves, but this cake takes the top spot. Especially with my husband, so that’s a plus! Even my mother in law loves this, and she’s not especially partial to cakes at all.
This is a fairly easy recipe, and the wonderful thing about bundt cakes is you can slice them thin like bread, or thick like cake. My husband likes to throw a few slices in with his lunches whenever I make this, which is fairly often.
Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
- 1 and 1/2 cups butter
- 3 cups white sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup 7-up (or other lemon/lime flavored soda)
Icing:
- 1and 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Cream together the butter and sugar for about 10 minutes with your mixer set to medium low. Add eggs, one at a time while continually mixing. Then add flour, lemon extract and vanilla extract one at a time. Once mixed (without overmixing), fold in your 7-Up with a spoon.
Pour into a well greased bundt pan, and bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Once pan is cool enough to maneuver, flip over onto cake dish and then drizzle with icing while still warm.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups butter
- 3 cups white sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup 7-up (or other lemon/lime flavored soda)
- 1and 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugar for about 10 minutes with your mixer set to medium low.
- Add eggs, one at a time while continually mixing.
- Then add flour, lemon extract and vanilla extract one at a time.
- Once mixed (without overmixing), fold in your 7-Up with a spoon.
- Pour into a well greased bundt pan, and bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Once pan is cool enough to maneuver, flip over onto cake dish and then drizzle with icing while still warm.
I baked this cake for the first time.Everyone thought it was really good. The cake was very moist. The only problem I had was it took a long time to cok. The top of the cake w was a little darker than the bottom. The top was really crunchy but very good. I also have to comment on the glaze.. Delicious.
Thank you so much for your feedback!! I’m glad you enjoyed the cake, it’s definitely a favorite around here. What did you use to grease your pan with? I use this wonderful baking spray called bakers joy. You spray the entire pan with it, and it’s flour and grease together. Cakes, breads, muffins etc all come out perfectly textured with it!
I lost my family recipe for 7 up cake
This recipe was the tops
I’ll be using this one from now on
Better than the recipe i lost …
Oh that’s wonderful, so glad you loved it!!
Actually this cake is better cooked slower…300° for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours depending on the oven you use….
This looks divine! I need to try this! I am a new follower of your blog and found you from Mommys Sweet Confessions! I hope that you will follow me back!
Thanks
Jenn
couponcalimom.blogspot.com
Hi Jenn! Thank you so much!
I followed back too!
Such a wonderful looking cake!
I’ve never baked with a soda, and I’d looooooooooove to try
Pinning this
Hi Winnie, thank you for stopping by! Let me know if you try it!
I have a minor obsession with bundt cakes. 😉 Love this & pinning now!
Thank you for linking up with Sweet Confessions Sunday Link Party! I had a lot of fun co-hosting it. 🙂
I do too! Thank you!
I make mine in 4 layers, make a lemon filling to place between the layers, make a pineapple glaze with coconut icing/topping. You have inspired me to make it again… It is a very moist cake. Yours looks yum, yum, yummy! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday
Thank you! Isn’t it so amazing how totally differently people make the same items? I always find that so fascinating how many different ways someone can make one item. 🙂 I’d love to see your recipe too!
This cake looks amazing. I will have to make this for my mom.
This sounds so easy and delicious…I think I’m gonna make it with Sunday dinner…YAY!!!
This cake made two men in my life cry. One because it reminded him of 25 years ago when he shared it with his first love, and the other because it brought back memories of his mom. Thank-you
This is the sweetest comment I’ve ever received and it absolutely made my day. I’d love to hear more about this story! <3 xoxo
What does fold in mean for the 7up?
Hi Goldi, thanks for asking! For the majority of this recipe I use a mixer, but when I fold in the 7-Up I use a large wooden spoon to gently fold in the soda until it’s well incorporated into the batter. Hope that helps! Essentially, it’s mixes it without getting a lot of extra air in there.
