Cherry Pound Cake with Lime Soda

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Cherry Pound Cake is moist and tender, speckled with cherries and ribbons of lime zest. As if that isn’t perfect enough, it’s topped with a lime cherry glaze for cake that will knock your socks off!!!

titled: Cherry Limeade Pound Cake


 

Cherry Pound Cake

This cherry limeade cake is inspired by Sonic’s famous summer cool-down drink.

Not only is the cake so easy to put together, but the maraschino cherries add the perfect finishing touch! You can certainly use fresh sweet cherries if you’d like to!

Just 20 minutes in the oven is all it takes, and just tasting the batter makes me antsy to get this cherry pound cake into my mouth!

While the cake is cooling, you can put together a simple cherry glaze for the cake.

Craving more cherry goodness? Sip on this cherry limeade cocktail with a slice of cherry bundt cake, or try these cherry cheesecake cookies for an extra sweet treat!

ingredients to make cherry pound cake with 7Up

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Cherry 7UP – You’ll find lots of similar recipes for Sundrop pound cake, but I prefer Cherry 7Up for a mix of cherry and lime.

    While still citrusy, Sundrop also has a hint of orange flavor with comes through in the cake along with lemon and lime.
  • Lime Zest – Use a microplane grater to create tiny shreds. You’ll need some for both the cherry pound cake and the glaze.

    If you use the handheld kind that makes zest ribbons, be sure to chop them up into tiny pieces.
  • Maraschino Cherries – Drain these well and give them a light rinse if you prefer.

    If using really cherries, be sure to pit them after destemming, washing, and drying thoroughly.
mixing cake batter with hand mixer

How to Make Cherry Glaze for Cake

This recipe couldn’t be simpler! Simply combine powdered sugar with Cherry 7Up and a little bit of lime zest.

It really enhances the flavor of cherry limeade in the cake, and the sweetness isn’t overpowering at all.

For Sundrop pound cake, simply swap the soda flavors and add some orange juice instead of cherry using the measurements below.

adding cherry 7Up to cake batter

Tips for Making Cherry Limeade Cake

  • Zest carefully.

Remove only the outer green layer of the lime, and avoid the white layer beneath. That’s the pith, and it has a very unpleasant, bitter flavor.

  • Use room-temperature ingredients.

Allow both the butter and the eggs to warm on the counter before starting this cherry bundt cake recipe.

Room-temperature ingredients blend together easier, making for a much smoother batter.

  • Only have regular 7 Up?

Add a splash of the maraschino cherry juice and make sure the liquid still measures ¾ cup in the cherry limeade cake batter.

In the cherry glaze for cake, use 1 ½ tablespoons soda and ½ tablespoon maraschino cherry juice.

cherry limeade cake batter in bundt pan

Cherry Bundt Cake FAQ

How do you get bundt cake out of the pan?

First, be sure to properly grease the pan before adding the batter. Because of the flutes and ridges in the pan, it’s nearly impossible to get a clean release without greasing first!Once the cake is baked, place your serving plate upside down on top of the bundt pan. Holding the two together, carefully flip and place on the counter before lifting the bundt pan. Your cake should be sitting perfectly on the plate!

What’s the difference between Sundrop pound cake and this recipe?

The flavor! While both recipes are for pound cake in a bundt pan, they feature different citrus and sodas.Cherry pound cake is made with Cherry 7Up and has ribbons of lime zest throughout. The Sundrop version uses the soda of the same name, which gives the cake a hint of orange flavor as well.

pouring cherry glaze over bundt cake

Storing and Freezing Leftovers

Keep leftover cherry bundt cake well covered or in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out.

Store at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To freeze, wrap the unglazed cherry pound cake in several layers of plastic wrap. You can also wrap up individual slices and place them in a freezer storage bag.

