It was my birthday this past Friday, and I celebrated as I always do… by baking myself a cake.
Now don’t go feeling sorry for me or anything, I prefer it this way. I mean, have you looked around my blog? 
When someone enjoys baking this much, they’re hardly going to be happy with some crappy grocery store cake. Besides, there doesn’t seem to be many occasions that warrant a full blown 2 layer cake, so I kind of have to grab the opportunities when I can. It gives me a chance to experiment with flavours, and I’ll be the first to admit that my cake decorating skills need practice.
So what flavour did I chose for myself this year? I actually decided several weeks ago, while grocery shopping. In the cooler section I was checking out the pop selection… I don’t drink the stuff (hate the carbonation), but I was contemplating flavours for an unrelated baking experiment… That’s when I noticed Strawberry-Lime Soda! Strawberry soda birthday cake? Yes Please!
Now if you can’t find a strawberry flavoured soda, I see no reason why another fruity flavour couldn’t be substituted. Grape soda paired with grape jelly could be really fun, and would perhaps be more suitable for a boy’s party… Also, keep in mind that this cake is on the sweeter side, so choose a frosting wisely (keep with a less sweet variety). I highly recommend the one I used here (see link included in the recipe), it’s my favorite
Strawberry Soda Cake
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Margarine
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Non-Dairy Yogurt (I used coconut)
1 1/3 cup Strawberry Soda (I used Jones Strawberry Lime)
2 – 4 tbsp Strawberry Jam (a smooth one without whole strawberries)
The night before baking, open your bottle/can of soda and allow it to sit overnight at room temperature, so it has a chance to go flat.
Preheat oven to 325°F and prepare two 8-inch round cake pans.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
Beat margarine until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat on medium until well combined. Add vinegar and yogurt and beat for 1 – 2 minutes.
Add the flour mixture in 2 or 3 additions, alternating with the soda. Beat until just combined after each addition.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and smooth to the edges.
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans and transferring to cooling rack.
Assemble cake after layers have fully cooled. Spread 1 or 2 tablespoons of jam on each layer. Spread some icing on top of what will be the bottom layer. Flip top layer (so jam is facing downward) and place on top of bottom layer. Finish icing and decorating cake as desired.
This sounds amazing. Happy belated birthday!
Thanks!
Happy birthday my friend, I am in total agreement with you! Who needs a bakery if you bake like this?
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you, CCU
Happy belated birthday as well! My youngest has the same birthday as you
I make my own birthday cakes as well 
What a coincidence! Heading over now to (hopefully) find a cake recipe
That cake is to die for! Any cake made by someone else would surely be a disappointment! What you say soda do you mean the fizzy stuff or the syrup you can use to make fizzy stuff?
Happy belated Birthday xx
Thanks Lucy
… I mean the fizzy, ready to drink soda.
This cake looks so pretty! I love making cake with pop, they always feel like a science experiment! Happy Birthday xxx
Thank you
I thought that the pop added a fun element (especially for kids), and I’m definitely going to try including it in other future recipes.
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Happy birthday! This is a wonderfully high-end alternative to all those ‘cake mix and can of soda’ cakes on pinterest! Love it!
Thanks Barb
It might have been a little extra work, but I think that the results were well worth it!
Happy birthday Starr
Wow, I have never made a cake with soda. I have clearly been missing out. We have a couple of birthdays coming up in our family. Maybe I can make this for one of them!
Yep, you would HAVE to make your own cakes. You definitely shouldn’t settle for mediocre.
Thank you Ally! It was my first soda cake, but I’m sure it won’t be my last. I’m already planning what I could do with other flavours
… If you give it a try, let me know what you think!
Happy Belated Birthday! Looks like you baked yourself a pretty damn tasty cake! : )
Thanks! The cake was enjoyed by everyone, even Harvey (our kitty) liked it! I discovered that he stole a few nibbles when no one was looking
Happy Belated Birthday! That cake is just beautiful, completely picture-perfect! I LOVE strawberry cake, but I never thought to try a soda cake before. It must be so fluffy!
Thanks, I was really pleased with the results and am looking forward to trying out other sodas. Maybe something with root beer!
Oooooh. How about ginger beer, ginger marmalade and a cream cheese (tofutti works for dairy free) frosting?
That sounds fantastic! I love ginger!… Oh, you have to do it!
Looks delicious! A gorgeous color without using gross ingredients.
What is the reason for the soda to go flat, first? I bake often with club soda and never let it go flat (mostly because I bake on a whim and I’m impatient, I suppose…)
Simply personal preference. I don’t like mixing with fuzzing going on, I find it distracting
I just made this and it hardly rose at all! I was surprised, given the carbonation from the soda (mine was still fizzy when I used it!). It looks nothing like your pictures but the taste and texture are divine. Any clue as to what I did wrong? I did reduce the sugar to one cup and used half xylitol (I was experimenting to decide whether I want to use this recipe for my sister’s birthday, and it’s the only one I’ve found that will make a properly pink cake without food coloring! I’d really like to give it another go)
I’m so sorry that your cake didn’t rise properly, that must have been so disappointing… I don’t have any experience baking with xylitol, so I can’t say if that had any effect on the outcome. However, things I do know can influence the rising are old baking powder and baking soda (maybe test yours for freshness/activeness), not beating the margarine mixture enough (I beat my batter for a solid 2 minutes, to incorporate adequate air), or your oven may be running too hot (I test mine periodically with an oven thermometer). I hope this helps and you have better luck with your next cake.
Ah, I think I must not have beat the margarine long enough, then! I’ll give it another go soon and report back. This round did make for delicious cake balls, at least!
What kind of yogurt did you use? Plain, unsweetened, vanilla, etc? Thanks!
I used plain, So Delicious coconut yogurt.