Wow! September is right around the corner. School has started for bigger kids here in Park City. We wrapped up Oden’s swim lessons this morning and he starts preschool very soon (sniff sniff). While I always look forward to autumn and hope it lasts a long time, it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to summer. A couple weeks ago, we threw a little BBQ for a few friends and neighbors to enjoy this sunshine while it’s still here. The weather was perfect for firing up the grill and I had some fun water activities in mind for the kiddos. I employed my kitchen assistant to shuck some corn to make my charred corn and black bean salad. There’s nothing like hosting people in your backyard to motivate you to get it in shape!
All in all, while most people were out of town, we still had about 13 adults and 5 or 6 kids hanging out on the back deck and yard. John manned the grill and made a batch of his super-yummy BBQ chicken to go with the corn salad. There was cornhole and a bucket of cold drinks, platters of meats and cheeses and fruit (extra mint, courtesy of Oden). Nancy made two delicious hummus dips. Kids were squealing in the cold Jacuzzi, running through sprinklers, and figuring out the old school Slip n’ Slide. My friends played “pass the baby” with Mo, and there was a serious water balloon situation for a while!
A good time was had by all, and we topped it off with a delicious treat- a 7-Up cake topped with lemon glaze and berries. It’s a recipe from one of John’s mother’s cookbooks. Her name was Isabelle, but her family nickname was I-Belle. He inherited all of her recipes, and it’s so fun to make something he remembers from his childhood! Last 4th of July, he asked me to make this cake and it was a smash hit, so I made it again. This time, everyone wanted the recipe!
I guess a 7-Up cake isn’t unheard of; apparently it was a thing back in the day! It’s not a light cake. It’s got 5 eggs and three sticks of butter in it! John’s mama sprinkled powdered sugar over the top, but I like to make a lemon glaze and add fresh fruit. Oden helped me make it (and eat it). It’s a crowd-pleaser and was a sweet addition to our summer BBQ menu. I’ve written out the recipe below exactly how Isabelle has it in her recipe book. (I’ll make notes at the end if I made any changes.) I hope you’ll make it!
I-Belle’s 7-Up Cake
You’ll need:
- 1 ½ C butter (3 sticks)
- 3 C sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3 C flour
- 2 T lemon extract
- ¾ C 7-Up
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream sugar and butter and beat until light and fluffy (“really”). Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well between each, then add flour. Beat with lemon extract and 7-Up.
Put in well-greased and floured Teflon Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Test with toothpick way down. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Keeps for days in plastic bag and freezes well.
*My notes: I used Pam Baking Spray for the Bundt pan and really coated it. The batter likes to spill over the top of the pan while baking, so I put a cookie sheet under it. Mine bake for closer to 1.5 hours. Let it cool completely before trying to flip the cake out of the pan! I skip the powdered sugar and pour a lemon glaze over top (recipe below). Then I tuck strawberries, blueberries, and mint around to make it pretty. Yum!
Simple Lemon Glaze
You’ll need:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Whisk ingredients together. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken slightly before pouring over the top of your cake. Yum!
Hungry for more? Check out all of my recipes HERE!
the usual bliss 