This Sun Drop Pound Cake Recipe is a decadent, moist Southern classic made from scratch with Sun Drop soda for subtle lemon, lime, and orange citrus flavors. It's the perfect nostalgic dessert that tastes like sunshine in every slice.
Updated August 26, 2026: I've refreshed this post with a full step-by-step walkthrough, expanded FAQs, a ranked soda substitution guide, and make-ahead instructions based on your questions and feedback. Same delicious recipe, even more helpful! Originally posted January 11, 2023, and photos updated on November 21, 2025.
Watch this quick video tutorial!
I was maybe eight years old the first time I had a slice of Sun Drop pound cake, standing at the dessert table at a church potluck in a dress I'd been told twice not to get anything on. Somebody's grandmother had brought it, still glazed and a little warm, and I remember being confused that a cake could taste like citrus and butter at the same time. I asked what was in it and she said "Sun Drop," like that explained everything. It did, eventually.
I've been developing and photographing recipes here since 2013, and I've baked this cake more times than I can count. In bundt pans, tube pans, and one memorable summer in three disposable pans at once because I'd promised too many people. I've tested it with all butter and with the butter-and-shortening combination I settled on, and I've answered enough reader questions about it over the years to know exactly where people get stuck. If you love citrus desserts, you'll also want to try my 7UP Pound Cake, Lemon Blueberry Bread, and Glazed Lemon Loaf.
This one's simpler than it looks, and the glaze does most of the heavy lifting on presentation. Let's get started!
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Why You'll Love This Sun Drop Pound Cake
- Genuinely Southern - This is the church potluck version, made from scratch, not a doctored box mix.
- Stays Moist for Days - The butter-and-shortening combination gives you a tender crumb that holds up on the counter well past day one.
- Real Citrus, Not Perfume - Lemon, lime, and a whisper of orange from the soda, sharpened with lemon extract so it reads as citrus and not just sweet.
- Feeds a Crowd - One bundt cuts into generous slices for a potluck, a reunion, or a holiday table.
Here's what readers have to say about this recipe:
Reader Ruby, commented: "This is a keeper!! Made it two weeks in a row! Perfect every time! Super moist cake with wonderful glaze. Simply awesome! 👌 will follow for more great recipes! ★★★★★"
Another reader Anna, commented: "The cake turned out perfect! It has the most wonderful crumb, so soft and so tender! My husband ate almost a half of the cake in one sitting, it was this good! ★★★★★"
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe.
- Sun Drop soda is the whole point. It's a citrus soda, lemon forward with a hint of orange, somewhere between Mountain Dew and 7-Up but more assertive than either. It's bottled in Gastonia, North Carolina, and it's mostly a Southern grocery store find, which is why so many people ask about substitutes. The carbonation lightens the crumb and the citrus does the flavoring. Use regular, not diet.
- Butter and shortening together is the part I'd ask you not to change on your first bake. Butter brings the flavor, but butter is about 15% water, and water turns to steam in the oven. Shortening is pure fat with no water at all, so it gives you fat without steam. Which is exactly how you get that dense, close pound cake crumb instead of something fluffy. You can go all butter (a reader asked me this and yes, it works), but the texture comes out a little lighter and less classic.
- Eggs should be at room temperature. Cold eggs seize the creamed butter and you'll see it curdle in the bowl. Set them on the counter with the butter about 45 minutes ahead.
- Lemon extract is not optional in my kitchen. The soda alone gives you a soft, ambient citrus. The extract is what makes someone take a bite and say what is that. Use pure vanilla extract alongside it, not imitation.
- All-purpose flour, plain, whisked or sifted to break up lumps. No cake flour here, you want the structure.
👉🏾 See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
How to Make Sun Drop Pound Cake
Here's a quick overview of the process. Full step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prepare the Pan First, Before Anything Else
This is the step people skip and then regret. Grease the pan with shortening (not cooking spray) using your fingers or a paper towel to work it into every groove of the bundt. Cooking spray pools in the detail and leaves bare spots exactly where the cake wants to grip. Then dust the whole pan with flour and tap out the excess. Do this before you start mixing, because once the batter is made you want it in the oven quickly.
