4th of July Flag Cake Recipe

A 4th of July flag cake with fresh fruit decorations.

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This 4th of July Flag Cake is the perfect size for serving a crowd this Independence Day. The white Texas sheet cake base is perfectly sweet and delicious paired with fresh fruit in red, white, and blue colors to make a simple flag design that is easy enough for anyone to pull off.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup salted butter, cubed
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Frosting

½ cup salted butter
⅓ cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly

blueberries or blackberries
strawberries or raspberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray an 11x17-inch half-sheet baking pan with baking spray.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk them together. The method of adding melted butter and water to this cake batter is a little different so it's important to not skip this step of whisking the dry ingredients together or you can end up with clumps of baking powder or baking soda that aren't evenly mixed in.
Combine butter and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
Whisk in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 17-20 minutes until done. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean with just a few crumbs when the cake is done. Cool for 20 minutes before icing.
Heat butter and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter has melted and the liquid comes to a boil.
Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk well until combined, then pour over the cake while both are still warm, tilting the pan for even coverage.
Use blueberries to fill in the upper left hand corner of the cake, then arrange sliced strawberries in rows with empty space between them to represent the red and white stripes of the flag.

Notes

Storage: You can prepare the cake up to 3 days in advance. Keep it covered with a layer of plastic wrap or foil using a couple of toothpicks stuck into the top of the cake to tent the foil or plastic wrap so it doesn't touch the surface of the cake. Store it in the fridge without the fruit decoration for best results. I recommend waiting to top with fruit until shortly before serving because the strawberries have a tendency to release their juices on sliced and in contact with the sugar in the frosting.

Adapted from Taste of Home.

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