I just made ur 7up cake and my family luvs it. It taste like the one my great grandmother made me years ago! I been looking for a recipe of this cake for a while just wanted to say thanks it was delicious
Thank you so much for the feedback Elizabeth! That’s wonderful, happy eating!
Looks like a great recipe! Thanks for sharing! May I ask what size bundt pan did you use for your recipe?
Hi! Thank you, and it’s the standard size bundt pan, about 9″.
Delicious x 100!!!! I’m from Louisiana and I must say you put your foot into this 🙂 thanks!!!
Haha!! Thank you, I love this comment!!
Looks delicious I am going to try it tonight!!
Looks delicious i’m going to try it tonight!!
I love this cake. I had 2 family members passed away this year from cancer, and they both asked me to make them this cake before kemo treatment started. I must say I make your cake at least 3 times a month and it onlyonly last for 1 1/2 day in my house of 6. Thank you! May god continue to bless you.
I love this cake. I have had to make 60 for our bake sale. Very nice!!!
My husband had never had 7up cake before and I made him yours and we all loved it and now I have to make 16 for a bake sale. Thanks for sharing it!!
I read the instructions wrong and mixed the soda in vs. folding it in…. I hope it don’t ruin the cake… it’s in the oven now… guess i’ll find out tomorrow…
Your cake looked so delicious that I decided to make it. The aroma from the stove was driving me crazy and then when it was time to take it out, I was so disappointed. IT FELL! So my mom suggested that we try it again. I followed your instructions step by step, and it did the same thing! Could it be that it should be 1 1/2 sticks of butter instead of 1 1/2 cups.
Oh no!
I’ve never had a problem with it falling so I’ll ask a few questions..
Does your oven run hot or are you in a high altitude area? What do you use to grease your pan?
Each stick of butter or margarine is half a cup so it would be 1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks of butter or margarine. If you over mix it could cause the cake to rise more, which could cause cracks as it goes back down and may cause it to fall.
You are not folding your 7up in properly. This will cause the cake to drop
does it need baking powder
Nope! The soda helps it rise!
I tried this receipe, and it was a hit with my family and friends.This cake was really really moist, I will be making it again….
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
….a colleague indicated this is her favorite cake… her birthday is 11/16…. her last day of work is tomorrow- going to surprise her with this recipe (cake made ofk)- hope she enjoys!!
Would love to find out how it went!
i am going to make this today.. but just FYI Infamous means famous for something bad… hope it means bad as in good! 🙂
Hi Charles! Oh, that’s too funny! I’ve used it wrong my whole life, even looked it up and you are correct!
Well, I’d have to say, it’s definitely bad as in good… SO GOOD! Enjoy 🙂
Baking my cake now, will return with results. Thanks so much.
Looking forward to the results!
Help!!! I cannot remove my cake from the pan. I wonder if I let it cool too long. I let it sit for 2 hours because I was afraid to mess it up. I used butter and cooking spray to coat the pan really well. I wonder if I should have used some flour to coat the pan as well. My cake is sitting on the table looking pretty inside the pan.
I usually use a baking spray called Bakers Joy and spray the pan very liberally before I bake it. If I can’t find that brand, then I’ll use Pam. I’ve tried it with vegetable oil and flour before and it’s still difficult to get out. Usually I remove it from the pan as soon as possible, within 5 minutes of taking it out of the oven. Try a hot, wet kitchen towel over the pan to loosen it up, maybe that will help?
This looks so good, and sounds like what I want to make for a surprise birthday celebration for a friend on thanksgiving.7-up cake is her favorite. The problem: I am too tired to go back to the supermarket again (about 5 times this week for Thanksgiving meal),but I don’t have lemon extract. Do you think something could be substituted for it?
I’ve made it before using lemon juice. It wasn’t quite as strong a taste, but it did the trick. Even better if you have some lemons, you could grate up a little lemon rind in the mixture with lemon juice. For the icing just use lemon juice though, no rind.