Step 2: Cream the Fats, Then the Sugar
Beat the butter and shortening together on medium until they're smooth and uniform, about a minute or two. Then add the sugar and keep going until the mixture is noticeably paler and looks fluffy rather than grainy. This is where you're building the cake's lift. You're beating air into fat, and there's no leavening in this recipe to bail you out later. Give it the full time.
Step 3: Add Eggs and Extracts on Medium-Low
Drop the mixer speed and add the eggs and both extracts. Mix just until combined, then stop and scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula. Including the very bottom, where unmixed butter loves to hide. If the mixture looks slightly broken or curdled here, your eggs were too cold. It usually pulls back together once the flour goes in.
Step 4: Alternate Flour and Soda on Low, and Stop Early
Drop to low speed. Add the flour a little at a time, then the Sun Drop, and mix only until you stop seeing dry streaks. This is the step that makes or breaks the cake. Overmixing after the flour goes in develops gluten and gives you a tough, rubbery crumb. When in doubt, stop the mixer and finish the last few turns by hand with a spatula.
Step 5: Bake Low and Slow, Then Glaze While Warm
Pour into the prepared pan, spread it level, and tap the pan on the counter to settle out air pockets. Bake at a low oven temperature, this is a big, dense cake and it needs time to cook through without the outside setting too fast. Don't open the oven door for the first hour. When a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs and no wet batter, it's done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn it out and glaze it while it's still warm, so the glaze soaks in slightly instead of just sitting on top.
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📖 Recipe
Sun Drop Pound Cake Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 1 Tube or Bundt Pan
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 small mixing bowl
- 1 wire cooling rack
- 1 cake tester or toothpick
Ingredients
- Cake Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup SunDrop soda
- Glaze Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup SunDrop soda
Instructions
- Begin the recipe by preheating the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a bundt or tube pan using shortening to lightly grease the entire pan in a thin layer.
- Lightly dust the whole pan with a small amount of all-purpose flour. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan and allow for easy removal. Be sure to remove any excess flour and set the pan aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a (hand) electric mixer, add the 1 cup butter and ½ cup shortening and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the 3 cups granulated sugar and continue mixing until light and fluffy.
- Adjust the mixer to medium-low speed and add in the 5 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon lemon extract. Mix until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the cake is mixed.
- Adjust the mixer to low speed and add the 3 cups all-purpose flour a little at a time before adding in the ¾ cup soda. Mix until combined, but do not overmix.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spread it around, and tap the bottom of the cake pan to make sure it's spread evenly in the pan.
- Place into the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a cake tester comes out with little crumbs and no wet cake mixture.
- Carefully remove the sun drop cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cake completely.
- While the cake cools, prepare the glaze in a medium mixing bowl, by whisking together the 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 cups powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar, and ¼ cup soda until combined.
- Drizzle the glaze evenly over the top of the cake while it's still warm but removed from the pan. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Take your time preparing the cake pan! Use shortening to lightly grease the pan with a thin layer and then lightly dust it with a small layer of all-purpose flour. Make sure the entire pan is covered, this prevents the cake from sticking to the pan.
- Allow the refrigerated ingredients time to come to room temperature before using for best results.
- Try not to overmix the cake mixture, especially after the flour is added. Mix just enough for the ingredients to come together then stop.
- Be sure to check the pound cake while baking to make sure that it doesn't overbake. Place a cake tester (toothpick) into the cake and once it comes out with little to no crumbs or wet cake mix, then it's time to pull it from the oven.
- Allow the cake to cool a bit in the pan before removing it.
- If you cannot find SunDrop soda, then Mountain Dew or Mello Yello soft drinks are good substitutes.
- Storage: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Can be frozen for up to 30 days.
LaKita's Expert Tips
Here are my best tips for making this recipe turn out perfectly every time.
- Weigh your pan capacity if you're unsure. This batter needs a 10- to 12-cup bundt or tube pan. Fill a smaller pan and you'll be cleaning batter off your oven floor. Fill it to no more than two-thirds.
