7-UP Bundt Cake

Now you have to wonder how a cake like this ever get discovered in the first place? Baking with actual drinking soda sounds both disgusting and intriguing but I was up for the task. I promise you it was delicious.  I gave up drinking soda a few years ago and now I’m going to put it in a cake? But that’s exactly what I did. I had to wonder how a cake like this came to be,  was someone drinking 7-UP and spilled 3/4 of a cup in by accident? OMG it’s a lot to think about it but all I can say is WOW! I did a little research on the recipes and there are quite a few out there, most of these “soda” cakes seem to hail from the South.  Baking is a little tricky up here at high altitude but it went well. Bundt cakes make you look like a rock-star baker. I made a few changes to recipe adding vanilla extract and lemon extract. Lemon extract was the key for me. I kept the glaze simple but there are some awesome renditions out there.

Somehow these ingredients produce a delicious lemony moist cake!

Julia Child once said “A party without cake is just a meeting” my exact sentiment.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened ( a little trick I discovered is using soft butter spread, easier to measure out and no melting required, just leave it out to really soften before using) if you use regular butter just soften it up in the microwave for a few seconds.

3 cups sugar

5 eggs ( always try to use room temperature eggs)

3 cups flour

2 Tablespoons Lemon Extract

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

3/4 cup 7UP or any carbonated lemon-lime beverage of your choice

*optional you can add zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime , I did it without doing this extra step and it was all good. For an extra zing of flavor you can add it.

Lemon Glaze:

2/3 cup powdered sugar ( confectioners sugar)

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice ( juice of a fresh lemon)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

You will probably cook cake for about 1 1/4 hours. I would check on cake with a cake tester after the hour.

Cream butter and sugar for about 20 minutes in an electric mixer with paddle attachment, I know this seems like a very long time but according to many different renditions of this recipe I have read it seems that the cake will come out lighter if you do this.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg

Add flour and lemon extract and vanilla extract

Fold in 7UP –meaning simply take bowl off electric mixer stand . Pour soda in slowly and gently fold in with a rubber spatula.

Pour into a well-greased (sprayed with cooking spray) Bundt Pan or Tube Pan, I used a Bundt.

Make Lemon Glaze-mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together with a whisk.

I removed bundt cake from pan after about 10 minutes, let cool.

When cake is cooled, drizzle with Lemon Glaze