Get the Recipe: American Flag Cake
Add some patriotic flare to your baking this Fourth of July. An American flag cake is easy to make from scratch with fresh summer berries.
Ingredients
Vanilla Sheet Cake
- 2 ¾ cups (325 g) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup (75 g) full-fat sour cream (or plain yogurt), room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temperature
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (226 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 pint (2 cups) blueberries
- 1 ½ pints (3 cups) raspberries
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan or line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, sour cream and vegetable oil. It’s okay if the batter looks a little curdled. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk (So it goes flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Mix until batter is uniform and smooth.
- Transfer the batter to prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake is down when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool completely before frosting, about 2 hours.
Frosting
- For the frosting, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt, then mix until medium speed until combined. add vanilla and 1 Tablespoon milk. Mix just until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. If a thinner frosting consistency is desired, add another tablespoon of milk.
Assembly
- Use an offset spatula to spread buttercream frosting into an even layer on top of the cake.
- In the top left corner, outline a square with blueberries. Fill it in with more blueberries for your “stars”.
- Next, arrange a line of raspberries on the top and the bottom of the cake. Add remaining lines of raspberries, spacing them apart for the red and white “stripes”. Slice and serve.
Notes
Berries: Rinse the berries and make sure they are completely dry before using. Sliced strawberries are a good substitution for the raspberries.
Room temperature ingredients are a must. It makes a better textured batter, which yields a tender texture for the cake. Butter should be soft to the touch, but not greasy.
Store cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 325kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 89mg, Potassium: 86mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 438IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 0.4mg