- Room temperature means genuinely room temperature. About 45 minutes on the counter for butter and eggs. Butter should dent when you press it, not squish.
- Don't open the oven for the first hour. Every peek drops the temperature and this cake is tall enough that a temperature swing shows up as a sunken middle.
- Test in two places. Bundt pans heat unevenly. Check near the center tube and again halfway between the tube and the outer wall.
- The 10-to-15-minute rest is a hard rule. Turn it out too early and it tears, leave it too long and the sugars set and glue it to the pan.
- Glaze warm, and catch the runoff. Set the cake on a rack over parchment, glaze it, then spoon whatever slides off back over the top. You'll get better coverage and waste nothing.
- Some Southern bakers swear by a cold-oven start - batter into a cold oven, then set it to temperature and bake. It's a traditional pound cake method that's said to give a finer crumb.
Variations & Substitutions
This recipe is flexible, here are some easy ways to make it your own.
- Cherry Lemon Sun Drop - My favorite variation, and one readers have confirmed. Michelle made this version for her husband's men's gathering at church and reported the whole cake was gone by the next day. Swap it one-for-one in both the cake and the glaze. You get a soft pink-tinged crumb and a fruitier finish that still reads as citrus underneath.
- Mountain Dew - The best substitute if you can't find Sun Drop, and worth understanding rather than just swapping blind. Mountain Dew is also a citrus soda, but it's sweeter and leans more orange than lemon, so the cake comes out a touch sweeter with a rounder citrus note. Use the same amount in both cake and glaze. If you want it to taste closer to the Sun Drop original, add an extra half teaspoon of lemon extract to compensate. Mello Yello works the same way. What I'd steer you away from is Sprite, Starry, or 7-Up. They're lemon-lime but far too mild, and the cake comes out tasting like a plain pound cake with a slightly odd sweetness. If clear soda is what you have, make my 7UP Pound Cake instead, it's built for it.
- Orange soda - A reader named Donna subbed Orange Crush and Sunkist Orange and reported back that it was excellent. Expect a much more forward orange flavor.
- Cake mix shortcut - Yes, you can make a Sun Drop cake with a box mix, and plenty of people do. The general approach is a lemon or yellow cake mix with instant lemon pudding, eggs, oil, and Sun Drop in place of the water. It won't have the dense pound cake crumb, but it's a legitimate shortcut when you're short on time.
- Individual cakes - Divide the batter among mini bundt pans. One reader, Millie, got three cakes out of a single batch using two disposable mini bundts and a loaf pan, and glazed each one differently. See also my Mini Pound Cake for Two for a scaled-down version.
- Add citrus zest - A tablespoon of fresh lemon or orange zest folded into the batter sharpens everything considerably.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make-Ahead
This cake is genuinely better on day two. The crumb settles and the citrus mellows into the butter. Bake it up to two days ahead and store it covered at room temperature, unglazed if you want the cleanest finish, then glaze the morning you're serving it. If you're making it for a holiday, this is one of the few desserts I'd actively recommend making early rather than the day of.
Storage & Reheating
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container or a covered cake keeper for 4 to 5 days. Slice and serve as normal.
Refrigerated: Up to 1 week in an airtight container. Let slices come to room temperature before serving, or warm them briefly. Cold pound cake tastes dense and flat.
Frozen: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 30 days. To serve, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before and let it thaw 24 hours, then bring it to room temperature.
To reheat a slice: 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave, or 5 minutes in a 300°F oven. Better still, toast a slice in a little butter in a skillet until the cut sides caramelize. It's the best thing you can do with day-three cake.
What to Serve with Sun Drop Pound Cake
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this dish.
- Plain, with coffee or sweet tea. The way it was meant to be eaten, honestly.
- Warm, with ice cream. Top a slightly warmed slice with No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream and let it melt into the glaze.
- With fresh berries. Strawberries or blackberries and a dusting of powdered sugar turn it into something you'd serve at a bridal shower.
