We’ve got a terrific way to celebrate Spring.  Bake a fabulous 7-up cake.  This nostalgic cake has been popular since the 1950’s.  It’s a true Southern treat and a soul food favorite.  It’s so moist with just enough lemon-lime flavor without being overpowering.  Adding  soda to a cake instead of water creates a light and airy consistency.  We’re starting with a mix and making ours skinny by using diet 7-up, a small amount of canola oil and applesauce for the fat and using both eggs and whites. Take a trip down memory lane with this fantastic cake.  What a delicious way to welcome the new Spring season.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 60 minutes

Cake Ingredients

1 (18.25 oz) box Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix

1(3.4 oz) package instant lemon pudding mix

1 (12 oz) can diet 7-up soda

⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce (1 snack pack)

¼ cup canola oil

3 tablespoon fresh lime juice, about 3 limes

2 eggs, we like Eggland’s Best eggs, see shopping tip

2 egg whites

Glaze Ingredients

1½ cups powdered sugar

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon corn syrup, optional, see prep tip

1 drop yellow food coloring

1 drop green food coloring

Thin slices of a lemon and lime for decoration

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray with flour.

2. In an electric mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, add all the cake ingredients except the eggs and egg whites.  Mix until blended.  Add all the eggs and mix until blended.  Turn the mixer to high and beat for about a minute or 2 until smooth.

3. Pour the cake batter into the coated Bundt pan.  Spread evenly.

4. Bake for 55-6o minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove cake from oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Carefully loosen all around, including the center of cake and turn the cake over onto a plate.
Let cake cool completely before glazing.

5. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, lemon and lime juice and corn syrup, if desired.  Mix until very smooth.  The glaze should be thick.  Divide the glaze into three small dishes.  Leave the glaze in one of the dishes white.  Add 1 drop of yellow food coloring to one of the dishes and mix well.  Add 1 drop of green food coloring to the other dish and mix well.

6. Drizzle the white glaze all around the top of the cooled cake.  Next, drizzle the yellow glaze over the top of the cake.  Finally, drizzle the green glaze over the top of the cake.

7. Store cake covered on the counter top for several days.  This cake freezes great.  We like to cut into slices, wrap well and freeze.

Makes 16 slices

Food Fact
Why would a recipe call for 7-up?  According to a quote, from a cookbook published by The Seven-up Co. in 1957: “Make a cake with the contents of a packaged mix, using 7-up instead of the liquid in the recipe.  You’ll be amazed at how light and airy your cake is.”

In the early 1980′s the 7-up pound cake baked in a Bundt pan became popular.

Prep Tip
The reason a very small amount of corn syrup is added to the glaze is to keep it shiny.  Without the corn syrup, when the glaze dries, it looks dull.  It will still taste the same if you decide to leave it out.

Healthy Benefit
Whenever a recipe calls for using the whole egg, we use Eggland’s Best.  They have less saturated fat, less cholesterol, more Vitamin D, more Vitamin E and double the Omega 3 compared to regular eggs.

Weight Watchers (old points) 6
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 7

This entry was posted Friday, April 15th, 2011 at 7:11 am and is filed under Recent, Recipes. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.