7-Up Pound Cake

When I first saw this recipe I almost rejected it because I found no leavening.  What will make it rise?  I then found that the ingredient 7-Up would make it rise.  So today I gave it a try.  Of course I did make a couple of changes and will point them out along the way.  So here is a wonderfully delicious recipe for a

7-Up Pound Cake.

3 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine (I used butter softened)
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
5 eggs
1 tsp. coconut extract (I had imitation so I used 1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. lemon extract (Didn't have this ingredient so left it out)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon juice (I used 1 Tbsp as a replacement for the lemon extract)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup 7 Up (Measure this 1/2 cup at a time due to foaming)
3 cups sifted all purpose flour

Do not preheat oven.  Cream sugar, margarine and shortening.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add extracts, lemon juice and salt.  Add flour and 7-up alternately, beginning and ending with flour.  Pour batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan.  (I used baking non-stick spray which has the flour mixed in.  I also used an Angle food pan.  Place in a cold oven.  Set oven to 325 degrees.  Bake about 1 hour.  Test for doneness.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  (I ended up baking mine for 1 1/2 hrs. so the timing will depend on your oven.  If you find the top is browning too quickly, place a loose sheet of foil over the top.  You probably won't have that problem with this low of a setting.) 

This cake is so good.  It's moist and by using the butter and butter flavored Crisco you get a strong butter flavor.  This cake can easily be made using vanilla flavoring if you don't have the lemon and coconut extracts.  This is a cake I really want to play around with using different soda/cola flavors.  I see this as a basic recipe that would be delicious made with orange, strawberry, Dr. Pepper, etc. sodas.