Pound cake leavened with 7-Up or Sprite for a citrus-bright crumb. Southern Black home baking innovation that no recipe book invented.
7-Up cake is the innovation of Black home bakers who didn't need a recipe book to solve a problem — they needed a pound cake to rise higher and taste brighter, and they reached for what was in the refrigerator. This is Black Southern culinary improvisation at its most elegant.
7-Up cake is a variation on pound cake with the same nutritional profile — calorie-dense, fat and sugar forward. The soda provides leavening via CO2 and a subtle citrus flavor. No meaningful nutritional differentiation from standard pound cake.
The 7-Up (or Sprite — Sprite is more citrus-forward) is added last, folded gently to preserve carbonation. It provides both lift and a subtle lemon-lime flavor. Cream Crisco or butter with sugar until very light, add eggs, alternately fold in flour and soda. Bake at 325°F in a tube pan. Glaze with lemon glaze while still warm.
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