This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I make this 7 UP pound cake when I want a soft, buttery bundt with a bright lemon-lime flavor running all the way through it. The crumb is velvety and tender, a little dense the way a real pound cake should be, and the whole thing gets a thin, sweet 7 UP glaze that sets into a crackly finish on top.
It has that old-fashioned taste, the kind of cake you can eat plain with a cup of coffee or dress up with fresh berries when you want it to feel like a real dessert. One slice is never enough in my house, and I have watched it disappear off the stand faster than almost any cake I set out.
Sour cream is the reason this one turns out so soft. A lot of from-scratch 7 UP cakes reach for cake flour, shortening, or heavy cream to get a tender crumb. I get there with sour cream and plain all-purpose flour, so you are working with things you already have in the kitchen and still ending up with a moist, velvety cake.
If you love a from-scratch bundt, my apple cider donut cake is another one my family asks for on repeat. And when I want to serve this 7 UP cake as more of a dessert, a spoonful of homemade whipped cream and a handful of berries on the side is all it needs.
Family Favorite
The Cake My Great Aunt Always Brought to Dinner
This was the cake my great aunt made for every special dinner. It always showed up on the table, and I always had to have a slice, sometimes two. I have tested and perfected it so it comes together the same way every time, and it still tastes like the one I grew up sneaking seconds of.
The Ingredients That Make It Soft
- Sour cream. This is what keeps the cake moist and velvety. The fat softens the crumb and the slight tang balances all that sweetness, and it does the job that other recipes hand off to cake flour or heavy cream.
- 7 UP. Use regular 7 UP for the lift. The carbonation is what lightens the batter, and the soda adds that signature lemon-lime flavor to both the cake and the glaze.
- Butter, room temperature. Beating room-temperature butter with the sugar traps air into the batter, and that air is the base of the tender texture. Cold butter never creams up the same way.
- Eggs plus extra yolks. Four whole eggs give the cake structure, and the two extra yolks add richness and that classic pound cake density without making it dry.
- Lemon extract. This is where the bright citrus note comes from. It leans into the lemon-lime flavor of the 7 UP so the whole cake tastes fresh instead of flat.
- All-purpose flour. No cake flour required. Regular all-purpose flour is all you need here, which is part of what makes this one so easy to pull together.
How to Make 7 UP Pound Cake
Step 1: Preheat and prep your pan.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour your bundt pan thoroughly before you do anything else. Getting into every groove now means the cake will release cleanly later.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar.
Add the sugar and room-temperature butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high for 2 minutes, until the mixture looks lighter in color and fluffy.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients and the flour.
Add the eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, milk, lemon extract, and salt. Beat for about 30 seconds, until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go. Add the flour and stir only until combined.
Step 4: Add the 7 UP.
Pour in the 7 UP and mix only until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix once the flour is in or the cake can turn out crumbly or rubbery.
Step 5: Bake.
Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan and bake for 70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The top will be cracked and deeply browned but not burnt.
Step 6: Cool and release.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 2 hours. Once the pan is cool enough to touch, flip it onto a cake stand, tap gently, and lift the pan away. Let the cake finish cooling completely before you glaze it.
Step 7: Make and add the glaze.
Whisk the powdered sugar and 7 UP together in a medium bowl until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled cake right before serving.
A Few Things That Make a Difference
Grease the bundt pan well. Get into every groove with baking spray or butter and flour. A bundt pan has a lot of detail, and a spot you miss is exactly where the cake will stick when you go to release it.
Let the cake cool completely before glazing. This is the one I care about most. If you pour glaze over a warm cake, it soaks straight in and disappears. On a fully cooled cake, it sets on top into that sweet, crackly finish.
Fix the glaze if the texture is off. Too thin, whisk in another tablespoon or two of powdered sugar. Too thick, add 7 UP one teaspoon at a time until it drizzles off the spoon.
How to Store 7 UP Pound Cake
Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It also holds in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if you want it to last a little longer. I think the crumb stays softest at room temperature, so that is how I store it when I know it will get eaten quickly.
More Cake Recipes
Easy 7 Up Pound Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¾ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cup butter room temperature
- 4 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cup flour
- 1 cup 7 UP
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons 7 Up
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
- Add the sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat together on high speed for 2 minutes. The mixture should appear lighter in color and fluffy. Add in the eggs, sour cream, milk, lemon extract and salt. Beat together, for 30 seconds or until fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula intermittently. Add in the flour and stir only until the flour has been incorporated. Lastly, add in the 7 UP and mix to combine.2 ¾ cup sugar, 1 ½ cup butter, 4 eggs , ¼ cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 ½ teaspoon lemon extract, ¾ teaspoon salt, 2 ¾ cup flour, 1 cup 7 UP, 2 egg yolks
- Once the cake batter is smooth, pour it into the prepared bundt pan. Place the pan into the oven to bake for 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with slightly moist crumbs. The top of the cake will be cracked and a beautiful browned color but should not appear burnt. Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and place it onto a cooling rack or hot pad to cool. After the cake has cooled for 2 hours and the pan is cool enough to touch, flip the pan over onto a cake stand or serving platter. Gently tap the pan to release the cake. Pull the pan up off of the cake. Let the cake finish cooling completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and 7 UP in a medium sized bowl until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake before serving.1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons 7 Up
Jenn’s Notes
- Bring the butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk to room temperature before you start so the batter blends smoothly and bakes up lighter.
- Stop mixing as soon as the flour and 7 UP are combined. Overmixing after the flour goes in makes the cake rubbery or crumbly.
- Cool the cake completely before glazing so the 7 UP glaze sets on top instead of soaking in. If the glaze is too thin, whisk in more powdered sugar; too thick, add 7 UP one teaspoon at a time.
