Lemon-lime soda is crisp, effervescent, and especially refreshing over ice in a glass, but there are other uses for the citrusy soft drink. In fact, there are not one, but two Allrecipes Bundt cakes that feature 7Up as a key ingredient. Lemony and fresh, these recipes caught my eye and I wondered, could the highly-reviewed dessert become my new summertime potluck contribution?

The 7Up Bundt Cake shared by Allrecipes user JJOHN32 has been reviewed more than 250 times, with testers saying it’s “easy to make” and always “a hit.” “I’ve been making it for 20 years and everyone loves it,” said one home baker.

There’s also JSWERVE0712’s 7Up Cake recipe, which has nearly 130 rave reviews. “So incredibly delicious,” wrote one fan of the cake. “Perfect for summertime and light as a feather.”

What Is 7Up Cake?

7Up Cake is a type of cake that’s buttery, dense, and best made in a Bundt cake pan.  The original recipe came from the soda company itself in the 1950s and has inspired many variations ever since. The ingredients are pretty similar to most pound cake recipes: butter, sugar, flour, and eggs, with some extra pops of flavor. Lemon extract brings a light, citrusy zing to this dessert and the addition of lemon-lime soda further amps up the citrus flavor while its bubbles act as a leavening agent that helps the cake rise when baking. 7Up cakes can be glazed with a simple powdered sugar icing or left as is.

The soda-packed dessert takes a while to make: Creaming the butter and sugar together is a process, and the bake time is over an hour. Still, the result seems to be worth it, judging from hundreds of five-star reviews.

How To Make 7Up Cake

7Up Cake is a bit time-consuming, but much of that time comes in waiting for the butter and sugar to get light and fluffy and hunkering down for the 75-minute bake time. I tried the dessert in my own kitchen, creating a hybrid of the two recipes on our site. The process was simple but needs to be completed on a day when you can stick close to home for a few hours.

Tips for Making 7Up Cake

When it was time to taste my 7Up Cake, I found that my time in the kitchen paid off. The cake was perfectly buttery and dense like a good pound cake should be and had just the right hint of lemon flavor. I was sure to check my cake for doneness a few times once it had been in the oven for 60 minutes and found that my cake tester came out clean after about 70 minutes in my oven.

Reviewers have shared their own takes on the popular cake, from making it into smaller cupcake-style bites to swapping the lemon-lime soda for Mountain Dew. Some reduce the amount of lemon extract and add fresh lemon zest, an addition I think I’ll try next time to boost the citrus flavor even more.

7Up Cake Recipe

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups butter (3 whole sticks), softened at room temperature
• 3 cups white granulated sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 3/4 cup 7Up (any lemon-lime soda will do)

For the glaze:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease a 10-inch Bundt cake pan.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, around 20 minutes.
4. Add the flour, mixing until just combined.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Stir in the lemon extract.
7. Mix the 7Up into the batter.
8. Pour the mixture into a Bundt cake pan.
9. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes.
10. To make the glaze, beat the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl until combined.
11. Pour glaze over warm 7Up Cake.