A fresh lemon-lime taste with a soft texture is what you’ll find in this easy 7-UP Cake Mix Cake. Adding a box of pistachio pudding gives it color and moistness. The hardest part is zesting the citrus for the drizzly icing, but using a cake mix makes the rest as easy as pie, or a piece of cake in this instance!
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The Classic Version
You may be familiar with the classic 7-Up pound cake recipe that’s still popular today. It’s made from scratch with a lemon-lime taste from the carbonated 7-UP drink. Our cake here begins with a boxed white cake mix for ease and instant pistachio pudding for moistness and fun color.
When I first served this dessert to my family one Sunday after lunch, it got rave reviews. They all wanted to know what it was. I proudly announced it was a 7-Up cake, and that ‘s why it was green. My oldest child quickly took it upon himself to inform me that 7-UP was not green. I then said, “Well, of course, it is!” So I retrieved the green carbonated drink bottle with the red dot from the pantry and set it on the dining room table. He then unscrewed the lid and proceeded to pour the carbonated drink into a glass and said, “See, it’s not green.”
I know it’s not green! But the package is, and what makes us think of that crisp, refreshing, lemon-lime taste more than seeing a brightly colored 7-Up bottle? So I’ve kept the green theme believing it adds to the enticement and enjoyment of eating this delicious cake. I also topped it with red dot sprinkles as a nod to the bottle’s logo for fun! Sprinkles are optional, but why go through life without ’em?!
Here’s how to make the 7-Up Cake Mix Cake.
Starting with the ingredients the cake mix box directions call for plus more eggs and oil, we add these extras: 7-Up carbonated drink (in place of the water), instant pistachio pudding, and lemon and lime juice. You may already have these on hand.
There is no need to beat this cake more than what it takes to stir and incorporate the ingredients well using a mixer. I find the batter has the consistency of glue when over mixing, and the texture after baking is not as smooth as not beating.
Isn’t it gorgeous with that burst of green peeking through! Baking in a pretty bundt pan makes it easy with no messy layers to cool, frost, and stack. So is baking it as a 9×13 single layer or into individual cupcakes topped with a thicker icing. So many options!
Speaking of icing, this one is made with powdered sugar, 7-Up, and the zest of lemon and lime. It’s packed with flavor that accompanies this cake beautifully!
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7-UP CAKE MIX CAKE
A box of pistachio pudding adds color and moistness to this fresh lemon-lime bundt cake.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 slices 1x
Ingredients
Cake
1 15.25-ounce box white cake mix
1 3.4-ounce box instant pistachio pudding
3/4 cups 7-Up or any lemon-lime carbonated drink
4 eggs
3/4 cups canola oil
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons 7-Up or any lemon-lime carbonated drink
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare bundt pan with oil and flour.
Add cake mix and pudding to a large bowl with beaters.
Mix the 7-Up into the dry ingredients thoroughly then stir eggs into batter one at a time.
Blend the oil into the batter until thouroughly incorporated and lastly, stir in the lemon juice.
Pour into bundt pan evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, being careful not to overbake and dry out cake.
Remove cake from oven and let cool for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to completely cool.
Icing
In a medium to large size bowl, put in all of the ingredients and combine with beaters until completely blended.
Drizzle over cooled cake and decorate with red sprinkles if desired.
Notes
Do not overbeat or cake texture will not be as smooth.
Be careful not to overbake and dry out the cake.
This cake is better the next day, but the sprinkles tend to melt into the icing so you may want to omit the sprinkles if making ahead.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: 7-Up cake, cake mix cake, citrus cake, bundt cake
For more cake recipes check these out:
- Mamaw’s Fresh Apple Cake
- Cajun Cake
- Mandalicious Mandarin Orange Cake
- Glazed Carrot Cake
- Gateau Frais Cupcakes or Fresh Cake Cupcakes
- Fig Cake
This really is a fun cake to make and serve. It’s attractive, delicious, and goes well with meals that need a citrusy end. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you and seeing how you share these recipes on social media. Be sure and pin the one below to your Pinterest boards. Thanks!
“The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”
Author unknown, commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin
Mmmmmm….going to eat too much during this quarantine!!
It’s like endless snow days! I think the key is to stay active. Burn those calories! ?♀️
I used Mountain Dew, because I didn’t have 7-up, & it was great. Not sure how much it changed the flavor, but it was certainly good. I also use coconut oil instead of canola, it is healthier & gives a slight coconut flavor, which to me, adds to the richness & is healthier.
I love this idea about using coconut oil, and I don’t think Mountain Dew would change much of the taste, either.