Baking out of spite and using Sprite

Once again, I seem to find it impossible to post on my blog during the summer months. It's really hard to type with all that Rose out there... But now I am back into it and ready to bake for some spiteful/theraputic reasons... Judge me, I do.

Anyhoo, a few years ago on one of my trips for Unique Sweets I was introduced to the wonderful world of 7-Up cake. I still vividly remember the evervessnce taste that cake left on my tongue. There aren't too many cakes you can say that about. And I have wanted it back in my mouth ever since. You read that right.

Traditionally, 7-Up cake is a bundt cake (being from the south and all, they can really make a bundt out of anything, bundt you too!) But I had it at one of the best bakeries in America, Bakeshop in Virginia. If you are anyhwere NEAR the DC area, do yourself and your tasebuds a favor and get your ass there pronto. Justin, the owner is alumni of Baked here in NYC (Baked is also one of the best bakeries of all the land)

Now, don't get it twisted, I love some good bundt cake but I really wanted to be able to translate the 7-Up cake into a more traditional layer cake to have on my cake menu.

Justin was kind enough to share his recipe with me and I tinkered with it a bit, as we all do and I was super happy with what I ended up with... in my mouth.

I am a very big fan of what I consider to be a "pretty" batter or frosting in the wonderful world of baking and this batter is just beautiful. Any batter that is this pretty will no doubt end up a wonderful baked cake.

While this is called 7-Up cake, I couldn't find any 7-Up to save my life so I used Sprite... Color me nutty, there is no difference.

Bake on and enjoy

Frosting, make ahead and cover in an airtight container so that you dont keep dipping your spoon in it...

1 Cup shortening

1 Cup room temp butter

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

water

8 cups powdered sugar

Cream the hell out of the shortening, butter, salt and vanilla extract.

Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar and mix the hell out of that. If it is too thick, add 1 Tablespoon of water till you get that creamy perfection you want in your frosting

Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix the hell out of that and once again, if it is too thick, add 1 Tablespoon of water till creamy perfection.

For the cake;

Have 1 cup of butter at room temp and 3/4 cup milk also at room temp

In a bowl add;

4 large egg whites, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 4 Tablespoons of milk, let come to room temp.

In another bowl, add;

3 cups of cake flour

4 teaspoons of Baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cup sugar

Sift all this together and add the zest of 2 limes and 2 lemons

3 Tablespoons of Sprite

Pour the flour mixture into a mixing bowl and add the butter chunks at a time while mixing. Mix well and then add 3/4 cup milk and 3 Tablespoons of Sprite or 7-Up whatever the hell you can find that is the equivalent...

Add half the egg mixture and mix it good, mix it real good. Add the rest and do it again.

Pour into 3 - 8 inch pans and bake in a 350 oven for about 20 - 30 minutes. Go relax, watch some youtube videos and just get ready for some cake gorgeousness. The cakes are ready when you touch lightly and it bounces back. Let them cool and you know what, let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

Once you are ready to frost, cut the tops off and eat them, they are almost the best part of the cake...

Frost however way you see fit and eat the hell out of it.

You're welcome