- Toasted in butter. Griddle the cut sides of a thick slice until they caramelize. Serve with whipped cream.
- Cubed into a trifle. Leftover slices are perfect for Easy Pound Cake Trifle layered with custard and fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sun Drop is a citrus soda that first appeared in Missouri in the late 1940s and is now bottled in Gastonia, North Carolina. It's lemon-forward with a hint of orange and more assertive than most lemon-lime sodas. A lot of people describe it as sitting somewhere between Mountain Dew and 7-Up. It's distributed mainly across the South, which is why so many readers outside the region ask about substitutes. If you can't find it locally, Mountain Dew is the closest match.
Yes, this cake goes by several regional names. "Ray of Sunshine Pound Cake," "Morning Dew Drop Cake," "Dew Drop Cake," and simply "Sun Drop Cake" all refer to the same Southern citrus-soda pound cake. If you're looking for the version your grandmother made under a different name, you've found it.
You can, and it's a common shortcut. Most box versions use a lemon or yellow cake mix with instant lemon pudding, and swap Sun Drop in for the water. The result is lighter and more like a bundt cake than a true pound cake. The from-scratch version here gives you the dense, buttery crumb that makes this recipe worth the extra fifteen minutes.
In order: Mountain Dew is closest, then Mello Yello. Both are citrus sodas with enough flavor to carry the cake. Cherry Lemon Sun Drop works beautifully if you can find it and want a fruitier version. I'd avoid Sprite, Starry, and 7-Up, they're too mild and the cake comes out tasting flat. If clear soda is all you have, make my 7UP Pound Cake instead.
Yes. Two 9x5 loaf pans work well, reduce the baking time to roughly 50 to 60 minutes and start testing early. A 10-inch tube pan is also traditional. Whatever you use, don't fill past two-thirds.
Almost always pan prep. Use shortening rather than cooking spray, work it into every groove with your fingers or a paper towel, then dust with flour and tap out the excess. The other culprit is timing: let it cool 10 to 15 minutes before turning out not less, not much more. The same technique applies to my Homemade Sour Cream Pound Cake.
Usually one of two things. Either the oven door was opened too early, which drops the temperature during the critical rise, or it came out slightly underbaked. Leave the door shut for the first hour and always test with a toothpick in two spots before pulling it.
Yes, and I'd encourage it. This cake improves overnight as the crumb settles and the citrus mellows. Make it up to two days ahead and store it covered at room temperature, or freeze it for up to 30 days. For a make-ahead holiday spread, pair it with my Sweet Potato Pound Cake.
You can use all butter. A reader asked me this and I've confirmed it works. The cake will be slightly lighter and less dense than the classic version, and the flavor will be a touch richer. If you want the traditional pound cake texture, keep the shortening.
A tester inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, but no wet batter. The cake should also have pulled slightly away from the sides of the pan and should spring back when you press the top gently. If the tester comes out completely clean and dry, it's slightly overbaked, still good, just a little less tender.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you give this Sun Drop pound cake a try, I'd love to know what you think! Leave a comment below, share a photo on Instagram and tag @SimplyLaKita, or save it on Pinterest for later. If you tried it with a different soda, Cherry Lemon, Mountain Dew, or something I haven't thought of. Tell me how it turned out, because half the variations in this post came from readers like you. And if the recipe worked for you, a star rating genuinely helps other bakers find it.
Chris says
I Love how simple and easy this recipe is to follow. I will have this pound cake recipe saved in my favorite to make again and again !!
LaKita says
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled to hear you found the recipe simple and easy to follow! 💛 That’s exactly what I aim for. I’m honored that the Sun Drop Pound Cake will be one of your go‑to favorites. Hope every slice feels like sunshine! ☀️🍰
Carra Dunnavant says
Great recipe! Everything she wrote was perfect in order for the recipe to be perfect! I love it when you follow a recipe and it turns out exactly how it’s supposed to. The ingredients, instruction, and baking time was all on point! Thank you!
