This homemade cake is one of the most festive and tasty desserts you can make for Memorial Day, Flag Day or the 4th of July. Everyone will marvel at your ability to create such perfect stripes. Speaking of stripes, I know what you’re thinking…it’s too complicated. But it’s not. I promise. You need a pencil, a ruler and a little trimming, but once it’s done, all that’s left to do is sprinkle and watch Old Glory’s stars and stripes come to life. I make a red velvet cake to give it an extra pop of red, but you can make any flavor in one of these sheet cakes. This is one of the easiest but most impressive desserts for Memorial Day or 4th of July. Forget the centerpiece and place this cake in the center of your table. It’s a real showstopper.
How do you decorate an American flag cake?
With a little icing and a lot of glitter. To get straight stripes, I cut a sheet of parchment paper into strips and squares; then I press them onto the cake and sprinkle glitter around to create well-defined red and white stripes and the blue square. The final touch is to sprinkle the blue square with white nonpareils (they represent the stars, so pretty!).
How do you serve the American flag cake?
Straight out of the pan. Simply cut it into squares and use a spatula to place each piece on a plate. Plus, it’s easy to transport, cut and serve.
YIELDS: 10 – 12 serving(s)
PREP TIME: 1 hr
TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 20 mins
Ingredients :
FOR THE CAKE:
- Cooking spray
- 2 1/2 c. cake flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 oz. (2 tbsp.) liquid red food coloring
- 1 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 c. buttermilk
FOR THE FROSTING:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. whole milk, plus more if needed
- Red, white, and blue nonpareils (not mixed), for decorating
Directions :
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a rimmed baking sheet (about 13 by 18 inches) with cooking spray. Whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the food coloring, cocoa powder, vinegar, and vanilla in a small bowl.
- Combine the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low; beat in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Add the food coloring mixture; beat on high speed until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the surface. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan.
- For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the milk, adding more as needed until spreadable. Frost the surface of the cake smoothly with an offset spatula.
- To decorate: Trim a piece of parchment so it’s the size of the surface of the cake. Position the parchment with a long side facing you. Measure and mark 13 horizontal stripes that are equal in width. From the upper left corner, mark a square that goes a little less than halfway across the top and down to the bottom of the seventh stripe.
- Cut out the square. Lay the remaining parchment on top of your frosted sheet cake, pressing gently, then cover the exposed square in the corner with blue nonpareils. Lift the cake to pour off any excess nonpareils, then carefully peel off the parchment.
- Cut the same piece of parchment into 13 strips, following your marks. Place every other strip on the cake where the white stripes will be; leave the rest exposed and cover those with red nonpareils. Pour off any excess nonpareils, then carefully peel off all the parchment strips. Top the blue square with a few white nonpareils.
