7-Up Cake

After a shopping outing in Seoul this past weekend for cake pans, I have been excited to try my skill at toast oven baking again. I had originally planned to make a chiffon or angel food cake; unfortunately, I discovered that both those recipes require cream or tartar (something that I passed up in Seoul because I couldn't think of a single recipe that used it!) Instead, I went on a quest of find a good recipe to test my new Bundt pan.

In my search, I found a recipe for 7-Up Cake that looked both easy and delicious (and since I spent the past year in the American South, I thought it would be a nice fit.) The recipe proved to be incredibly easy (though the original recipe was written for a 12-inch pan, so I got some rather odd measurements.) I also discovered halfway through the baking process that I lack a liquid measuring cup - so I had to guesstimate on the amount of soda.

During the baking process, my apartment was filled with the most amazing scent - for the first 20 minutes. Then, I smelled something burning (which shouldn't have been my cake since it was still far too early.) I discovered that the cake had risen to the point where it was pressed against the roof of my toaster oven, and the top was slowly burning! Fortunately, I was able to take the cake out and merely cut the top part away so that it fit inside my oven and could finish baking. This also allowed me to taste the burnt parts - which were quite good. After another 30 minutes or so, my cake was finally finished (and looked perfect!) My only advice would be to hold back a little on the batter. I had saved enough for four cupcakes when I first poured the cake; if I could go back and start again, I probably would have saved enough for six in hopes that the Bundt pan wouldn't overflow!


7-Up Cake
(fills one 7 inch Bundt pan with batter left for 4-5 cupcakes)

¾ c. plus 2 Tablespoons softened butter
1¾ c. sugar
3 eggs
1¾ c. flour
1 t. vanilla*
¼ c. plus 3 T 7-Up (or any lemon-lime soda)

Cream butter and sugar until very well mixed (the original recipe stated 20 minutes, but I only mixed for about 10 and had no problem.) Add the eggs one at a time. Add flour and vanilla. Fold in 7-Up. Bake at 375°F (165°C) for about 50 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean.)

* The original recipe called for lemon extract, but I substituted vanilla since I didn't have any lemon. I considered just using lemon juice or zest (as recommended for substitution online); however, I have found that Korean aren't fans of lemon-flavored desserts - so vanilla became my substitution of choice.