Hello Mama Harris,
I want to let you know that someone is using your photo of this cake with a different recipe on Facebook. Last night I used that recipe and was upset when my cake did not look like the photo. As a result, I did some investigating, which led me to your site.
Thank you for letting me know! Could you perhaps send me a link? I have my email address at the top right of this page, or you can paste the link here. I won’t publish it but I’d like to speak with the person handling the page. Thank you again for notifying me!
For the Icing, do we just mix the ingredients? Or would we heat them after mixing?
Just mix and drizzle over the warm cake. It’ll melt just fine. 🙂
Hello Mama Harris
I made my first 7-Up cake using your recipe and it was a hit! My family loved it. They kept commenting on how yummy and moist it was. The only adjustments I made were having to bake it an additional 15 minutes and I also added a few drops of 7-Up to the icing. Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
So glad you loved it! 🙂
Does this have to be baked in a bundt cake pan?? (I’m excited to try it!!)
Hi Holly, I’ve never tried it in another pan but if you do try and it works please let me know!
Alot of food bloggers on Facebook are using the bottom picture of your 7up Cake but not giving you credit at all!! Passing it off as there cake in the photo!!!
Hi Doreen, I’ve seen a few and had it taken care of, but please let me know if there’s any additional ones you come across! You can email me links (my email is in the icon located at the top right of my page) or go to my contact page and fill out the form, including the links. I appreciate you letting me know!
Im on it right now will get the links to you!!
Thank you!
Should “WATERMARK” your cake/ food pictures because it famous now!!!
Oh, Doreen I do now! This was one of my very first posts before I knew better!
When I do find the photos elsewhere, I notice the recipe isn’t even mine.. just the photo!
After searching many recipes for 7 Up Cake and a thin icing, I decided yours sounded (and looked) the easiest. I used to have this cake as a youngster and never baked one myself, thru the years it has been in the back of my mind and I finally decided to give one a try. It’s in the oven now….Thanks for your recipe
Thank you! I’d love to hear how it comes out!
It came out beautiful and delicious…I baked it this morning and it’s 3 p.m. with half of it digested already. My husband and son enjoyed it. I thought when I folded in the soda and the texture changed it would not turn out right, but, thankfully I was wrong…Thanks again for the recipe
Oh, I’m so glad you loved it! The soda definitely changes the texture, but that’s what helps it rise!
I’ve even used flat soda before on accident and it still worked fine. 🙂
My cake is in the oven. I am serving it tomorrow at an event.
Great! How did it come out?
I have tried this cake twice and the out is still the same. It’s oily and wet like it didn’t cook enough. I cooked it the time allowed and it still comes out the same. What am I doing wrong. Please help in Greenville Mississippi.
Hi Brenda, I’m so sorry! I looked up your complaints and these two links gave some great info and tips. I’m thinking maybe your butter was too soft or not yet to room temperature. Or maybe the butter and sugars weren’t creamed long enough? Let me know what you think once you read these tips! I hope we can figure it out. 🙂
http://www.chefrick.com/cake-baking-tips/
http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/538495/whats-wrong-with-my-cake-10-common-baking-problems-fixed#cakegreasy
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
absolutely!
Thanks…. I wanted to make it yesterday but I was scared it wouldn’t come out right
I use butter and margarine interchangeably, comes out great with either. 🙂
I just made this cake (I used Sprite instead of 7up) and it came out super yummy! The steps were very easy to follow, I will be making this recipe for years to come! Thank you!!!
So glad you loved it, Sara! 🙂
I have made this cake soooo many times from your recipe! Everyone in my family loves it. I get requests for this cake (especially during the summer, because I put strawberries soaked in sugar water on top instead of the glaze….yummmm!). Your recipe is AWESOME! 🙂
Wow, thank you for the wonderful feedback!
I received a recipe similar to this one that called for 2 sticks of butter ,1/2 cup of vegetable oil and 4 tsp of lemon extract. Do you think the oil will make the cake more moist?