Store in the freezer for up to 1 month and thaw in the refrigerator before adding the glaze.

close up: inside of cherry limeade cake

Enjoy!
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cherry bundt cake with cherry lime glaze

Other Favorite Cake Recipes

Cherry Pound Cake with Limeade

Donna Elick
Cherry Pound Cake is moist and tender, speckled with cherries and ribbons of lime zest. Top with a simple cherry glaze for cake and enjoy!
5 stars from 1 review
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Method Oven
Servings 12

Ingredients
 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup Cherry 7-Up, (See Notes for substitutions)
  • 20 ounces maraschino cherries, drained

Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Cherry 7-Up
  • 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
  • Reserve 10 Maraschino cherries to be used in the glaze.
  • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter and sugar until creamy and well blended. Add lime zest and mix again to combine.
  • Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined.
  • Add salt. Add flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with 7-Up. Add remaining cherries and stir to combine.
  • Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Tap pan on the counter several times to release air bubbles. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a thin sharp knife comes out of the center clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
  • Place a plate over the top of the pan and flip cake upside down, releasing cake onto plate. You may have to tap pan a few times with a knife to release from pan. Allow cake to cool completely.
  • While cake is cooling, finely chop reserved Maraschino cherries. In a medium bowl, combine cherries and glaze ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until well combined. Glaze should be the consistency of corn syrup. Add more powdered sugar (a tablespoon at a time) if necessary to thicken glaze.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Donna’s Notes

  • If you only have regular 7-Up, just add a splash of maraschino cherry juice and make sure the liquid still measures ¾ cup in the cake. For the glaze, use 1 ½ tablespoons soda and ½ tablespoon maraschino cherry juice.
  • Recipe slightly adapted from The RecipeGirl Cookbook, pg. 278

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 680cal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 131mg | Sugar: 85g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
titled image (and shown): cherry limeade pound cake

Originally published April 2014. Updated and republished June 2023

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181 Comments

  1. I love the fresh fruits and veggies of summer. Corn on the cob picked fresh that morning. Tomatoes still warmed by the sun. Strawberries rinsed and eaten as we pick more.

  2. My favorite summer food is anything fresh out of the garden…the sweet sugar snap pea or a juicy tomato, warmed by the sun; the firm crunch of a green bean and the sweetness of a strawberry. It all makes me appreciate summer time even more! Thinks for the chance at winning a cook book. The recipes I've seen look fabulous. My emal is: [email protected]. Blessings!!

  3. I love anything fresh from the garden; the sweet sugar snap pea and the juicy tomato, warmed by the sun; a crunchy green bean and a big, juicy strawberry. Every bite from the garden helps me be more thank for the summer season. Can't wait! I would love to win the cook book, as the foods look great so far! You can contact me at [email protected]. Thanks for the chance to win!

  4. The summer brings out all the freshness of the gardens and the markets and I just love to try everything I can get a hold of. Whether it be something exotic like Dragon Fruit or everyday like green beans. I love the sugary snap peas mixed with a variety of different lettuces, dandelion leaves, kale and then add some fresh fruit it doesn't matter which kind and a homemade vinaigrette. Blueberry vinaigrette with maple syrup or strawberry. The possibilities are endless and I wish summer was as well. Fresh cherries that just go pop in your mouth because they are bursting with flavour. Such an abundance of flavours yet to be explored. I'll take it all. Contact information is [email protected]. Happy Easter to you and your family Donna! ❤

  5. My favorite summer flavors are anything citrus, as well as fresh strawberries… For picnics we always have strawberry dip (8 oz. cream cheese blended with a jar of marshmallow fluff), I make a double batch and go to the local strawberry farm and buy a huge flat, I dip some of the strawberries in melted chocolate, and place the rest on a large platter with the strawberry dip, it's usually the first thing to disappear… I so love them… Also, my mom's wonderful homemade fresh strawberry pie is out of this world good !!!!!!!!!!

  6. I Love Strawberries and really start thinking of summer,and wonderful tomato's
    out of the garden,fresh vegetables.

  7. Nectarines,cherries.strawberries,fresh tomatoes,all things I love
    having to be Gluten Free I eat so many things fresh and really love
    it.All things from the garden.

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