LaKita says
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled to hear everything turned out just right, that’s the best kind of feedback. I really appreciate you trusting the recipe and taking the time to share your experience! 🍰💛✨
Michelle Putnam says
I made this cake for my husband to take to his men’s gathering at church. I used cherry lemon sundrop. It was a hit. The cake was gone by the next day! Highly recommend this recipe.
LaKita says
Thank you so much for sharing! I love the twist with the cherry lemon sundrop, what a fun idea! I'm so happy to hear it was a hit at the gathering. It sounds like it was a total crowd-pleaser! 😊🍒🍰
Ruby Ward says
This is a keeper!! Made it two weeks in a row! Perfect every time! Super moist cake with wonderful glaze. Simply awesome! 👌 will follow for more great recipes!
LaKita says
Twice in two weeks? That’s the ultimate compliment! So glad it’s been a hit, thank you for the kind words and for following along! 🖤
Laura Pugh says
can I use more butter instead of the shortening? I am not sure about using shortening.
LaKita says
Hi Laura. Yes, you can use all butter instead!
MillieTheBaker63 says
I cooked 3 small cakes from this recipe in 2 disposable Bundt cake pans & 1 disposable, regular loaf pan from Dollar Tree. (Picked up 20 more disposable Bundt cake pans this evening ✨) Glazed 1 with a lemon glaze, 1 with a vanilla glaze & did you glaze the loaf. Scrumptious ❣️
I folded the flour into the butter mixture with a spatula. Then mixed everything on medium -low for about 3 minutes when I added the soda at the end. Checked it again from the bottom with a spatula. They were scrumptious ❣️
LaKita says
Hi Millie! Happy to hear that you enjoyed the cake recipe and was able to make it your own 🙂
Ramona says
I haven’t had a pound cake in a while and I really want to try this out, it looks delicious!
LaKita says
Thank you so much Ramona, hope you get a chance to try it soon 🙂
Anna says
The cake turned out perfect! It has the most wonderful crumb, so soft and so tender! My husband ate almost a half of the cake in one sitting, it was this good!
LaKita says
Thank you Anna! I fully understand your husband, this cake is hard to resist!
Tristin says
I had never thought to use Sun Drop in cake before! Loved this pound cake recipe!
LaKita says
Thank you Tristin! Happy to hear that you love the pound cake recipe 🙂
Moop Brown says
Growing up in the South, this has always been a comforting and classic recipe for me. Looks tasty.
LaKita says
Thank you so much, hope you get a chance to give it a try!
Marie says
This is such a clever way to make a beautiful pound cake! The soda adds a deliciously zesty brightness to it. The glaze is the perfect finishing touch!
LaKita says
Thank you Marie, I agree the soda does add a bit of freshness!
Amy says
I've never made a cake with soda before and have always wanted to give a recipe like this one a try. It was delicious! It reminded me of a cake my grandma used to make.
LaKita says
Thank you so much Amy, happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Dennis says
My family loved your pound cake! And it was my first time trying sundrop and I loved it!
LaKita says
Thank you Chef Dennis! So happy to hear the cake was a success and that you were able to give the soda a try!
Katie Crenshaw says
I am so glad I found this recipe! I had a cake similar to this years ago at a bakery. I always wanted to know how to make it. I found this recipe and decided to try it. It tastes just like the cake I remembered! I loved it.
LaKita says
Thank you Katie, glad to hear that you enjoyed the cake recipe!
Ann says
I love pound cake! Any substitutions one can use for Sun Drop, if it can't be found? Excited to give this cake a try!
LaKita says
Love a good pound cake as well Ann! You can substitute Mountain Dew, Mellow Yellow, or any citrus flavored soda.
Donna says
I've also subbed Orange Crush/Sunkist Orange for the Sundrop! Deee-lish!
LaKita says
Thank you for sharing Donna! That sounds like a great option for orange flavor. Will have to try it soon 🙂
Gloria says
I love pound cake. Just what I need for these dreary winter days. I love my bundt pans too...cakes look perfect always.
LaKita says
Thank you Gloria!! We love a good pound cake here 🙂