Hi Kathy,
Actually oil and butter are typically interchangeable in baking recipes, so I wouldn’t use both. Also, this cake is plenty moist with the recipe written as is, let me know if you have any other questions or how it comes out!
This cake is great, very moist and full of flavor. Thank you
Hi Vivian, thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I’d never heard of this cake before but it was one of two types that my coworker requested for her birthday, so I made it the other day. It came out very well. It might have been a little dense despite my efforts at not over mixing, but it was still very moist and my coworkers and fiance all enjoyed it. Thank you!
Mama Harris,
As a person who has never made a cake from scratch and was scared to actually bake one for fear of it falling and sticking to the pan, you have totally dispelled my fears and made me into the pound cake queen! I made this cake today and as my heart was pounding while mixing the ingredients, it was all worth it! My cake turned out perfect! It rose beautifully and came out of the pan very easily (kudos to Baker’s Joy). It smells and taste amazing. I just wanted to thank you for so graciously sharing your recipe and making my dreams of baking a pound cake my new reality.
I love this! Thank you so much for the feedback, I’m so glad it was a success for you. Baker’s Joy is AMAZING too, works perfectly every time!
The cake was excellent. My daughter thought I brought it. I used cake flour (sifted) and the cake was moist and good.
Wonderful, Carol! Thank you for the feedback. So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, You’re bundt cake looks delightful! I would love to make it for a family reunion I’m going to on.sunday, but I’m allergic to milk. 🙁 Do you think of I substituted margarine for butter it would turn out? Thanks in advanced!!
Hello,
Yes! You can use margarine and it comes out just fine, half the time I make it is with margarine. Let me know if you love it!
My only suggestion is with the icing, there is milk in it. You can use a soy or almond milk and it should come out just fine.
Now will the cake turn out correct if I dont use a mixer
This cake is really forgiving, so it should. The only part of the prep that I would falter on that answer is while creaming the butter and sugar. That’s just because you do have to cream it so long, but if you don’t have a stand or hand mixer that may be something you’re used to. Let me know if you try it that way!
I baked this cake today for thanksgiving and I hope it taste as good as it smells. Thank you for sharing.
I can assure you it does! Enjoy. 🙂
I made this cake. It turned out device! It took a little longer in my oven. It smells so good and turned out very moist. Thank u!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Mama Harris, I love baking for family and friends but all of the 7up Cakes that I bake sticks to the pan. I mean ALL of them. I use Baker ‘s Joy or Pam Flour Spray and to no avail, they get stuck. Help
Hi Robin,
What type of pan are you using? I know if I don’t get every little nook and cranny of the pan, some parts will still stick. So I try to spray all over, leaving no part of the pan dry. If your pan is older or maybe has food that’s stubborn and won’t come off stuck to it, that could cause sticking too.
So u don’t use vegetable oil in this recipe?
Nope, the soda makes up for that!
Wow! That is amazing! I’m excited to make this cake next week for a friend. Wish me luck.
My only tip is to not overmix when you fold in the soda, and spray your bundt pan well! Good luck, let me know how it turns out!
Thanks & I truly will MamaHarris.
What brand of flour did u use? Or do it matter?
I typically use Gold Medal or Pillsbury flour.
Ok me too. Thanks again. I should b good now. Lol
Yay! Are you making it for Christmas?
It was a hit! My mom really likes it & so I. Thank u so much for sharing your recipe! Everything turned out perfectly!
Hi Mama Harris my mom just passed in May 93 years old. She was a professional Chef . I could kick myself for not learning how to cook deserts from her. This is my brother n my first year without her n his birthday is Christmas Day. I’m cooking him a cake and thought this would be the easiest . My question is how do you fold in the 7-up
Once you add it into the mix, just slowly mix it with a spatula till it’s mostly smooth. This recipe is super forgiving!
Im making this for my family tomorrow, bought the items today. Can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks so much for sharing! I’ll be back to share my thoughts on how it turned out. Hope this Pam with Flour works so my cake slides right on out! 🙂
I made this cake this evening, and it was awesome! But it split when I removed it from my stone. What could I have done wrong?
