Red, White & Blue Layered Flag Cake

Don't freak out! This cake is not nearly as difficult as it looks. It's actually fairly simple; it just takes time. I only own one 8-inch round baking pan and, worst case scenario, I would have taken about 4 hours to make this cake. I was lucky enough to borrow another 8-inch round from my boss (thanks Victor!) which sped things up considerably.

Our family is not big on frosting so I didn't get anywhere near using as much as is called for in the recipe (I only used about 1 1/2 containers). Looking at the demonstration photo I can see they used most of it to ice the outside of the cake, probably to hide the colored crumbs that get mixed in with the frosting while you are going.

I don't own or even know where to buy food coloring paste. I didn't even know it existed before this. Essentially, what Google taught me, is that there are different kinds of food coloring, each with its own intended use. The little squeezy garden-gnome-looking bottles are liquid food coloring. These are good for when you don't need a lot of color or a vivid color. The liquid nature of this color is not good to use in large quantities because the liquid can throw off your recipe if you use too much. It works for frosting cookies and such. Gel food coloring is a little better (less liquid). That's what I used for this. Then there's paste. According to descriptions I read online, you can use a toothpick dipped in paste and get the same color you would get from using more than one bottle of liquid food coloring. This is good for stuff like red velvet cake that really need that rich, deep color. I was told you can sometimes find food coloring paste at craft stores and specialty cooking stores.

This is a fun and yummy tasting dessert, perfect for 4th of July and other patriotic holidays. Hope you enjoy it!

Red Cake Layers

• 1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
• 1 pint (2 cups) strawberries, stems removed, pureed in blender to about 1 1/4 cup
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp red paste food coloring

Blue Cake Layer

• 1/2 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
• 1/2 cup blueberries, pureed in blender
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 tsp blue food paste color
• 3 Tbsp white star shaped candy sprinkles

White Cake Layer

• 1/2 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 egg whites

Frosting and Sprinkles

• 3 containers Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting
• red white and blue sprinkles, as desired

To make red cake layers: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray two 8-inch round pans; place 8-inch round piece of parchment paper in bottom of each pan. Grease or spray parchment paper. In large bowl, beat read cake layer ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on high speed about two minutes or until smooth. Spread in pans. Bake 29-34 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool 10 minutes; run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes. Gently remove from pans to cooling rack; remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Flatten cake layers by trimming off rounded tops. Cut layers in half horizontally to make four thin red layers. In one layer, cut small round out of center, using 4 inch biscuit cutter. Wrap and freeze one thin layer and the layer that was cut out of, save for another use.

To make blue cake layer: repeat steps from above using blue cake layer ingredients. After cooling, flatten cake layer by trimming off rounded top. DO NOT cut in half horizontally. Cut small round out of center, using 4 inch round biscuit cutter.

To make white cake layer: repeat steps from above using white cake layer ingredients. After cooling, flatten cake layer by trimming off rounded top. Cut layer in half horizontally to make two thin white layers. In one layer, cut small round out of center using 4-inch biscuit cutter.

To assemble cake: Place one red cake layer on cake stand or serving dish. Spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with one white cake layer, spread with 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with second red cake layer, spread with 1/3 cup frosting on top. Gently top with blue layer. Carefully spread thin layer of frosting on cut edge inside of blue cake layer. Gently insert white 4-inch cake round. Top with frosting and then red 4-inch cake round; press lightly. Frost side and top of cake using remaining frosting. Top with sprinkles. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

NOTES: I didn't find the white star sprinkles at the store so I used some little white ball sprinkles I already had on hand. You can't see them at all. These were pretty small decorations so if you really want those stars to show up in the blue, I'd look for some large sprinkles.

Also, my cake pan was a light silver color; my bosses was the dark gray, almost black color. The layers I cooked in his pan turned out a little browner on the edges. You can see in my photo a little bit of brownish-ness near my blue layer. I would try to stick with the light pan if you are going to attempt this.

Serves:18

Prep Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Recipe from Betty Crocker