Southern Sun Drop Pound Cake with Easy Lemon Glaze

Use Sun Drop soda to make a delicious lemon pound cake drizzled with glaze. It’s the perfect dessert for lemon lovers any time of the year. 

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Experience the best of both worlds: a rich, nostalgic Southern-style pound cake made with Sun Drop soda, plus a super-easy cake-mix shortcut. Whether you’re baking for tradition or convenience, this cake delivers sunshine in every bite.

I first heard about Sundrop cake when Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted about his grandmother’s recipe. We’ve made other cakes with soda before when camping with Cub Scouts, but I hadn’t tried it at home. 

This delicious pound cake makes me think of summer. The lemon flavor is light and refreshing, and just what I want on a hot day by the pool or beach. 

Sun Drop Soda Alternatives

If you can’t find Sun Drop soda at the grocery store, you can replace it with equal amounts of Mountain Dew or Mello Yellow soft drinks, as they are both citrus soda. They will still have the lemon flavor you need for the Sundrop pound cake. Other options are 7-Up, Sierra Mist, or Sprite, but they don’t have quite as much lemon flavor as the others. If all else fails, do a 50/50 mix of water and lemon juice. 

Variations

• Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour for a GF version—texture may be slightly more tender.
• Flavor Variation: Add 1 tsp fresh lemon or orange zest to the batter, or swap the lemon extract for almond for a rich, nutty undertone.
• Cake Mix Variation: Use lemon cake mix, 3 oz lemon pudding mix, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 3/4 cup of Sundrop soda.

Preparation without a Stand Mixer

My pound cake recipe uses the stand mixer and has directions specifically for that. If you don’t have one, do the following instead:

1. Preheat the oven and prepare the pan as directed
2. Use an electric mixer at medium-high speed to cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl
3. Add the sugar and continue at a high speed until it’s fluffy
4. Slowly, at a medium-low speed, mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon extract
5. At low speed, gradually add the flour to the batter
6. Pour the soda into the batter and mix until just combined at a low speed
7. Bake as directed

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream
• Garnish with fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, or pineapple
• Add some sliced lemon, lemon zest, or spiraled lemon peel on top of the glaze
• Make the bundt cake for a great addition to brunch with a cup of coffee

Sundrop Pound Cake FAQ

Sun Drop Pound Cake Step by Step

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup shortening
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 oz Sun Drop soda

Glaze

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup Sun Drop soda

Preparation

Cake

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Prepare a tube pan or bundt pan by spraying with Baker’s Joy nonstick cooking spray or grease flour the entire pan well.

Add the butter and shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the 3 cups of sugar, one cup at a time, and mix until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Change the mixer to medium-low speed and add the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, mixing until combined.

Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to make sure all of the cake batter has mixed well.

Adjust the mixer to low speed and add the 3 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until fully combined.

Pour in the soda and mix until just combined without overmixing.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake is cooked all the way through and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Glaze

While the cake cools, add all of the glaze ingredients to a medium bowl.

Whisk until combined and a glaze forms.

If it’s too thick, add a little bit of soda or if it’s too thin add some powdered sugar.

Drizzle the glaze evenly over the top of the cake while it’s still warm.

Sun Drop Pound Cake Leftovers

Storage: Store leftover lemon cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

Reheating: We found this cake to be good cold, but if you prefer it warm you could heat it in the microwave for just a few seconds to keep it moist pound cake while warming slightly. 

Freezing: Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap then cover with aluminum foil. 

Recipe

Sun Drop Pound Cake

Use Sun Drop soda to make a delicious lemon pound cake drizzled with glaze. It's the perfect dessert for lemon lovers any time of the year. 

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Course:

Dessert

Cuisine:

American

Diet

Vegetarian

Keyword:

bundt cake

|

cake

|

dessert

|

lemon

|

lemon cake

|

pound cake

|

soda cake

|

southern

Dietary Needs:

Nut-Free

Servings: 16 slices

5 from 9 votes

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• ½ cup shortening
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 oz Sun Drop soda

Glaze

• 2 tbsp butter (melted)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup Sun Drop soda

Recommended Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Bundt Pan
• Tube Pan
• Rubber Spatula

Instructions

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325F
• Prepare a tube pan or bundt pan by spraying with Baker’s Joy nonstick cooking spray or grease flour the entire pan well
• Add the butter and shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes
• Add the 3 cups of sugar, one cup at a time, and mix until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
• Change the mixer to medium-low speed and add the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, mixing until combined
• Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to make sure all of the cake batter has mixed well
• Adjust the mixer to low speed and add the 3 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until fully combined
• Pour in the soda and mix until just combined without overmixing
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake is cooked all the way through and a toothpick comes out clean from the center
• Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan

Glaze

• While the cake cools, add all of the glaze ingredients to a medium bowl
• Whisk until combined and a glaze forms
• If it’s too thick, add a little bit of soda or if it’s too thin add some powdered sugar
• Drizzle the glaze evenly over the top of the cake while it’s still warm

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Nutrition Facts

Sun Drop Pound Cake

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 485 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 10g50%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Cholesterol 85mg28%

Sodium 35mg1%

Potassium 49mg1%

Carbohydrates 72g24%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 54g60%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 473IU9%

Calcium 16mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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