7 Up Cake is a classic and decadent treat! It’s a pound cake, complemented by the subtle flavor of citrus soda.
Grandbaby Cakes Cookbook
Every once in a while, you meet someone and you immediately know that person is special. I first met Jocelyn Delk Adams on an airplane last May. We were both flying to Miami for a blogging conference and were on the same flight from Chicago to Miami.
Jocelyn and I started talking on the plane, shared a taxi from the airport to the hotel, and have been friends ever since. And it’s on that day in the cab that I learned about this gem, that she was working on; her first cookbook, Grandbaby Cakes.
This book is special, you guys.
Now, I’ve read and flipped through a lot of cookbooks . . and there’s nothing like Grandbaby Cakes.
Yes, it’s a baking cookbook but it’s so much more than that. It’s a piece of Jocelyn’s heritage, family, soul and heart. We learn about her upbringing, her fabulous big mama (her grandmother), her mother and her aunt. We also learn how they taught Jocelyn by example in the kitchen when it came to baking, and that it was like a “rite of passage.”
Creating Mama’s 7 Up Cake
“Big Mama never required a timer; just a whiff of a baked good’s fragrance in the air was enough for her to know that the [7 Up cake] was ready. Big Mama would take pity on her impatient grandbaby and hand me a fork. She didn’t mind if I snuck a bite or two, because she’d made the cake for me anyway.”
It was this special relationship between Jocelyn and her Big Mama that influenced who Jocelyn is today, her love for baking and the heart and soul behind this cookbook.
I had the pleasure of learning how to bake a 7 Up cake recipe while my parents were in town. My mother helped me slice and serve the pound cake one morning while they were here. I didn’t make the glaze because it would have been too sweet for my parents, but you can bet I am making the glaze next time!
We had 7 Up cake with coffee and loved it! This is the most delicious pound cake we have ever tasted! This 7 Up cake recipe has been in her family for decades and this was, in fact, the very first cake that Jocelyn learned to bake!
“Mama’s 7Up Pound Cake is a classic and decadent treat complemented by the subtle flavor of citrus soda. The juxtaposition of the crunchy crust to the moist inner texture makes the cake simply irresistible!”
7 Up Cake Recipe and Other Cake Recipes
This cookbook is filled with all different kinds of cake recipes:
- layered cakes
- cupcakes
- bundt cakes
- sheet cakes
- celebration cakes and cakes for the holidays
I love that the book is so rich with Jocelyn’s southern upbringing and her family. For me, growing up, we never baked much at all. Just cooked a lot of Korean food like Jajangmyeon. I remember my nanny baking a cake for us when we were little but it was Duncan Hines and from a box. If we ever had dessert, it was dessert purchased from a grocery store, so for me to see and read about someone’s family and their rich and full love for baking and each other, is truly heartwarming.
Each recipe has a story and a piece of Jocelyn. I absolutely love all the family photos and memories that are sprinkled throughout this cookbook. I hate it when you pick up a cookbook and there is hardly anything about the author, other than the introduction. I’ve never felt so connected to a family and their love for each other, baking and tradition.
I have also baked the Real-Deal Caramel Cake, the Roasted Raspberry Cupcakes, the Marble Texas Sheet Cake and the Blueberry Pan-cakelettes with Maple Cinnamon Glaze.
All of these recipes are spot on and rich with flavor. Some require a ton of butter and sugar but hey, this is dessert and I think what I love most is that you can bake and share these with your family and loved ones and for me, it’s more about the act of baking for those you love and serving and sharing with them.
I can’t wait to bake some more recipes with my daughters! What I’m baking next: (hint, all of these links lead to the recipes that have already been published for Jocelyn’s cookbook tour!) Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake, Buttered Rum and Candied Sweet Potato Crumb Cake and the Dreamsicle Punch Bowl Cake. There are a ton more! You can find the entire cookbook blogger tour here!
So, check all of them out, buy this cookbook if you don’t have it already and bake this 7Up cake!
Mama's 7 Up Cake (Pound Cake Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter 3 sticks, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- ½ cup 7-Up soda room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons 7-Up soda
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
For the cake:
- Heat oven to 315 degrees F. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add the sugar and salt. Cream together for an additional 7 minutes until very pale yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Turn your mixer down to the lowest speed setting and slowly add the flour in two batches. Do not overbeat. Pour in the 7UP and lemon extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Again, be careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 75 to 85 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Let cool to room temperature.
For the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until the mixture is pourable. When the cake is completely cool, spoon the glaze over the cake and allow it to harden. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