I’m glad you loved it, but sad it split! What type of bundt pan do you have? Did you grease it well?
I baked it twice and the third time was a charm. I used the pampered chef stone, which doesn’t need to be excessively sprayed. It didn’t stick, it was so moist which caused it to split. So I let it cool completely in the stone and it didn’t split that time. I also baked it for 1hr and 15 minutes and it was perfect baked all the way through.
I’m so glad it worked out for you, even though it took three tries! 🙁 Hope it was worth it!
It was worth it each time, first one was gone in a couple hours, second next day. Third one made for a friend. This is my recipe of choice it’s easy, moist and delicious! Thanks for sharing….
Cmade it tonite. I have a convection oven so i turned down temp 25deg and bake for over an hour. Let it set for 10 mins and turned it out. It fell apart, partly because did not grease enough so stuck, but you could make gooey balls with the cake. It tastes great,but not suer why so moist, overly so. Any ideas? Followed the directions to the leter. Even set timer for creaming butter. Or maybe it really is this moist and sticking to pan was only problem?
Hi Beverley!
I’m so sorry your cake didn’t turn out properly. While I do have a convection setting on my oven, I have to admit I’ve never used it so I don’t have any experience in that department. I tend to turn the cake out within just a few minutes after removing it from the oven, and I grease the pan very thoroughly. These two may be reasons why it stuck. As for the cake being that moist, no that’s not typical. This cake has a crumb like a pound cake, but lighter due to the soda addition. It is slightly moist by taste, but not by sight. I’m not sure why it would have turned out that way, but a quick search on the web brought me to this site. http://www.kitchendaily.com/read/difference-between-convection-and-conventional-ovens
It does say to maximize the benefits of a convection oven a low pan works best. This may be the reason the cake may not have cooked through and/or cooked properly. I’m not sure if you’ve used a bundt pan before in your oven, so this is purely suggestive. If you try again and find any solutions I’d love to know! Thanks again for the feedback. 🙂
I want to make this cake for my dads birthday. Im a little confused by what you mean when you say fold in the soda.
Hi there! I’m sorry, I actually plan on updating this recipe with step by step instructions that include photos of the steps, as well as some tips based on all the questions I’ve been asked.
The first steps of the recipe would be done using a hand mixer or stand mixer, but when you add the soda in you just use a spatula to turn the mixture over a few times.. basically not using the mixer. If you’re using a stand mixer there’s a setting for “fold”. I hope that helps and hope your dad loves it!
It came out really well! The only issue I had was that it took about 2hours to bake. But it doesn’t matter because Dad loves it!! Thanks for the recipe and the response to my question!!!!
I’m looking to make a great 7 up cake and this sound like this is the one. I’m gonna ake it very soon for a bake sale at church. I will let you know the out come of it. Thank you Mama Harris.
Hello I’m so excited to have read your recipe I’m going to make it this weekend but can you explain to me what do you mean by folding in the 7 up?
If you have a stand mixer, you can use the “fold” setting or just use a spatula to rotate the batter with the 7-Up. It’s a form of light mixing, rather than beating it in or whisking it in rapidly. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Can you use self rising flour and leave off the baking soda?
There’s no baking soda in this recipe! The 7-Up replaces it.
Can this cake be made in layers
I’ve never tried it as a layer cake, so I’m not sure. If you do let me know how it turns out and I’ll be happy to add it to my notes!
I have this cake in the oven now. I hope it turns out good. I haven’t made my glaze yet but I hope it turns out good also
I’d love to know what you thought!
I made this cake many times it always come out just right it is a hit in my family thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hi Donna, oh that’s wonderful! I’m so glad your family enjoys it as much as mine!
OMG. Thank you so much it finally turned out right. After many failed attempts of other 7up cake recipes…..this one is the best of the best. The tip about not over mixing the butter and sugar. Perfect. Thank you so much.
