4 Flag Desserts for a Festive Fourth
Who needs fireworks when you can celebrate America’s birthday with a sweet bite of red, white and blue? These flag desserts will make the perfect patriotic conclusion to your backyard gathering with family and friends.
Ina Garten’s Flag Cake (pictured at top)
Topped with rich cream cheese frosting and seasonal summer berries, this cake is the best centerpiece for your July Fourth celebration. Make the easy vanilla sheet cake ahead of time, and decorate it with berries and frosting just before serving.
Food Network Kitchen’s Flag Cake
Kids will adore the sweet sprinkle surprise hidden inside of this festive flag cake. Decorate the top with white chocolate frosting, strawberry stripes and blueberry stars.
Ingredients
Cake:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup stone-ground white cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons rainbow or red, white and blue sprinkles
Frosting:
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces chopped white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish:
1 cup blueberries
One 16-ounce container strawberries
1 tablespoon apple jelly or apricot jam, melted
Special equipment:
Pastry bag
Rosette tip
Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and coat again with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
Beat the butter with the granulated sugar on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, and then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just combined. Beat in half the buttermilk and then repeat, adding the flour in two more increments and alternating with the second half of the buttermilk. Stir in the sprinkles. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly. Bake until golden brown and the top springs back to a light touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in the pan.
Run a small knife around the edges of the cake to release the sides and turn the cake out onto a baking sheet. Remove the parchment paper and then flip again onto a serving platter or cutting board so the top of the cake is back on top. Cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting: Place the butter and salt in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and beat until fluffy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until very smooth and fluffy.
Transfer ½ cup of the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a small rosette tip. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
For the garnish: Place the blueberries in six rows of 6 berries each in the top left hand corner of the cake. Trim and halve the strawberries lengthwise and make four rows of strawberries across the cake. Pipe 13 stars between the blueberries and use the remaining frosting to pipe a border around the bottom of the cake. Brush the berries with the melted jelly. Cut and serve.
From Food Network Kitchens
Here’s a quick spin on the traditional flag cake: store-bought miniature tart shells that are filled with mascarpone cream, then studded with fresh blueberries and strawberries. It doesn’t get much easier.
Make sure you have an audience when you cut into Food Network Magazine’s red, white and blue ice cream cake. It may look like a basic vanilla cake from the outside, but each slice is a cake-and-ice-cream flag. For worry-free assembly, follow these step-by-step instructions.
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