Ingredients:

for the cake:
1 1/2 cups 7UP
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
zest from 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

to decorate: confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Spray with baking spray or grease and flour one Bundt pan. Set aside. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the 7UP, juice, oil, zest and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly beat in eggs. While the mixer is running, stream in the dry ingredients. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a thin knife inserted into the cake comes out with clean or with just a few dry crumbs.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

My thoughts:

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of 7UP®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Who doesn’t love a Bundt cake? It is hard to believe that Bundt cakes only became popular in the 1950s and ’60s when Nordic Ware trademarked the Bundt pan and when the “Tunnel of Fudge Cake” won the Bake-Off. They are so simple to make and don’t really need frosting beyond a sprinkle of sugar or a light glaze. This cake is an homage to 1950s and ’60s baking by incorporating an unusual ingredient in the cake: soda! That era was full of recipes that had a “secret ingredient” and in this case, 7UP is what makes the cake light and fluffy and provides a touch of lemon-lime. The flavor of this cake was inspired by the popular Mid-Atlantic cocktail, the Orange Crush, which supposedly originated on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It is named after the orange “crusher” that extracts fresh orange juice from the oranges for each drink. To make the drink, you pour the pulpy freshly squeezed juice into a glass full of ice, stir in vodka and then top it off with 7UP. Perfect for sipping on a hot day on the beach or when having some steamed crabs. To turn it into a cake, I eliminated the vodka, kept the freshly squeezed orange juice and increased the ratio of 7UP. The result: a light, fluffy cake bursting with citrus flavor. Oranges are in season now, so the orange flavor is extra bold. If it isn’t citrus season when you go to make this, add 1/4 teaspoon of pure orange extract to up the orange flavor. Everyone will love this light, freshly flavored, citrusy cake! #7Waysto7UP