Oh Tara, so glad you enjoyed it! I’ll be updating this post with some updated photos and even a how-to video since I get so many questions and comments on it!
This was one of the best cake I have made. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Neicey, so glad you loved it!
Mama Harris I just put this cake in the oven. It’s my husband’s favorite cake and praying that I do a great job. The last time I did a recipe from a box…. Not good. The creaming part for 10 minutes because I have a hand mixer was taskful Lol. My Xmas wish list include a stand alone mixer Lol. #waiting patiently to open the oven
I’m making this cake again since my last post and needless to say its a favorite at the table
So glad it’s become a family favorite, sending Santa some special wishes for a stand mixer for you! 😉
I’am baking this tonight!
Enjoy!
Couple if question which do you prefer to use imitation or pure vanilla and for the lemon could you use fresh
I’ve used both imitation and pure vanilla extract and both do well. I’ve also used real lemon juice in place of lemon extract and it works just fine. It’s a very forgiving recipe! Enjoy 🙂
I am so excited, my cake is in the oven right now as I am typing this. This is my first time making 7up Cake and I am nervous. Today is my husbands birthday and he looooves this cake so I am pretty anxious! I hope it turns out great!
Hi Lina, how did it turn out?
could you substitute cake flour for plain flour?
You can, you just need a bit more flour – it’s 1 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons cake flour for every one cup of all purpose flour. I have never tried this recipe using cake flour, so please let me know how it turns out!
Trying your recipe now. Cable is in the oven. I hope I didn’t over-mix!
How did it come out?
I am going to try this cake. Is it better to use all purpose flour or cake flour?
I typically use all purpose and haven’t tried it with cake flour. If you do try the alternative way, do let me know how it comes out!
I have made this cake for years but have never folded in the 7up. It turned out great and this is my preferred recipe going forward. I’d like to add that i use cake flour and I cannot tell the difference between Swans Down and all-purpose flour in this recipe. My cakes turn out great with both choices. Thanks for the “folding” tip!
Hi Jackie, so glad you loved it!
hi i would like to try the 7up cake was wondering if the butter should it be salted or unsalted and what size eggs to use
hi should i use large eggs or would medium be ok plus should i use unsalted butter
Hi Arlene, I typically use unsalted butter and large eggs. Happy baking!
The best cake ever!!! I used cake flour. My family, friends and myself fell totally in love, thanks so much for sharing!!!
So glad you loved it!
OMG! I LOOOOOOVE this cake! it’s my new 7 up pound cake recipe for life!!!!!!!
Oh that’s wonderful, so glad you love it!
Just made this cake, im impressed, first time making a cake from scratch. Love it
So glad you enjoyed it!
Is this better cooked in a pre-heated oven? I don’t recall swing instructions on whether or not to pre-heat.
Yes, preheat the oven before you begin mixing the cake.
I made this cake this last night I came out beautiful! Thanks for the recipe I wanted to try a new one.
Oh, I’m so glad you loved it!
I’m looking forward to trying it! If I’m going to serve it the next day, how should I store it? Fridge or on the counter?
I just keep it in a cake plate with a covered top. Enjoy!
Does this cake not require baking powder… ??? because I don’t want to worry about it rising properly.
no baking powder! That’s what the soda helps with 🙂
Hi!!! Can’t wait to try this, this weekend!!! Love your site! May ask if it’s by any chance from yellow Bell’s Best Cookbook?
No, it’s not from any cookbook – my recipe! Hope you love it!
Hi I live in Wyoming altitude of around 4,400 what would be your recommendation for this recipe? I know at higher altitude the measurements change but I don’t know what to change, add, or take away. Please help I’ve love to make this yummy cake. Thank you in advance.. Sonya
Hi Sonya, I’m not sure what changes I would make as I have no experience with cooking at a higher altitude. I’m so sorry! I did do a quick google search on adjustments to make when baking at a higher altitude and there are some modifications recommended. I hope that helps? If you do make it and make adjustments, I would love to read your feedback.