An incredibly moist and tender white cake with an easy-as-can-be strawberry buttercream frosting. This 7UP® Sheet Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting will go over in a big way at your next summer gathering!
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Say hello to my new favorite summer cake.
It has the most fabulous texture; incredibly moist but at the same time, light and tender. It slices beautifully and is pretty in pink with a fluffy fresh strawberry buttercream frosting.
This cake is such a wonderful base recipe and would be delicious with a variety of different frosting options. It’s so tasty that it’s even good all on it’s own, dusted with a bit of powdered sugar.
But, with all those gorgeous, red-ripe strawberries calling my name every time I walk into the grocery store, I went with this luscious strawberry buttercream. It’s truly a heavenly match.
If you’ve got a Memorial Day gathering planned, this is your cake!
I baked it in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish so it’s easy to transport and serve at potluck gatherings away from home or at your own backyard BBQ. I’ve also included instructions on the recipe card below for baking it in a larger sheet pan for a lower profile cake. A nice option when you’ve got a good sized group to feed.
The wonderful texture of this cake is due in part to an ingredient that does something very special to baked goods. 7UP!
It’s a big departure from the classic buttery 7UP Pound Cake recipe that’s been around for ages and, as a matter of fact, the ingredient list does not include any butter at all. The cake is white and light and so pretty when paired with the pink frosting.
A boxed white cake mix is bulked up with additional flour and sugar and then the good stuff is added. 7UP, sour cream, and fresh lemon juice and zest. See the full ingredient list below.
I’m confident that no one that tries this cake will guess you started with a boxed mix.
And, while you’re at Walmart shopping for your next summer gathering, be sure to grab the 7UP so you’ll have plenty on hand to mix up all kinds of fun party beverages and use some of it to bake this cake!
Watch the video below to see the cake prep in action. It’s fast, easy, and I think you’ll absolutely love the result.
Fresh strawberry buttercream can be tricky but there is a super easy solution. Instead of adding puréed strawberries, which can ruin the consistency of your buttercream, I’ve added strawberry preserves and then folded in chopped fresh strawberries to the finished frosting.
It is fresh and delicious and holds up wonderfully for days on the frosted cake.
It’s light and fluffy like you see here when it is at room temperature or you can refrigerate the cake for a firmer frosting if you’d like.
It’s fabulous either way.
7UP Sheet Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Video
Ingredients
7UP Sheet Cake
- 16.25 ounce package white cake mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups 7UP
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ lemon, juiced and zested
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Easy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- ½ cup strawberry preserves or jam, the thicker, the better
- 2 to 3 tablespoon heavy cream, as needed
- ¾ to 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
- additional fresh strawberries, for garnish
Instructions
For the 7UP Sheet Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Add the 7UP, sour cream, egg whites, vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and beat with an electric mixer on LOW for about 3 minutes, just until combined. Be careful not to over beat (batter will be slightly lumpy).
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 38 to 45 minutes, or until it is just barely light golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Easy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the softened butter and vanilla extract until the butter is light and creamy, about 3 minutes
- Add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, mixing completely after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add strawberry preserves and beat again until well combined.
- Add heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating in between additions. Only add as much cream as you need to reach desired consistency and beat for an additional minute or two or until light and fluffy. Fold in fresh strawberries with a spoon until well incorporated.
- Frost completely cooled cake and garnish, as desired, with additional fresh strawberries. Refrigerate cake to firm up frosting, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
Hello valarie I am going to make this at my next church meeting a beautiful cake wow thank you valarie I am your fan Love you.
Hi Valerie , I absolutely , most definitely loved this cake. I loved that it was easy and not too sweet . Thank you for sharing this recipe. I just wanna keep eating it . LOL! Thank you so much.
Isn’t this very sweet with the added sugar. Can it be made without the added sugar?
Hi Dolores. I recipe tested this one a couple of times and found this amount of sugar to be spot-on perfect for us. I wouldn’t recommend omitting it.
This looks amazing! If you make the sheet cake size, do you recommend doubling the frosting or maybe 1.5 times the frosting recipe? It is probably personal preference, and knowing how much I love both frosting and strawberries, I sure don’t want to skimp in that area 🙂
I think there would be plenty of frosting as written. You don’t need to lay it on as thick with a lower profile cake.
This cake just looks like summer on a plate! Fun idea to try different frosting options, but I think you really hit a homerun with the strawberries – so fresh and pretty, and a great partner for the lemony flavors!
Wow never seen anything like this. Loving the strawberry buttercream.
What a pretty cake! I love the color combination of the white, white cake and the pastel pink frosting!
I think the lighter texture of the cake pairs perfectly with the buttercream! This cake is a winner!
I just love the look and sound of this cake! And what a fun idea to use 7Up in the cake itself. I bet it’s sweet and delish!
Thanks, Erin!