When it comes to cake, lemon is my number one favorite. Especially this time of year when we can see an end in sight to winter and we’re getting excited for all the spring things.
Lemon is at the top of the list when I think of Spring flavors so I’m super excited to be sharing this simple, zingy cake with you today.
SIMPLE Pound Cake…
Let’s start off by talking about just how simple it is to whip up this cake. You only need 6 ingredients. And it’s completely from scratch. Butter, sugar, egg, flour, 7Up and lemon zest. That’s it!
It takes a little more work than a boxed mix because the butter needs to be creamed with the sugar but only an additional few minutes are required and they are completely worth it.
Add a Little Lemon…
The first hint of citrus flavor in the 7Up Pound Cake comes from the 7Up. The lemon-lime flavor of the soda bakes up in the cake with a slight lemon flavor.
The zest of a lemon is also mixed into the batter to really amp up the lemon flavor throughout the cake. There isn’t an overpowering lemon flavor to the cake but it definitely has a citrusy background.
You could also add in the zest of a lime to infuse even more citrus goodness into this cake.
A Light & Moist Cake
I don’t know about you but I sometimes find pound cake just a bit too heavy and dense. Luckily with this recipe, the 7Up in the cake lends a slight effervescence and lightens up the texture a bit so that it’s not as dense as a traditional pound cake.
This cake has a moist and tender crumb that is the perfect mix in texture between a traditional cake and a pound cake.
Baking the Bundt Cake
For this cake, and all cakes baked in a bundt pan, it’s very important to grease and flour the pan properly to keep it from sticking and breaking. There’s not much worse in the baking realm than trying to release a cake after the work of mixing it up and baking just to find it completely stuck.
Grease the Bundt Pan
I opt to grease the pan completely with vegetable shortening then add some flour to the pan. Shake the pan around until all the shortening is completely coated with flour then toss the excess flour.
I’ve also found silicone bundt pans work really well but you may have to add additional baking time so keep that in mind.
Serving the 7Up Pound Cake
Once the cake has completely cooled and you’ve removed it from the bundt pan successfully, it’s ready to eat. You can enjoy it deliciously on its own or you can fancy it up in a few ways.
A simple dusting of powdered sugar would provide a special presentation and an extra kick of sweetness.
Or top it with some macerated strawberries for an elevated strawberry shortcake. This is totally happening for Easter at my house.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease then flour a bundt pan. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixture, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add eggs, incorporating after each addition, until well combined. Add flour and mix until just incorporated.
Add 7Up and lemon zest and turn on low. Slowly incorporate until the batter just comes together. Pour into the prepared bundt ban and smooth out the top.
Bake for an hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Invert bundt pan and allow to fully cool. Slice into 12 to 16 pieces and serve.
