Flag Cake
Serve up patriotism by the slice.
Author: The Chef
Cuisine: American
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
For the blue and white cakes:
- 5 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups butter, softened at room temperature
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 cup buttermilk
- Blue food coloring
For the red velvet cake:
- ½ cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
For the frosting:
- 2 cups butter
- 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the blue and white cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 3 9-inch pans with baking spray and parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg mixture. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and the buttermilk until completely combined. Divide batter into two bowls and dye one bowl with the blue food coloring. Pour the blue into one pan and pour the white into the two remaining pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Set aside to cool.
For the red velvet cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9” pan and 6” pan with baking spray and parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine cocoa and red food coloring to a paste consistency. Set aside. Combine flour and salt and set aside. In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar. Once smooth, add in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla and the red paste. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk, making sure to combine thoroughly after each addition. Add vinegar and mix until batter is smooth. Divide batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Set aside to cool.
For the frosting:
- With a hand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add in powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Finally, add the milk slowly until desired consistency is reached. Add in the vanilla and set aside until the cake is cool.
Assemble the cakes:
- Divide the 9” red and white cakes in half lengthwise. Cut a 4” circle out of the 6” red velvet cake. Repeat with the one of the white cake layers and the blue cake. The cake layers should be 2-9” red velvet layers, 1-4” red velvet layer, 1-9” white layer, 1-4” white layer and 1-9” blue layer that is double the thickness of the red and white layers.
- Place an 9” red velvet layer on a serving platter. Frost the top of the layer with a thin layer of frosting and place an 9” white cake layer on top, frost that, place a red velvet layer on top of that and frost the top. Place the blue cake layer on top of the cake. Next, frost the 4” white cake layer and lower it into the middle of the blue velvet layer. Lower the 4” red velvet layer onto the top of the white layer in the blue velvet circle and frost the cake with the half of the remaining white frosting. Place in the fridge to chill and set for up to 2 hours. Remove and cover the entire cake with swirls of frosting. Cut and serve to reveal the flag!
