7-Up Cake!

If you aren't familiar with the 7-Up Cake, it's just one of the best pound cakes ever that is made with...yes, you guessed right...7-Up.   It's the same principle as the  Coca Cola Cake, in that the carbonation in the soda is what makes the cake rise, but other than that, the two cakes are totally different.   The 7-Up Cake is a lightly lemon flavored pound cake.  Some folks leave the icing off and serve it just plain or with some fruit.  That's ok I guess, but I love it with the icing. That's just what makes it great for me.   This is the 7-Up cake made from scratch.  Some make it with a cake mix and I can go either way, but I know that some of you think cake mixes are the Devil himself, so I went with scratch.  I honestly don't think baking a cake with a cake mix is any easier than from scratch.   The results might be a little more consistent for some who don't bake often though. 

 Here is what you need for this cake:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup  shortening (can use vegetable oil)
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup 7-Up (could use another lemon-lime soda)

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lemon extract
4-5 Tbs. half and half or milk
1 Tbs. lemon zest (optional, if you like more of a lemon zing)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter, shortening and sugar with an electric mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time. 

In another bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.   Add 1 cup at a time to the wet mixture and beat just enough to mix well.  Don't over beat this or it will make the cake drier.   

Add in the vanilla and lemon extracts and fold in the 7-Up.

Pour batter into a large Bundt pan that has been greased and floured or sprayed with a nonstick spray for baking.  Don't forget the stem of the pan.   Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.   Check it at 1 hour.  A pick inserted in the center should come out clean.   It took about an hour and five minutes in my oven.  Don't over bake it.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan, until you can handle the pan safely.  Turn it out onto a cake plate and allow to cool before glazing.

To prepare the glaze, mix the powdered sugar with the other ingredients and stir together until smooth.

 Pour over the top of the cake and just let it run down the sides.  If you do not like as much icing as I do, you might not need to use all of this, but I like a nice thick glaze on mine.