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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“My boo told me his mom used to make a 7 up cake for him, and it was his childhood favorite. She has since passed, and he has hinted way too many times to me about how good a 7up cake could be. So I put all faith in this recipe. Let me tell you! This is the one!…Sooo moist, delicious, buttery and the perfect lemon flavor!”
—linda s.
The Lowdown of This 7 Up Cake Recipe
My mama’s 7 up pound cake was the first cake I ever learned to bake. And once I got that baby down, you couldn’t stop me. I made it for every holiday imaginable because it was a hit. What makes this cake so special is the unique yet subtle lemon lime flavor and the rich melt-in-your-mouth texture.
You would think that it would be hard to pull something like this off but it ain’t y’all. Let me show you how just like my mother showed me how.
Ingredients you’ll need to make 7 Up Pound Cake
- Classic 7 up soda: My mama doesn’t believe in using any substitute for this cake. 7 up offers that light citrusy lemon lime flavor and also acts as a leavening agent removing the need for baking soda or baking powder. If you absolutely cannot use 7up, grab another lemon-lime soda like Sprite or Sierra Mist
- Unsalted Butter: Butter gives amazing richness and creamy flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: This sweetens up our cake batter just right.
- Eggs: These give our cake stability.
- Cake flour: It keeps the cake texture soft and tender because it has less gluten than an all purpose flour.
- Lemon extract: It adds just a little more citrus flavor.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: This helps create our smooth sweet glaze.
How To Make 7 Up Cake

7 UP Cake Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- 1/2 cup 7-Up soda room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons 7-Up soda
- 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Start by preheating your oven to 315°F then liberally spray a bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In your mixer bowl, add butter and beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add in sugar and salt beat on high speed for an additional seven minutes until very pale yellow and fluffy.
- Next, add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides as needed.
- Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour into batter in two increments. Be careful not to overbeat.
- Lastly, pour in 7 Up and lemon extract, scrape down sides and mix until just combined and turn off mixer.
- Pour cake batter into prepared bundt pan, and bake for 1 hour and 15 -20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cake on serving plate.
For the Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together confectioner’s sugar, 7 Up, and lemon extract until it’s pourable. Spoon over the cake and allow to harden.
Video
Notes
How to store 7 Up Pound Cake
Store your 7 Up pound cake recipe in a well-sealed cake container or wrapped well at room temp. This will keep the texture nice and soft, and it will last for up to 4 or 5 days this way.How long will 7 Up Pound Cake last in the fridge?
It can last in the fridge up to 7 days. Cold storage can dry out baked good so wrapping your cake well in plastic wrap is important to keep this baby nice and moist.Can I freeze 7 Up Cake?
To store it for longer, wrap it well in plastic then in foil, and store in the freezer. Label and it should last up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw it in the fridge or at room temperature before serving. You can also portion into individual slices before wrapping.Nutrition
What to serve with this 7-Up Pound Cake recipe
- Serve with Ice Cream: I love to warm a slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Serve with Whipped Cream: A small dollop of homemade whipped cream balances the sweet richness of a slice.
- Fun Holiday Meal: Get your smothered turkey wings ready along with some seafood dressing, and corn pone. The 7up cake is the ultimate dessert for this meal plan.
Recipe substitutions and additions
- Unsalted Butter: You can use salted butter. Just leave out the salt in the recipe.
- Cake Flour: If you don’t have any around and still want that soft and tender crumb, you can make your own cake flour with all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: If you ran out, you can make your own powdered sugar with a blender.
- More Citrus Flavor: You can up the lemon and lime flavor by adding fresh lemon and lime zest. Add it either to the cake batter or the glaze.
- Berry Good: Fold in some berries before baking for some delish fruity vibes. Once baked, add a slice to a plate and spoon on strawberry sauce.
Expert Tips and Tricks for making the best 7-Up Cake Recipe
- Use Cake Flour: I know you might want to skip this part because all-purpose flour is so easy to grab but it makes such a difference in the final texture of the cake.
- Cream the Full Amount of Time: Make sure you don’t skimp on the creaming period of the sugar and butter. This process will give the cake a wonderful lift and rise by adding air into the batter so you don’t need leavening.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Allow your butter to soften and refrigerated ingredients to come to room temperature. Ingredients with the same temp will mix more easily.
- Grease the Bundt Pan: Either use a baking spray with flour so that the cake easily comes out of the pan or try my homemade cake release.
- Don’t over mix the cake batter: Once you add in the flour, take it easy since you have activated the gluten. We don’t want to overactive and make it tough or dense.
