This was a very special cake, for many reasons.
For one, it was the first time I ever used a pastry bag and actually liked it – which was a big moment for me. Another reason is that I made it for a BFF’s party celebrating her man, who recently became an official citizen of the United States. He’s from Canada, and although he’s lived here his whole life, he was still super excited because he has serious American spirit; we were excited, too, because it gave us a reason to throw a huge party complete with every classically American dish you can think of, and a whole lot of sweet tea vodka and apple pie martinis.
And, you know, it also represents our country’s independence. So that’s cool, too.
You should probably {at least} consider making it this weekend, because not only is it as festive as it gets, it’s also beyond delicious. I literally can’t even tell you how obsessed people were with this cake – I heard everything from it’s the best cake they’d ever had, to intense threats recommendations to open my own bakery. The cake itself is a sponge cake, so it’s super dense and moist, and it has so much flavor – thanks to a heavy dose of butter. The icing is a cream cheese/buttercream variety, and it was also a huge hit – everyone loved how the tartness of the berries complemented it. It takes some time to pipe the icing and place all the berries on top, but I promise you – it’s not that hard, and that means a lot coming from someone as pastry bag-challenged as myself.
{What I finally figured out: you must use a big enough pastry bag! Get plenty of icing in there, but make sure you don’t overfill the bag so that you can fold the top of it over your hand}
Flag Cake
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten
- 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the icing:
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For your stars + stripes:
- 2 half-pints blueberries
- 3 half-pints raspberries
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour (or use Pam for baking) an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan. I think my sheet pan is actually 18 x 12 x 1, and it worked out just fine. I think it’s a little tricky to find a pan this exact size recommended – so use what you have. If it’s something much smaller, like a half sheet pan, you can always split the cake into 2, or halve it – which would be an especially good idea if you have a smaller group, because this recipe makes a ton of cake.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. No over-mixing! Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
Like Ina, I served this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.
For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth. Easy-peasy.
Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. If you want to, you can outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick, though I didn’t find this step necessary. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe.
Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Hold the bag with the edges folded over your hand (see below), and use your other hand to spatula the icing into the bag. Make sure to use a big enough bag, and to fill it about halfway or a little more. Squeeze the icing so that its pushed down to the tip and there’s no air in the bag, and squeeze the icing out gently. Try doing a little practice run on your counter, if you’re an amateur like me.
You want to try and gently squeeze it out as evenly as possible when you’re doing the stripes. I certainly didn’t do a perfect job, but once I figured out how to hold the bag and did a few practice lines, I started getting the hang of it.
Pipe two rows of white stripes below the first stripe of raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. I didn’t have enough room to do the last 2 stripes of raspberries, so I ended up just piping extra icing there – just make it work! Pipe stars on top of the blueberries. I probably got a little carried away here and did too many white stars – you can try spacing them out a little better than I did for a closer result to Ina’s.
End result: an imperfectly perfect + richly delicious flag cake, sure to steal the show.
Have a fabulous {and safe} Fourth of July, dolls!
