Perfect Pound Cake

Name: Perfect Pound Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: Nonstick baking spray; 1 1/2 c. butter; 3 c. granulated sugar; 5 eggs, at room temperature; 1 tsp. butter flavoring or vanilla extract; 2 tsp. lemon extract; 3 c. all-purpose flour; 1 c. lemon-lime soda, such as Sprite

The butter flavoring and lemon extract add zesty flavor!

By Ree DrummondPublished: Dec 14, 2023

10 Ratings

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This is a beautiful, moist, flavorful, delicious, yummy, happy pound cake… and it contains lemon-lime pop.

Important question: do you say "pop" to describe soft drinks? I do. I tried to resist it, I did… but soft drinks are "pop" around here in Pawhuska, and it's cemented in my lexicon forever.

This is a version of the old 7-Up cakes many of us enjoyed in the '70s, and this isn't the first dessert I've shared with you that incorporates pop. Have you tried the Apple Dumplings made with Mountain Dew? If not… don't. They're evil. And they must be destroyed. This pound cake must be destroyed, too. But not until after you try it once! Just kidding... it's my daughter's favorite. "This is the best cake of my whole life," she says. Try it and see if you agree.

Serve this Bundt cake recipe alone with a cup of coffee for a mid-morning snack or second breakfast or as a scrumptious dessert with ice cream and raspberry sauce, or with sweet strawberries and whipped cream. It's a versatile, yummy cake made from scratch that'll add a little joy to your life.

Why is it called a pound cake?

Original pound cake recipes had a whole pound of each ingredient. There'd be a pound of butter, a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, and a pound of eggs, so they were called pound cakes. Today's pound cakes, like this one, aren't quite so hefty or ingredient-consuming, but the idea is the same.

How long do you leave pound cake in the pan?

When it's done baking, let the cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes: no more, no less. It's enough time for the cake to firm up some after baking so that it doesn't fall apart, but not so much time that the cake gets stuck to the pan. Ten minutes is the sweet spot.

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Yields:: 12 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 15 mins
Cook Time:: 1 hr
Total Time:: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

Nonstick baking spray
1 1/2 c.
butter
3 c.
granulated sugar
5
eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp.
butter flavoring or vanilla extract
2 tsp.
lemon extract
3 c.
all-purpose flour
1 c.
lemon-lime soda, such as Sprite

Directions

1. Step 1Preheat the oven to 325°F and thoroughly grease a Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. Step 2In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the butter flavoring (or vanilla) and lemon extract, and mix well.
3. Step 3Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer running on low speed, add the lemon-lime soda, then mix together gently until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix briefly.
4. Step 4Pour into the greased Bundt pan and bake until the cake is no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
5. Step 5Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it until the cake drops out. Slice and chow down!

Tip: I love to use nonstick baking spray to grease a bundt pan. In addition to oil, it contains flour, which adds an extra insurance that your cake will pop out perfectly.

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I used to say “coke.” Whether it was Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Diet Pepsi, or Fresca, if I had a hankering for something fizzy I’d always say “I need a coke.”

But then the Wranglers came into my life. It’s been “pop” ever since.

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You’ll need three cups of sugar…

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Three sticks of butter, softened.

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Five eggs. Room temperature is best.

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3 cups of flour…

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And you need these two flavorings: Butter and Lemon.

They make things really yummy!

And you need one more thing.

You need…

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You need this! Well, you could use 7-UP, too. Sierra Mist, if you’re feeling particularly edgy and dangerous.

Sierra Mist always brings out the wild beast in me.

Unfortunately for Marlboro Man, all I had was Sprite.

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Throw the butter into the mixing bowl.

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Beat it until it’s fluffy.

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Add the sugar one cup at a time.

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Beat for about ten seconds after each addition.

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Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

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Now add 1 teaspoon of the butter flavoring…

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And two teaspoons of the lemon flavoring.

You’ll be glad you did!

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Mix in the extracts, then add the flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix briefly after each addition.

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Measure 1 cup of Sprite/7-UP/Sierra Mist.

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Pour it into the bowl with the mixer on low…

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And mix gently until it’s all combined. Give the bowl a scrape with a rubber spatula, then mix for a few seconds more. Yummy! I love cake batter and try to accidentally get as much on my fingers as possible.

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Now…grab that Bundt pan, baby! Grease it very well. I use baking spray, and I really spray it silly.

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Pour the batter into the pan…

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Bake it for 1 hour, or until golden brown and no longer jiggly.

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Hello, beautiful baby!

This is delicious, folks. Absolutely delicious. Invert it onto a plate (let the cake sit, inverted, until the cake eventually drops), then cut into slices.

Enjoy!