An old-fashioned 7UP pound cake is a simple Southern dessert that’s perfect for any occasion!
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Love homemade pound cake recipes as much as we do? Be sure to try this wildly popular cream cheese pound cake, a decadent vanilla pound cake with caramel icing, a glazed almond pound cake, this blueberry pound cake, and this old-fashioned lemon cream cheese pound cake, too!
Thank you Blair! The cake turned out great! Just enough lemon flavor, nice and moist. My husband is loving it!
– Sandy
How to Make 7UP Cake | 1-Minute Video
What to Know Before You Get Started
- The 7UP soda serves a few different purposes in this cake. It acts as a leavening agent (instead of baking soda or baking powder) to help the cake rise, it adds a hint of lemon-lime flavor, and it serves as the liquid that thins the batter.
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature so that they blend together smoothly.
- Use real butter — not margarine or other substitutes. This ingredient provides the best flavor and moist texture.
- Don’t leave the 7-up cake in the pan for too long after baking — about 10-15 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
How to Make 7Up Pound Cake
I’ve included the detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick overview:
- Make sure that you spray your Bundt pan really well with baking spray, or grease with butter and sprinkle with flour (coat every little nook and cranny!). This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in the large bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer 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. Whipping this air into the batter will help the cake rise during baking.
- Add the eggs (one at a time), and then gradually add the flour and lemon zest.
- Fold in the 7-up soda and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake in a 325°F oven for about 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
- For the 7 up pound cake glaze, 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!
- Slice and serve. This 7-up pound cake is absolutely delicious 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 or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Preparation and Storage Tips for 7 Up Cake
- The 7UP cake will stay fresh when covered at room temperature for 4-5 days — it does not need to be refrigerated. To extend the life of your cake, wrap it tightly and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Store: For the fridge or countertop, you can just wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap. For the freezer, I recommend a layer of plastic wrap, followed by another layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.
- The cake is best when prepared 1 day in advance. The flavors come together and it gets more moist as it rests!
I make this cake all the time. My family ask for it at all events. I use 2tbs lemon extract and no lemon zest along with 7up. I’ve used Sprite also.
– Jill
Did you make this recipe?
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Watch How to Make It
7UP Pound Cake
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total: 3 hours 40 minutes
This old fashioned 7up cake is a simple Southern dessert that's perfect for just about any occasion!
Equipment
- Bundt cake pan (I love the ones from Nordic Ware)
- stand mixer (I use my trusty KitchenAid mixer)
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- ¾ lb. (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups white sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- ¾ cup 7UP soda
FOR THE GLAZE
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more, as necessary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°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 15-20 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 the glaze over the cake.
Notes
The 7UP cake will stay fresh when covered at room temperature for 4-5 days — it does not need to be refrigerated. To extend the life of your cake, wrap it tightly and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 408.6kcalCarbohydrates: 58.6gProtein: 4.4gFat: 18.7gSaturated Fat: 11.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.9gMonounsaturated Fat: 5.1gCholesterol: 104.5mgSodium: 145.8mgPotassium: 56.8mgFiber: 0.8gSugar: 41.9g
7 Up Pound Cake Recipe Variations
- For even more flavor, add vanilla and lemon extracts. If you use about 1 teaspoon or up to 2 teaspoons of lemon extract, you can omit the lemon zest. About 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract adds warmth.
- According to Southern Living, you should not try to substitute Sprite, Sierra Mist, or other lemon-lime soda for the 7UP. The 7UP has a higher level of carbonation than Sprite, which helps the cake rise beautifully! That said, some readers have successfully substituted with other beverages.
- 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 cake pan, so try it at your own risk.
- For another festive Bundt cake option, don’t miss my grandmother’s easy rum cake recipe or this lemon bundt cake with cake mix!
More Pound Cake Recipes
Chocolate Pound Cake
3 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
Sour Cream Pound Cake
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Southern Blueberry Pound Cake
4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in March, 2020. It was updated in November, 2024.
Hi!
This recipe looks amazing, cannot wait to try. What would you think about adding candied pecans into the batter? Do you think it would work well?
Thanks so much for all of the great recipes and tips!
Hi Sarah, We haven’t tested nuts with this recipe, but it should work just fine. We hope you enjoy!
Can I use tonic instead of 7 up
Hi Grace! We haven’t tested it and can’t say for sure but probably wouldn’t recommend it.
Yesterday, I made your cake (in momory of the recent passing of my Pomeranian). I shared half of it w/ my neighbor & her family). She Texted my wife this morning saying, “Clarence put his foot in that cake.”
I followed your recipe to the letter except for the following:
-Having no 7-Up soda, I substituted Mountain Dew w/ Zero sugar.
-I added approximately 6 oz. fresh blackberries.
The cake was even better after resting over night.
Thanks
We’re sorry for your loss, Clarence but are so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for trying it out.
Thanks for the completeness of this recipe ! ( an extra)
Hope you enjoyed the cake! 🙂
The site wouldn’t let me print
Sorry to hear this, Wanda! Are you getting any kind of message when you try to print?
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Looks really good, I can’t wait to try it
I’m probably going to be making it in a few weeks for a potluck at Church.
I loved how you explained everything in detail
We hope you enjoy it, CJ!