How to store 7 Up Pound Cake
Store your 7 Up pound cake recipe in a well-sealed cake container or wrapped well at room temp. This will keep the texture nice and soft, and it will last for up to 4 or 5 days this way.
How long will 7 Up Pound Cake last in the fridge?
It can last in the fridge up to 7 days however I don’t recommend putting this in the fridge. Pound cakes in the fridge dry out.
Can I freeze 7 Up Cake?
Absolutely boos! Just wrap super well in plastic wrap then in foil, label and pop in the freezer. When ready to get down again, thaw it in the fridge or at room temperature before serving. You can also portion into individual slices before wrapping.
Frequently asked questions
My mother has always been adamant about using the original 7 UP and nothing else. She says you can really taste the difference. While I have used other lemon-lime soda brands ranging from Sprite to Sierra Mist, I try my best to follow my mother’s advice.
A round bundt or fluted pan is the most common type of pan used for making a pound cake though some recipes will use a loaf pan for a rectangular-shaped cake. For making a pound cake, I think the cake presents best when using a fluted bundt cake pan. If you only have a loaf pan, halve the recipe or bake two loaves.
Use a non-stick baking spray or shortening to coat the inside of the Bundt pan. Make sure to cover every nook and cranny of the pan. Then sprinkle it lightly with flour before adding your cake batter. Inverting a slightly cooled cake over a wire rack allows gravity to help remove it from the pan without breaking. If it seems to be a bit resistant, allow it some time to keep cooling.
After you try making this easy 7 up pound cake, I’m sure it will become one of you absolute fave pound cakes to make. The flavors are subtle yet hitting in the best way. Every single time you bite into this cake, you get melt-in-your-mouth vibes, an undeniable soft crumb and wonderful citrus flavors. You gotta get into this y’all.
More Delicious Cake Recipes
- Hummingbird Cake
- Banana Pudding Cake
- Whipping Cream Pound Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Key Lime Pound Cake
- 35 Pound Cake Recipes
This recipe was originally published May 2018. It has been republished with new content and photos.
I’ve made your 7up cake using my heritage cake pan like yours in the photo.
Both times, the cake stuck in the pan.
What form of cake pan release do you use/recommend?
I might add, both times the cake was delicious!
Thank you, I love your recipes.
I’ve seen in her videos that she uses Pam Baking spray. It’s what I use and it works. There’s flour in the Pam spray.
I made this cake to celebrate the end of the school year and the start of summer. It was delicious! My son and I made it together. The recipe was easy to follow, but still felt sophisticated. I also enjoyed that it did not require any unusual ingredients. I’m so glad that I could make of one of your family’s recipes. Thank you for sharing!
This is a really good recipe. I am not at all a baker and this recipe was easy to follow and the cake was delicious! I used a hand mixer which got a little messy but it worked. The cake was very moist inside and crunchy outside. My family loved it!
Wow! I just made this recipe and simply love it! It brought back so many memories of my mother and I in the kitchen baking. My very first cake was the 1-2-3-4 cake LOL, and the second cake was the 7-Up cake. It is moist and fluffy. Thank you so much for the recipes as well as the demonstration of how to prepare your recipes. Love the cookbook, (smile)
I love that you have made this recipe available, it is my go to anytime I crave a pound cake. On another note I am delighted with all of the recipes in your cookbook.
Thanks for sharing your recipes. I am about to make the Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake and then I saw the 7 Up Cake. I was wondering if I could add the instant lemon pounding cake to the 7 up cake to make it more lemony (if that is a word)?
Yes but honestly I wouldn’t because it would alter the taste. This cake is really about the flavor the 7 up brings it which is incredible. Make it without the first time so you can see the difference.
If you use pure lemon extract and pure vanilla that will be plenty of flavor. Pudding will change the texture of your cake and it will not taste like homemade. I have used pure vanilla, pure lemon and pure lime extract with success. I can’t wait to try this 7-Up Cake recipe!!! I plan to try the Sock It to Me cake recipe too.
Fantastic! I tweaked the flavors a little but followed the mixing instruction precisely. It was devoured.
Hi, can I used butter(salted) and if not, why?
You sure can. Just omit the salt from this recipe.
Can you use all purpose flour instead of cake flour?
I would suggest using cake flour because the texture of the cake will change with all purpose flour. It won’t be as light but you can make your own cake flour if you need to. For every cup of flour, You simply remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace with cornstarch then sift at least 3-4 times then use.
Made the 7UP cake for the Thanksgiving holiday; none left. Many compliments. Love Jocelyn’s cake recipes. They are easy to follow and delicious as well.
That makes me so so happy! So glad you love it!