7UP Pound Cake

I had a late entry into the world of Culinary Arts. The reality is that I could not cook and had no interest in cooking until I had an opportunity to volunteer at St. Malachi Catholic Church’s Back Door Food Ministry in Cleveland. I made soups from donated foods and they began referring to me as “souper man." When I served a guest a hot cup of soup and a pastry, I looked in his eyes and saw hunger and gratitude. At that point, I understood the meaning of call and enrolled in the Tri-C Culinary Program. That was 10 years ago, and I still love cooking because food touches people personally and helps create community among us when we share meals together.

I tell this story because baking is a more recent breakthrough which resulted in this Bellwether Lemon-Lime Pound Cake. My mother was known for her pound cakes, but until now I never appreciated how they were made. Adding homemade cakes to the Bellwether menu has been a huge hit with our guests because they are able to enjoy them over the course of a retreat weekend.

It is appropriately named a pound cake because as you can see, the recipe calls for a pound of butter. The trick to making the cake light is to thoroughly cream the butter, vegetable oil, and sugar. And while 7UP is not a fresh, inherently healthy ingredient, it is one of the secrets to this delicious cake. However, the most special ingredients are the Bellwether eggs and maple syrup. I often refer to this cake as the Bellwether Bundt.

If you have spent some time with us at Bellwether recently, hopefully you had an opportunity to taste our bundt cake. Please feel free to try this recipe. I welcome your feedback.

Chef Lonny