Nothing screams patriotism louder than strategically placed blueberries and raspberries on a sheet cake. In my family, it never fails, we always have one of these cakes over the 4th of July. We eat it as an appetizer. Is that so wrong? It’s so simple to make. All you’ll need is sheet cake (it’s rectangle shaped), cool whip for frosting, or cream cheese frosting, blueberries and raspberries. Photo and recipe from Martha Stewart.

White Sheet Cake

double this recipe to make a two layered Flag Cake

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking sheet
• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for baking sheet
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 8 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-by-18-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet, tapping out any excess flour; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
4. In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
5. Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet and smooth batter evenly with a spatula or back of a spoon. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, then reinvert and let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 1/2 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high until fluffy. Reduce speed; add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beat until well combined.

For the Flag Cake

• 1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries

1. Trim any rough edges from cakes using a serrated knife. Place four strips of parchment paper around the perimeter of a serving platter. Place first layer, bottom side up, on serving platter. Using an offset spatula, spread cake with 2 1/2 cups frosting. Top with remaining layer, bottom side up. Spread entire cake with 5 1/2 cups frosting. Place remaining frosting in a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip (such as Ateco #35). Remove parchment paper strips.
2. Using the tip of a toothpick, outline the shape of a flag on the cake. Fill the upper left-hand corner with a single layer of blueberries. Place one row of raspberries across upper edge of cake to form first red stripe. Pipe one row of stars just below raspberries to form first white stripe. Repeat process with remaining raspberries and frosting until you have 7 red and 6 white stripes.

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Tags | 4th of July, cake, holiday, recipe