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Start with a boxed mix and a can of 7UP for the easiest lemon-lime 7UP Cake around. A party and potluck favorite all across the Midwest!
There is something nostalgic about a cake made with 7Up (or chicken wings made with Coca Cola or baked ham made with Dr. Pepper). They were a fixture in my childhood at church potlucks and neighborhood block parties.
What these recipes lack in fizz, they make up for in flavor, and in FUN. This 7Up can is familiar and new all at once, and always delicious.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Yellow cake mix: Based on convenience recipes of the 50’s, this 7Up cake starts with a boxed mix. Find the equally delicious from-scratch version in the “Recipe Tips and Variations” section.
- 7Up soda: For best results, use 7Up and not another lemon-lime soda alternative. 7Up has a higher amount of carbonation than say, Sprite, which helps the cake rise the best out of all the options. See FAQs for more information.
Step-by-step instructions
- Adjust an oven to the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan well with butter. In a large bowl, add the yellow cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, lemon pudding mix, and 7UP. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Remove cake from the bundt pan.
- To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, 7UP, and zest.
- Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This cake makes 12 luscious slices.
- Storage: Store extra cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- 7UP Pound Cake from scratch:
- Adjust an oven to the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan well with butter.
- In a standing mixer, cream 1 ½ cups butter (3 sticks) and 3 cups granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
- Add 5 eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating after each is added in. Add 3 cups self-rising flour and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold in ¾ cup 7UP. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 60 to 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cool, remove from the pan and drizzle with the Lemon Glaze. If using the from-scratch method, each slice (assuming 12 slices per cake) is 576 calories.
Recipe FAQs
The fizzy carbon dioxide replaces traditional leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda. You can get a tall, fluffy cake with from the fizz!
Ideally, you should use 7Up. 7Up has a higher level of carbonation than Sprite so it works better to make the cake rise (even if the sodas have a similar flavor).
Dr. Pepper Ham
Your search for the best baked ham recipe ends here. A Dr. Pepper glaze and an oven bag (trust me!) make this the ultimate holiday ham recipe. For birthdays, Easter dinner, Christmas dinner, and any…
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7UP Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant lemon pudding mix
- 3/4 cup 7UP (see note 2)
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon 7UP
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan well with butter.
- In a large bowl add the yellow cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, lemon pudding mix, and 7UP. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 45 to 55 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Remove cake from the Bundt pan.
- To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, 7UP, and zest. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Yellow cake mix: Based on convenience recipes of the 50’s, this 7Up cake starts with a boxed mix. Find the equally delicious from-scratch version in the “Recipe Tips and Variations” section.
- 7Up soda: 7Up has a higher amount of carbonation than say, Sprite, which helps the cake rise the best out of all the options. See FAQs for more information.
- Yield: This cake makes 12 luscious slices.
- Storage: Store extra cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- 7UP Pound Cake from scratch:
- Adjust an oven to the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan well with butter.
- In a standing mixer, cream 1 ½ cups butter (3 sticks) and 3 cups granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
- Add 5 eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating after each is added in. Add 3 cups self-rising flour and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold in ¾ cup 7UP. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 60 to 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cool, remove from the pan and drizzle with the Lemon Glaze. If using the from-scratch method, each slice (assuming 12 slices per cake) is 576 calories.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Can you use vanilla pudding instead of lemon pudding
Hi Lorraine, yes! It will change the flavor a little, but it will work. Please write back after you’ve baked it! – Meggan
Great flavor! Made for St Patrick’s Day Party. I added green food coloring. Looked and tasted fantastic. The glaze was easy to make. Many Compliments. Definitely will make again with no changes.
Thank you so much for your comment, Susan! I’m so glad you loved it and found it easy to make! – Meggan
So I’m making this cake right now and accidently added double the amount of 7up 🙄. I continued on even after I realized my mistake and the consistency still looked like normal cake batter. Cake isn’t finished yet but do you think it will taste the same or no?
Hi Jme, I hope it turned out well! The 7up acts as a leavening agent, which causes the cake to rise. Typically too much will cause the cake to rise quickly then fall flat. I hope this wasn’t the case for you! How did it turn out? – Meggan