Easy 2-Ingredient Soda Cake

Dessert doesn’t get much easier than this 2-Ingredient Club Soda Cake. All you need is a box of cake mix and some club soda or sparkling water. No eggs, oil or other ingredients required!

I first learned about making cake with diet soda years ago at a Weight Watchers meeting. I’ve even used the same idea to make easy 2-Ingredient 7-Up Cupcakes.

But artificial sweeteners in diet soda sometimes give me a headache, so I was intrigued when I heard you could use plain club soda or sparkling water instead.

Naturally, I had to give it a try.

The results were better than I expected! The cake turned out sweet, moist and fluffy, with a tender crumb. We didn’t miss the eggs or oil one bit.

I finished mine with the thinnest possible layer of chocolate frosting. A little frosting goes a long way, especially when the cake itself is already sweet.

Why You’ll Love This Club Soda Cake

• Just two ingredients. Cake mix and club soda are all you need.
• No eggs or oil. An easy alternative to preparing cake mix according to the package directions.
• Quick and easy. Stir everything together and bake.
• Use your favorite cake mix. Yellow, chocolate, lemon, spice and other flavors all work.
• Perfect for a small cake. Make one little cake instead of a large layer cake.
• Easy to customize. Try different cake mix and sparkling water combinations.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You need just two ingredients for the basic cake.

Cake mix: I used Betty Crocker yellow cupcake mix, which came in a smaller package designed to make one little cake. You can also use a regular boxed cake mix.

Club soda or sparkling water: Plain club soda, seltzer or unflavored sparkling water works beautifully. You can also use flavored sparkling water or soda if you prefer.

Optional Additions

I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract for a little extra flavor.

And after the cake cooled, I spread it with a very thin layer of chocolate frosting.

Neither is necessary. The cake is perfectly good on its own or with a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

How Much Cake Mix and Club Soda Do You Need?

This is where things have changed a little over the years.

The original diet soda cake recipes generally called for one box of cake mix and one 12-ounce can of soda. But cake mix boxes have gotten smaller, so using an entire can of soda with today’s mixes may make the batter too thin.

My original small cake used an 8.9-ounce package of Betty Crocker cupcake mix and ¾ cup club soda.

Using that same proportion, here are the approximate amounts for different cake mix sizes:

Cake Mix Size	Club Soda or Sparkling Water
8.9 ounces	¾ cup
13.25 ounces	1? cups
14.25 ounces	About 1¼ cups
15.25 ounces	About 1? cups
18.25 ounces	1½ cups

These amounts are calculated from my original recipe rather than individually tested with every cake mix. Different brands and formulations may produce slightly different results.

My suggestion: Check the weight printed on your cake mix box and use the corresponding amount of club soda. There’s no need to use an entire 12-ounce can if your cake mix is smaller.

For a small cake, you can also weigh out 8.9 ounces of dry mix from a larger box and combine it with ¾ cup club soda.For a full-size cake, follow the package’s suggested pan size and use the baking time as a starting point.

How to Make Easy 2-Ingredient Soda Cake, Step-by-Step

Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Pan

Preheat your oven to 350°F, or the temperature recommended on your cake mix package.

For a small cake, lightly coat an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

For a full-size cake, use an appropriate pan for the amount of batter.

Step 2: Mix the Batter

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix and the amount of club soda appropriate for your cake mix size.

Add the optional vanilla, if using.

Whisk until smooth and well blended.

Step 3: Bake

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

For the small 8-inch cake, bake for approximately 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For larger cakes or cupcakes, use the cake mix package’s suggested baking time as a guide and check for doneness.

Step 4: Cool and Decorate

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

Once completely cool, frost lightly, dust with confectioners’ sugar or leave it plain.

My Tips for Making Club Soda Cake

Expect a slightly different texture. Without eggs, the cake can be a little more crumbly than a traditional cake. Mine was still moist, fluffy and delicious.

Use freshly opened club soda. You want the carbonation to be as lively as possible when mixing the batter.

Check your cake mix size. Today’s cake mix boxes vary in weight. Adjust the amount of soda accordingly rather than automatically using an entire can.

Don’t overmix. Stir until the batter is smooth and combined, then get it into the oven.

Start checking early. Baking times vary depending on the cake mix, pan and oven.

Keep the frosting simple. A very thin layer of chocolate frosting was plenty for my yellow cake.

Try a smaller cake. I really like being able to bake one little cake instead of two large layers.

I’ve learned over the years that having a smaller cake around often works better for me than having a big one sitting on the counter.

It’s one reason I’m also such a fan of 3-2-1 Microwave Mug Cake.

Best Cake Mix and Soda Flavor Combinations

One of the fun things about this recipe is experimenting with different flavors.

Plain club soda works with just about any cake mix. But if you want to try something different, here are a few ideas:

Cake Mix	Soda or Sparkling Water
Yellow cake	Plain club soda
Chocolate cake	Cola or cherry cola
Lemon cake	Lemon-lime sparkling water
Spice cake	Ginger ale
Carrot cake	Ginger ale
Strawberry cake	Berry-flavored sparkling water
Red velvet cake	Plain club soda
Vanilla cake	Orange soda
Vanilla cake	Root beer

The flavor of the soda tends to be more noticeable in lighter cakes, such as yellow or vanilla.

With stronger flavors like chocolate or spice, the soda flavor is usually more subtle.

What About Diet Soda?

You can absolutely use diet soda if you prefer.

That’s how I originally learned to make this kind of cake at Weight Watchers.

I simply prefer club soda or sparkling water because some artificial sweeteners can give me a headache.

One thing to remember is that club soda and unsweetened sparkling water add no sugar or calories, while regular sweetened soda does.

How Many Calories and WW Points?

Each slice of this Weight Watchers Club Soda Cake has just 159 calories.

To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

4 PointsPlus (Old plan)

If you’re not a fan of frosting you could sprinkle on a little confectioner’s sugar instead and save yourself 2 WW Points in the process. Enjoy!

If you’ve made this Easy 2-Ingredient Club Soda Cake, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

More Easy Cake Mix Recipes You’ll Love

If you enjoy this simple club soda cake, here are a few more easy desserts from Simple Nourished Living:

• 2-Ingredient 7-Up Cupcakes – Another easy way to make cupcakes using cake mix and soda.
• 3-2-1 Microwave Mug Cake – A quick single-serving cake when you want just a little something sweet.
• 2-Ingredient Apple Spice Cake Mix Cupcakes – An easy fall favorite made with cake mix and applesauce.
• 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins – A simple chocolate treat made with cake mix and pumpkin.
• 2-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake – A longtime reader favorite that needs just two ingredients.
• Easy Chocolate Chip Snack Cake – Another small, easy cake made with chocolate cake mix, pudding and Greek yogurt.

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the most useful.

A box of cake mix and a little sparkling water may not sound like much, but they make a surprisingly good cake.

And I especially love being able to make a smaller one when that’s all we need.

If you’ve tried making cake with club soda or sparkling water, I’d love to hear what cake mix and flavor combination you used.