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Old-Fashioned 7UP Pound Cake

G By Our Grannies' Kitchen Updated Jul 2026 4.9 (231 ratings)
Old-Fashioned 7UP Pound Cake
Old-Fashioned 7UP Pound Cake
4.9 / 5
12 servings

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Ingredients

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  • 3 sticks (340 g) butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 ⅛ cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) 7UP or other lemon-lime soda (clear lemonade), at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract and the zest of 1 lemon
  • For the glaze: 150 g powdered sugar and 2–3 tbsp lemon juice

Method

  1. Get set. Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature. Generously butter and flour a 2.5 liter (10-cup) bundt pan. Oven to 325°F (160°C, fan 140°C).
  2. Cream long. Beat the butter and sugar a full 5–7 minutes, until almost white and mousse-like. With no baking powder, this beaten-in air is most of the rise.
  3. Eggs one by one. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and lemon zest.
  4. Flour, then fizz. Fold in the flour in three additions, alternating with the 7UP, beginning and ending with flour. Fold gently — the bubbles are working for you, don't knock them out.
  5. Bake low. Scrape into the pan and bake 70–80 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack.
  6. Glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice for a thick, pourable glaze and spoon it over the barely-warm cake so it sets in drips down the ridges.
Granny's tip

Use full-sugar soda, never diet — the sugar matters to the crumb, and the aspartame in diet soda turns bitter in the oven. A flat, opened bottle will not do either; the fizz is the point.

Tips for a fine, tight crumb

Cream it pale

Five to seven full minutes, until almost white. With no baking powder, the air you beat in is the engine of the cake.

Room temperature everything

Cold butter will not fluff and cold eggs split the batter — set everything out an hour ahead, soda included.

Low and slow

325°F (160°C) for over an hour lets the dense middle set before the crust darkens. Trust the skewer, not the clock.

Questions, answered

Does it have to be 7UP?

No — any full-sugar lemon-lime soda works: 7UP, Sprite, or what UK shops sell simply as clear sparkling lemonade. What matters is real sugar and fresh fizz. Avoid diet versions, which bake up bitter, and flat leftover bottles, which give no lift.

Why is my 7UP cake dense and heavy?

Almost always under-creamed butter or cold ingredients. This cake has no baking powder, so the 5-to-7-minute creaming stage and room-temperature butter, eggs and soda are what raise it. Overmixing after the flour goes in will also knock the air back out.

Can I bake it in loaf pans instead of a bundt?

Yes — divide the batter between two 900 g (2 lb) loaf pans and bake at the same temperature for about 55 to 65 minutes. Don't force it all into one loaf pan; the middle will not cook through before the outside dries.

How long does it keep?

Beautifully — 4 to 5 days wrapped or under a cake dome at room temperature, and the crumb is arguably better on day two. It also freezes well for up to 3 months, whole or in slices; glaze after thawing if you can.

From Granny's Pantry

The know-how behind this recipe:

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