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
This American flag cake is a delightful dessert featuring a moist cake with rich almond cream cheese icing.
Fresh strawberries and blueberries add fruity sweetness and patriotic colors to complete this visually stunning and delicious treat, perfect for celebrating American pride.
You’ll need:
For The Cake:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
For The Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, very cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding
- 2 (8-ounce) containers whipped topping, thawed
For The Toppings
- 48 large fresh blueberries
- 26-28 whole fresh strawberries, halved
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.
INSTANT PUDDING MIX: White chocolate or cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix can be substituted for the vanilla frosting in this recipe. The sugar-free varieties have not been tested for this frosting.
SOUR CREAM: If you’re looking for a lighter option, Greek yogurt can be a suitable substitute for sour cream in the cake batter.
It provides a similar tangy creaminess that complements the sweetness of the cake.
How To Make This American Flag Cake Recipe
Cake
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 12x17x1-inch half sheet pan with non-stick baker’s spray and set aside.
STEP TWO: Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
STEP THREE: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar and unsalted butter on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes or until very light and fluffy.
STEP FOUR: Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Be sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. Scrape the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure even mixing of the ingredients.
STEP FIVE: Add the sour cream and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed just until fully combined.
STEP SIX: With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture, followed by ½ cup of the buttermilk, another third of the flour mixture, the remaining ½ cup of buttermilk, and the final third of the flour mixture. Be sure to allow each addition to fully incorporate into the batter before adding the next. Scrape the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure the batter is evenly combined.
STEP SEVEN: Spread the batter into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 16-20 minutes or just until the edges are very lightly browned and the center springs back when lightly pressed. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before adding the frosting and berries.
PRO TIP:
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.
Frosting
STEP ONE: Pipe the remaining frosting in straight lines in the space between the strawberry rows to represent the white strips of the flag.
STEP TWO: Using a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on low speed, add the cold milk and powdered sugar. Beat for 15-30 seconds or until the powdered sugar is fully dissolved into the milk.
STEP THREE: Add the vanilla instant pudding mix and beat for 1 to 1 ½ minutes or just until thickened. Set aside for 2-3 minutes to fully set.
STEP FOUR: Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the thawed whipped topping until thoroughly combined.
STEP FIVE: Spread about two-thirds of the frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Transfer the remaining frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large decorative piping tip.
PRO TIP:
It’s important to make sure that your blueberries and strawberries are rinsed and patted dry really well before adding to the cake.
STEP SIX: Top the cake with the fresh blueberries and strawberry halves in the pattern of the American flag. In the upper left hand corner place 6 rows, with 8 blueberries in each row, to create the blue area where the stars go. Then place the halved strawberries in rows across the rest of the frosted cake (representing the red strips of the flag), being sure to leave some white space between rows of strawberries.
How To Serve This American Flag Dessert
This perfect patriotic dessert will be the star of the show at your festivities this year.
For another star-spangled treat, try our 4th of July trifle and 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.
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: This flag cake is best served immediately after decorating. Store the frosted and decorated cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. As the cake sits, the moisture from the berries can seep into the frosting, causing it to soften too much.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of strawberries, you could use rows of raspberries for the red stripes on your flag cake.
If you want to make the cake ahead of time, you can, although we would suggest that you wait to decorate it with the icing and berries until you are ready to serve it.
You can use boxed cake mix in whichever flavor you prefer instead of making the cake from scratch.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
American Flag Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, very cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 6.8 ounces instant vanilla pudding (two 3.4-ounce boxes)
- 16 ounces whipped topping, thawed (two 8-ounce containers)
Toppings
- 48 large fresh blueberries
- 26 to 28 fresh strawberries, halved
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 12x17x1-inch half sheet pan with non-stick baker’s spray and set aside.
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar and unsalted butter on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes or until very light and fluffy.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Be sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. Scrape the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure even mixing of the ingredients.
- Add the sour cream and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed just until fully combined.
- With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture, followed by ½ cup of the buttermilk, another third of the flour mixture, the remaining ½ cup buttermilk, and the final third of the flour mixture. Be sure to allow each addition to fully incorporate into the batter before adding the next. Scrape the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure the batter is evenly combined.
- Spread the batter into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 16-20 minutes or just until the edges are very lightly browned and the center springs back when lightly pressed. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before adding the frosting and berries.
Frosting
- Using a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on low speed, add the cold milk and powdered sugar. Beat for 15-30 seconds or until the powdered sugar is fully dissolved into the milk.
- Add the vanilla instant pudding mix and beat for 1 to 1 ½ minutes or just until thickened. Set aside for 2-3 minutes to fully set.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the thawed whipped topping until thoroughly combined.
- Spread about two-thirds of the frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Transfer the remaining frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large decorative piping tip.
- Top the cake with the fresh blueberries and strawberry halves in the pattern of the American flag. In the upper left hand corner place 6 rows, with 8 blueberries in each row, to create the blue area where the stars go. Then place the halved strawberries in rows across the rest of the frosted cake (representing the red strips of the flag), being sure to leave some white space between rows of strawberries.
- Pipe the remaining frosting in straight lines in the space between the strawberry rows to represent the white strips of the flag.
Video
Notes
- Don’t forget to properly thaw your frozen whipped topping before adding to the pudding mix for the frosting. This will ensure the proper consistency when mixed.
- It’s important to make sure that your blueberries and strawberries are rinsed and patted dry really well before adding to the cake.
- Frozen fruit is not recommended for decorating this cake.
- White chocolate or cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix can be substituted for the vanilla frosting in this recipe. The sugar-free varieties have not been tested for this frosting.
Nutrition
Comments
Layne Henderson says
I love this idea, I can’t wait to make it for Memorial Day and 4th of July!