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This 7-Up Cake is tender, lightly sweet, and finished with a simple lemon-lime glaze that settles into every Bundt cake ridge. Cake mix, Instant pudding, and soda keep the batter easy and the texture moist without any fussy steps. You’re going to love how special it looks for so little effort.
Why You’ll Love It
- Easy pantry ingredients — cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, oil, and 7-Up do the work.
- Moist, light texture — the soda gives the cake a soft, tender crumb.
- Simple glaze — powdered sugar and 7-Up make a quick drizzle that looks beautiful.
- Great for sharing — it slices neatly, travels well, and stays moist for days.
Ingredient Notes
Use a regular 15-ounce yellow cake mix, whichever brand is on sale or already in your pantry. White cake mix works too, and it makes a lighter-looking cake. For a stronger lemon flavor, use lemon cake mix and lemon instant pudding. That version is bright and cheerful, though the yellow-and-vanilla version is softer somehow.
The pudding must be instant pudding. Don’t make the pudding according to the box directions; you’re just using the dry mix. Do not add milk. A lemon-lime custard situation in the Bundt pan is not needed.
Vegetable oil keeps the crumb very moist and neutral in flavor. You can use melted unsalted Butter instead, though the cake will taste a little different and perhaps richer. Not necessarily better. Sometimes oil is just doing its job.
Use 7-Up, or Sprite if that’s what you have. The important thing is that it’s lemon-lime soda with some fizz left in it. Flat soda will still mix into the batter, but fresh soda is best.
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) box yellow cake mix — do not prepare it according to the box directions
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix, dry; lemon pudding is good too if you want more citrus flavor
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 7.5 ounces 7-Up soda — a little less than 1 cup; if you open a can, well, the rest is yours
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup 7-Up soda for the glaze, adding it gradually if you like a thicker drizzle
- Sprinkles, optional — they do make it look festive in a hurry
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan really well with nonstick cooking spray, getting into every curve and stubborn little crease. Bundt pans are beautiful, but they can be spiteful.
In a large bowl, combine the dry yellow cake mix, dry instant pudding mix, and the 4 eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until everything is smooth and combined. It will be thick at first, and that’s normal. Don’t panic and start adding milk.
Pour in the vegetable oil and mix until it disappears into the batter. Then add the 7.5 ounces of 7-Up. Mix on low speed just until smooth. Keep the mixer low unless you want little specks of cake batter on the cabinet doors.
Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan, spreading it around evenly with a spatula if it needs a little encouragement. The batter is fairly thick but pours nicely enough.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean from the thickest part of the cake. Start checking around 45 minutes. Every oven has its own personality and may run a little hot.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack or serving plate. Let it cool completely, about another 40 minutes, before glazing. If you glaze a warm cake, the icing will melt right in and mostly vanish. Still tasty, just not as pretty.
For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and 1/4 cup 7-Up together in a small bowl until smooth. If it seems too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick to drizzle, add a tiny splash more soda. Drizzle it over the completely cooled cake and add sprinkles if you’re feeling fancy.
Slice and serve. This cake is especially good at room temperature with Coffee.
Variations
Make this with lemon cake mix and lemon pudding, then add a pinch of poppy seeds for a more lemony, brighter cake. It is pretty with a few thin lemon slices on the serving plate if you’re in a mood.
White cake mix works nicely too, especially if you want the glaze to stand out. Divide the batter into bowls and tint portions red and green for a swirled holiday cake. It looks cute once sliced.
Orange soda can be used for a different twist. It isn’t terrible, but it is not this cake. It tastes a little like something you’d get from a vending machine at a bowling alley.
Storage & Reheating
Keep leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let a slice sit on the counter for 15 or 20 minutes before eating it, because cold cake can be a little firm and the flavor comes through better at room temperature.
You can freeze the cake without the glaze for up to 3 months. Wrap it well — plastic wrap first, then foil or a freezer container — because freezer flavor is nobody’s friend. Thaw it at room temperature and make a fresh glaze when you’re ready to serve. The glaze takes all of two minutes.
This cake does not need reheating. A few seconds in the microwave can soften a cold slice if you insist, but the glaze will get melty.
Final Notes
There’s something comforting about a cake like this. Not fancy, not trendy, not trying to be a “showstopper” — a word that has been overused to the point of exhaustion. It’s just a good, moist cake with a little lemon-lime sparkle and a shiny white glaze.
Make it for an occasion, or because there’s half a can of 7-Up tucked behind the pickle jar. The smell of this cake cooling on the rack is part of its charm.
The end piece is still the best piece.
7-Up Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) box yellow cake mix do not prepare according to box directions; white cake mix may also be used
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix dry mix only; lemon pudding may be used for more citrus flavor
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 7.5 ounces 7-Up soda for the cake batter; a little less than 1 cup
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup 7-Up soda for the glaze; add gradually for a thicker drizzle if desired
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and spray a 12-cup Bundt pan very well with nonstick cooking spray, making sure to coat every curve and crease.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry yellow cake mix, dry instant pudding mix, and eggs, then beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined; the batter will be thick at first.
- Pour in the vegetable oil and mix until incorporated, then add the 7.5 ounces of 7-Up and mix on low speed just until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spread it evenly with a spatula if needed.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean, checking around 45 minutes.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack or serving plate and let it cool completely, about another 40 minutes, before glazing.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and 1/4 cup 7-Up together in a small bowl until smooth, adding more powdered sugar if too thin or a tiny splash more soda if too thick to drizzle.
- Drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled cake, add sprinkles if desired, then slice and serve at room temperature.