Seven-Up Cake

Pure Southern potluck royalty. This seven-up cake uses a boxed lemon cake mix and a packet of pineapple pudding as the shortcut, then a can of the green soda gets poured right into the batter for a light, bubbly crumb that tastes like lemon-lime candy.

The icing is the real kicker and what separates this from every other doctored box cake. Crushed pineapple gets cooked on the stove with margarine, sugar, flour, and eggs until thick enough to spread. Coconut goes in last, then the whole sticky topping gets poured over the cake while it’s still warm so it soaks into every crumb.

Think pineapple upside-down meets lemon bar meets German chocolate cake. It’s the kind of dessert grandma made for funerals and bridge club, and it still slays at a cookout.

Kitchen Tips

• Pour the 7-Up in last and mix only until blended. Over-beating knocks the fizz out and you lose the lift it brings.
• Cook the icing low and slow. Cranking the heat scrambles the eggs before the sugar has a chance to melt.
• Ice the cake while it’s warm, not hot. Too hot and the icing slides off the sides, too cool and it won’t absorb into the top.
• Toast the coconut in a dry skillet first if you want a deeper, more caramelized note in the icing.

Variations

• Swap the lemon cake mix for yellow or white and add a tablespoon of lemon zest to the batter.
• Use diet 7-Up or Sprite Zero for a slightly less sweet crumb.
• Scatter toasted pecans over the icing while it’s still wet for a Texas sheet cake feel.