World's Greatest 4th Of July FLAG CAKE 🎂

The basic cake has a beautiful, chewy texture and is easy to bake in a single layer. The cream cheese and powdered sugar frosting zings the taste buds. It always helps to add blueberries and strawberries for a naturally sweet, fruity taste. The reproduction of an American flag makes this dessert a natural for a Fourth of July party and adds color to the celebration. Very patriotic.

FABULOUS FLAG CAKE RECIPE

 2 1⁄4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature  3 cups sugar
 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
 1 cup sour cream
 1 1⁄2 tsp. pure vanilla extract  3 cups flour
 1 tsp. kosher salt
 1/3 cup cornstarch
 1 tsp. baking soda

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a half-sheet baking pan (10x15). Your jelly roll pan that has a 1 1⁄2“-edge will work for this. I used parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and sprayed with Pam Spray. You can turn cake out of pan after baking put on another surface if you use this method.

1. Cream butter and sugar in bowl of mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on high speed until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add eggs two at a time. Then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir until smooth.

2. Sift together in a separate bowl the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake in center of oven for 20-25 minutes (do not overbake). Check for doneness in middle of cake with toothpick that comes out clean. Cool to room temperature. (If removing cake from pan, carefully turn upside down after 10 minutes of cooling.)

Icing and fruit topping:

 3⁄4 lb. unsalted butter (3 sticks)
 1 lb. cream cheese at room temperature (2 8oz. pkgs.)  8 cups powdered sugar (more if needed)
 2 tsp. vanilla extract
 2 half-pints of fresh blueberries
 3 half-pints of fresh raspberries

For icing, combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Beat 3-4 minutes until smooth and creamy. If it gets too soft, refrigerate icing. Spread 3⁄4 of the icing evenly on the cooled sheet cake. On the top left side of the cake outline the area that will be used for the “stars” (blueberries) in a rectangle, with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across top of the cake like a red stripe, for the flag stripes. Put remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two-three rows of white strips below the raspberries. (I used a small Ziploc bag and snipped small hole in corner to put icing to pipe onto cake). Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries in even rows. Refrigerate.

Note: This is a huge hit wherever I have served it. It is best made a day in advance and sitting in the refrigerator. Great for any summer gathering, not just 4th of July. I made this into a “spring fruit cake” one year by using raspberries, blueberries, peaches, kiwi and pineapple for the rows between icing rows. Any fresh fruit can be used to make this beautiful cake.

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