7up Pound Cake

                                                                                   
YUM!!!This is a delicious and moist pound cake that is so easy to make!!! I've made several of these this past winter as they will last for days, staying moist, and add a nice refreshing dessert following dinner. Bob realy likes this cake, and I love anything lemon!

I know the 8 minute beating of butter and sugar sounds extreme, but I got lazy and did not do this one time (years ago!) and ended up with a flatter cake that did not rise as much, and a more dense cake. It was not as good as when I beat it for the desired amount of time. Take that extra time; it is worth it.

I used to use 7Up in my recipe, but no more. 7Up is made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is not used in our home for all of its dangerous health issues pertaining to the pancreas, heart, liver, and blood. I know sugar is a poison to most people, too, but sugar is much better for you than HFCS. Sierra Mist works just as well with tasty results and it is made with table sugar.

I try to use farm eggs whenever I can, which may give you a more yellow cake. The picture above was made with store-bought eggs as I was unable to get farm eggs when I made this cake.

This is so delicious and easy to make!!! If you like lemon, you will like this cake. It is so refreshing. As a pound cake, it is a heavy cake, but this one, though dense, is very moist and appealing.

7up Pound Cake
1lb unsalted butter(4 sticks)
2 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour*
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract (I use 2 tsps extract for a more pronounced lemon flavor)
3/4 cup 7up soda (I use Sierra Mist)*

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugat
enough soda to make an icing
1 drop lemon extract

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees
Cream butter and sugar together and allow to beat for 8 minutes. If you have a stand alone mixer, all the better. This aerates the butter and makes sure the sugar is well combined.
Add one egg at a time; beat well.
Add vanilla and lemon extracts
Add one cup cake flour at a time (Important: see note below if using regular flour)*
Pour in soda, blend well.*
Pour into greased nonstick Bundt pan and even the top.
Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes, invert onto cooling rack or serving plate.
Cool completely, then ice. Cover well and store.

To make Icing~ Add powdered sugar to a bowl, add a bit of soda and blend well. Add in 1 drop of lemon extract. If too thin, add more sugar to get desired consistency. If too thick, add small amount of soda till you get desired consistency. With a regular tablespoon pour on and drizzle icing over top of cake, allowing it to flow down sides.

*I do not buy cake flour because of the price. Cake flour will give you a more delicate cake, but I've always used unbleached flour with great results.
Important: Cake flour and regular flour are NOT interchangeable! If using regular flour, remove 2 Tbls of flour from each measured cup, otherwise your cake will be too dense.

*I do not use 7UP, but you can, if so desired.