American Flag Cake

This beautiful red, white, and blue American flag cake is the perfect dessert for any Memorial Day or 4th of July gathering!

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This beautiful red, white, and blue American flag cake is the perfect dessert for any Memorial Day or 4th of July gathering. The flag cake starts with a from-scratch vanilla sheet cake recipe, and then, by using white icing, strawberries, and fresh blueberries, the pattern and design of an American flag are created.

American Flag Cake Ingredients

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You’ll need:

For The Cake:

• ¾ cup of butter
• 1¾ cups of sugar
• 2½ cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• ½ cup of sour cream
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil
• 1 cup of buttermilk

PRO TIP:

You can make your own buttermilk using whole or 2% milk and lemon juice or distilled vinegar. For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.

For The Almond Cream Cheese Icing:

• ½ cup of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of butter 
• 2½ cups of powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract

For Assembling The Flag:

• 25 strawberries
• 50 blueberries

Substitutions And Additions

CAKE: We love this creamy, traditional cake recipe. But, you can substitute your favorite cake recipe in place or use a box cake mix if you prefer.

How To Make This American Flag Cake Recipe

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12×17-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

STEP TWO: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar with a paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

STEP THREE: While the butter and sugar are creaming, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set it aside.

STEP FOUR: Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition, and then add the vanilla extract.

STEP FIVE: Add the sour cream and vegetable oil and mix until combined.

STEP SIX: Alternate adding the flour mixture with the buttermilk ⅓ at a time, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix!

STEP SEVEN: Spread cake batter into the pan and bake cake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Check at 15 minutes. Allow the cake to cool while you slice the strawberries in half and prepare the icing.

STEP EIGHT: For the icing, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute with the whisk attachment.

STEP NINE: Add sugar all at once and turn the mixer on low to combine. Once combined, add the cream, salt, and almond extract, and mix on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes. 

STEP TEN: Ice the cake using an offset spatula and decorate the top of the cake with strawberries and blueberries. Space the rows of strawberries for the red stripes with a “row” of white icing between them for the white stripes.

I like to use a star icing tip to pipe stars using the remaining icing in between the blueberries. Pipe a shell border around the cake to finish the edges if you wish.

How To Serve This American Flag Dessert

This perfect patriotic dessert will be the star of the show at your festivities this year. It would be a fantastic centerpiece surrounded by a few of our yummy summer potluck dishes, including grilled chicken and egg pasta salad.

For another star-spangled treat, try our 4th of July sugar cookies. You could also customize our sugar cookie bars with white icing and red, white, and blue sprinkles for a fun and patriotic treat.

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Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: This Fourth of July cake will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days covered with plastic wrap.

IN THE FREEZER: If you have space in your freezer, you could make the cake ahead of time and freeze it. Wait to ice it and decorate it with the berries until you are ready to serve it.

This American flag cake is bound to blow everyone away at your next gathering. It makes the perfect centerpiece and dessert all in one. The flavors are perfectly balanced between the vanilla creaminess of the cake mix and the cream cheese frosting, while the fresh berries add a tart and fruity accent.

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American Flag Cake

5 from 1 vote

This beautiful red, white, and blue American flag cake is the perfect dessert for any Memorial Day or 4th of July gathering!

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 16

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Ingredients

  

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Cake

• 2½ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup butter
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

Almond Cream Cheese Icing

• ½ cup cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup butter
• 2½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Toppings

• 25 strawberries
• 50 blueberries

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12×17-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar with a paddle attachment in a stand mixer for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
• While the butter and sugar are creaming, whisk together the dry ingredients.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition and then add the vanilla extract.
• Add the sour cream and vegetable oil and mix until combined.
• Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk ⅓ at a time, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Do not over-mix!
• Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes. Allow the cake to cool while you slice the strawberries in half and prepare the icing.
• For the icing, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute with the whisk attachment.
• Add the sugar all at once and turn the mixer on low to combine. Once combined, add the cream, salt, and almond extract, and mix on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Ice the cake and decorate it with strawberries and blueberries. Use a star icing tip to pipe stars in between blueberries. Pipe a shell border around the cake to finish the edges if you wish.

Video

Notes

• You can make your own buttermilk using whole or 2% milk and lemon juice or distilled vinegar. For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.
• Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time. 
• Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature or you will end up with lumps in your icing.
• It’s important to make sure that your fresh fruit is completely dry when you put it on the cake, otherwise, it can cause the icing to get soggy and it will ruin the look of your beautiful cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 862IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg

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