Description
Ina Garten’s american flag cake celebrates patriotic desserts with classic red, white, and blue styling. Homemade buttercream frosting and fresh berries make this festive layer cake perfect for summer gatherings you’ll want to share.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound (454 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1–½ pounds (680 g) cream cheese
- 1 pound (454 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cups (375 g) sugar
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream, at room temperature
- 18 tbsps (2-¼ sticks or 255 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 half-pints blueberries
- 3 half-pints raspberries
- 1–½ tsps pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (40 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preparation: Generously coat an 18 x 12 x 1.5-inch sheet pan with butter and flour, ensuring complete coverage to prevent sticking.
- Creaming: Utilize a stand mixer to blend butter and sugar vigorously for 3 minutes until the mixture transforms into a pale, voluminous texture.
- Egg Integration: Methodically introduce room-temperature eggs individually, thoroughly incorporating each before adding the next, then fold in sour cream and vanilla extract until achieving a seamless consistency.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Sift flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and baking soda together, eliminating potential lumps, then delicately fold into the wet mixture, stirring minimally to preserve the batter’s delicate structure.
- Baking Process: Distribute batter evenly across the prepared sheet pan, smoothing with a spatula, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 22-28 minutes until a toothpick emerges clean.
- Frosting Creation: Whip cream cheese, unsalted butter, and vanilla until silky, gradually incorporating confectioners’ sugar to develop a glossy, spreadable consistency.
- Decoration: After complete cooling, lavishly spread cream cheese frosting across the cake’s surface, then artfully arrange blueberries and raspberries to craft a patriotic flag-inspired design.
Notes
- Prevent Cake Sticking: Generously grease and flour the pan to ensure smooth cake release without tearing.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Allow butter, eggs, and sour cream to reach room temperature for smoother blending and better cake texture.
- Gentle Mixing Technique: Fold dry ingredients with minimal stirring to maintain a tender, light cake crumb and prevent tough texture.
- Berry Decoration Tip: Arrange blueberries and raspberries strategically when completely cool to create a crisp, clean American flag design.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 509
- Sugar: 66 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 69 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 134 mg