7Up Cake Recipe

This 7Up cake recipe is made entirely from scratch and creates the most delicious, moist lemon-lime sheet cake, complete with a sweet and zesty icing.

A traditional Southern pot-luck dessert, my easy 7-up sheet cake just melts in your mouth and will disappear in a flash!

If you like lemon desserts like lemon meringue pie, lemon tart, and lemon muffins, you are going to fall in love with this simple 7UP sheet cake recipe with lemon-lime glaze.

You may see recipes for 7Up cake that are made as a bundt cake or a layer cake, but I think that this sheet cake version is the easiest of them all.

The cake batter, infused with bubbly 7 Up soda and the bright flavor of lemon and Iime zest, bakes up in just 20 minutes. Whip up a homemade glaze while it’s in the oven, pour it over, and get ready to be amazed by the spectacular lemon dessert you’ve just made!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Easy Sheet Cake Method – This lemon cake is similar to my Texas Sheetcake and Pumpkin Sheetcake recipes, in that it’s baked in a large, wide pan. The method is super fast and easy, and you won’t need a mixer or any fancy tools or equipment to make a delicious 7Up cake from scratch.
2. Totally Homemade – There’s no need to use a boxed cake mix to make 7Up cake when it’s just as easy to mix together a handful of ingredients yourself. The flavor and texture of this scratch-made sheet cake are so good – moist, light, and refreshing.
3. Perfect for Sharing – This large cake can easily be cut into 20 or more servings, so it’s perfect for parties and potlucks.

Key Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this cake with 7-up:

• 7-Up: Obviously, you’ll need some lemon-lime soda for this cake recipe! 7UP is the classic, but Sprite, Sierra Mist/Starry, or a generic brand will also work just fine.
• Flour: Regular all-purpose flour works perfectly here, no need for cake flour in this recipe.
• Sugar
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Vegetable Oil
• Sour Cream: Adding sour cream to the cake batter makes it extra rich and delicious. You can also use plain Greek yogurt for a similar effect.
• Eggs: Let the eggs come to room temperature before mixing up the cake batter.
• Lemon and Lime: You’ll need only the zest from the fruit to infuse both the cake and the icing with amazing citrus flavor. You can juice them afterwards and make yourself some lemonade!
• For the Frosting: You’ll need more zest, vanilla, and 7UP plus some powdered sugar and a stick of salted butter.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make 7Up Cake from Scratch

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a sheet tray by lightly spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients: Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugar, 7Up, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, lemon zest, lime zest, and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is well-combined with no lumps.

4. Bake: Pour the 7Up cake batter into the prepared sheet pan and smooth it out with a spatula so that it’s even. Bake for 20 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and pull it out clean.

5. Make the Icing: While the cake finishes baking in the oven, add the butter and 7Up to a medium-sized saucepan and put it over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly, then remove from the heat. Stir in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time, then mix in the citrus zest and vanilla.
6. Frost and Cool: While the cake is still warm from the oven, pour the lemon-lime icing over it. Use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting over the whole sheet cake. Allow the 7Up cake to cool completely before serving.

Recipe Tips

• To zest the lemon and lime, use a fine grater, commonly known as a microplane.
• If you don’t have fresh citrus on hand, you can also skip the zest. The cake will have a slightly less tart flavor, and still be delicious.
• For even more lemon flavor, add a bit of lemon extract to the cake batter.

Storing Tips

You can keep this cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage of up to a week, keep it in the fridge!

7 Up cake is best served at room temperature, but I enjoy it straight from the fridge too.

If needed, freeze this dessert recipe for up to 3 months. Be sure to let the cake cool completely and wrap it very well before freezing.

Recipe FAQs

What size pan should I bake a sheet cake in?

This recipe for 7-up cake is baked in a sheet pan that is 18 inches by 13 inches with a 1-inch lip. This is considered a half sheet pan and is the normal size of a standard baking sheet.

You may also choose to bake this cake in a smaller jelly roll pan (15×10.5 inches). If so, I would suggest using one that is slightly deeper so that the cake doesn’t rise up over the pan. Increase the baking time by a few minutes as well, since the cake will be thicker.

Can I use frosting instead of the glaze?

This lemon-lime cake would be delicious with a layer of buttercream frosting! Mix in some chopped fresh strawberries or shredded coconut for even more delightful flavor.

What other types of soda can I make a cake with?

This recipe will work with any light or clear soda flavor. Try orange soda, ginger ale, or grapefruit soda for a different spin on this 7UP cake recipe.

7Up Cake is a delicious classic, and this scratch sheet cake version is so simple to make. Save this recipe for the next time you need a dessert for a party!