Who knew Mountain Dew could turn an ordinary cake into something extra special? You can make one of the most requested cake recipes around my house, this citrus-flavored cake is irresistible.
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Cake made with Mountain Dew
Sure, Mountain Dew might be one of your favorite beverages, but adding it to a cake batter is just plain whack-o-doodle, right? Not so fast! If you have never tried a slice of Mountain Dew Cake before, you’ll probably be shocked just how much zing the citrus-flavored soda brings to the party, and how moist and airy the cake turns out.
What makes a Mountain Dew Cake so appealing?
The soda adds extra flavor and color to your standard cake mix. And when you top this cake with a frosting made with crushed pineapple, it’s even more memorable. This cake is made simply with cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and good ol’ Mountain Dew.
Why you’ll love this recipe
It is no wonder that my family loves this tried and true Mountain Dew cake recipe so much, or that people always ask if I am going to bring ‘that cake’ to the next potluck dinner! Cast your doubts aside, and give this simple to make recipe a shot. You are only a few hours away from starting your own family tradition!
Making this cake from scratch is fun and a great way to enjoy a uniquely flavored cake. You can use Mountain Dew or another favorite soda of yours (maybe Mello Yello or 7-Up) and a boxed cake mix. Whichever soda you choose, the cake is sure to become a new family favorite.
It’s simple to make and its taste is out of this world. If you don’t let your kids drink sodas, they will look upon this cake as an awesome treat. It’s so moist and delicious – the perfect dessert for a special occasion.
Why put soda in cake?
Okay, so it may be a little unorthodox to use a soda drink in a cake, but it makes perfect sense when you think about it. To understand why, let’s take a closer look at the largest components of soda: Sugar, flavoring, and carbonated water. Nothing there seems particularly out of the ordinary when it comes to dessert.
Now, look at the directions on the back of the standard cake mix box. The first thing most mixes ask you to do is add water to the box’s contents. It is an easy enough step that you probably never thought about, but what’s the purpose behind it? Well, the sole reason for adding water is to hydrate the dry ingredients and start to bring all of them together into a batter.
Water is not exactly bursting with flavor or really doing much else to make the cake better, but soda can. Mountain Dew adds additional flavoring and increases the spring of the batter, in much the same way that adding seltzer to tempura batter creates a light and crispy crust. With all the benefits of using soda, it is no longer a question of why this recipe uses soda, but why others don’t!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need:
- Lemon cake mix
- Instant vanilla pudding
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Mountain Dew soda
- All-purpose flour
- Crushed pineapple
- Coconut flakes
- Butter
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
How to Make Mountain Dew Cake
- Place the cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, Mountain Dew soda, and flour in a large mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
- Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.
- Place the cake in a preheated oven. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove cake from pans and cool completely. You can place the cakes on a cooling rack so they cool completely.
- Place butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
- After the butter melts, add crushed pineapple, sugar, and cornstarch.
- Cook until hot and bubbly, then add the coconut and stir to combine.
- Allow the frosting to cool then spread it over the cooled cake.
Recipe tips and variations
No Mountain Dew, no problem. Not everyone loves the taste of Mountain Dew, and despite the lovely yellow hue that it adds to the cake, some people don’t feel comfortable consuming tartrazine, the dye that gives the drink its unique color. Feel free to substitute Sprite, 7-Up, or one of your favorite sodas.
Try experimenting with other cake mix flavors. Are you in the mood for chocolate cake or perhaps red velvet? You can use the same basic cake recipe below and switch out the lemon cake mix for the one you prefer. One particularly good combination is a chocolate cake with Dr. Pepper.
The cake is done when it is done. The cooking time on the back of the cake mix box may be a little off due to the changes. Start checking the cake for doneness at around 20 minutes. Check if the cake is ready to come out of the oven by poking a hole in the cake’s center with a toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
Serve with fresh berries. A slice of Mountain Dew Cake with citrus glaze is pretty sweet, so many people enjoy it with fresh berries such as raspberries or sliced strawberries to help balance the flavors.
How to store the cake
Store the cake in an airtight container or tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Chilling the cake helps preserve its moisture, but bringing it back to room temperature before serving is best for optimal flavor.
For even longer storage, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let it thaw in the fridge until softened.
Are you looking for other fun cakes to make? Try these
- Coca Cola Chocolate Cake
- Pineapple Angel Food Cake Recipe
- Sock it to Me Cake Duncan Hines
- Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Simple Pistachio Cake Recipe
- Mississippi Mud Cake
- Mounds Cake
- Dump Cake with Peaches
- Cherry Pie Filling Dump Cake
- Scandinavian Almond Cake
Popular pies with coconut or pineapple
Love to make homemade desserts? Be sure to check out more of my easy cake recipes and the best pie recipes.
Mountain Dew Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding 4 serving size
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 beaten eggs
- 10 ounces Mountain Dew Sprite
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Frosting
- 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
- 2 ounces butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup coconut
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the lemon cake mix, instant vanilla pudding, vegetable oil, eggs, and all purpose flour stir to combine. Then add the soda and mix by hand until the batter is smooth.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, if using 9-inch rounds. Refer to the box of cake mix for other cooking times. Cool the cake completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Place 2 ounces of butter in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Add 20 ounces of crushed pineapple, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook until hot and bubbly. Then add the coconut. Allow the frosting to cool, then spread over cooled cake.
Ranger5
I’m going to try this out but I think I’ll put marichino (sp?) cherries into the cake batter. Also, I can’t stand coconut so I’ll leave that out of the frosting…………
Stephanie Manley
Let me know how that goes.
Donna
Anyone try it with Diet Mountain Dew? The carbs are too high for my husband.
Douglas
For a long time Mt. Dew / sugar addict like myself this cake is the ambrosia of the gods. Now I can have my Dew and eat it, too! 😉
Mohit Arora
I so glad I visited this site. I am a foodie. I love this recipe.
Shirley Brewer
I notice that it doesn’t say when to use the 4 eggs. I assume you mix it in the cake mix.
Michale
Thank you for this idea of making this cake. My kids wanted Mountain Dew at the store, but when they took a drink, they didn’t like it. So I found something to do with all of the soda. This cake is really good!
Li Anderson
I love how you added all the history before the recipe gives an authentic feel to recipe. Thank you so much.
Stephanie
I am glad you like it.
MarkD
I tried this with Mello Yello and I really liked it.
Liz
Again a new family favorite!