This American Flag Cake is the perfect cake for July 4th. It is made with simple vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream but has a lot of color. The cake may look like a regular patriotic cake in the outside but when you slice it it looks like an American Flag!
Recipe-
Confetti Cake:1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ cup sugar
4 eggs room temperature preferred
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup yogurt
¾ cup milk
Red gel food coloring
Blue gel food coloring Vanilla Buttercream frosting:
6 sticks butter
8 cups powdered sugar
4 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ teaspoon salt Directions-
Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line with parchment paper four 8-inch pans. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.Set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix the milk and yogurt in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth. Dye 3/4 of the batter red and the remaining 1/4 blue. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly browned on top and the centers spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Let cakes cool for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and transfer to cooling racks and let cool 45 minutes to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper. Cut the red layers in half. Take two half layer and cut a 3-inch circle out of each. Cut a 3-inch circle from the middle of the blue cake. Frosting: Beat the butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix in vanilla extract and salt and beat the frosting on high until it whitens about 2 minutes. Decorating:
Step 1: Place a red cake layer on a cardboard round. Spread frosting on top. Continue with the rest of the red layers.
Step 2: Place the blue layer on top. Place a red layer in the cut out. Spread frosting in the hole. Add the final cake circle on top.
Step 3: Optional but helpful: place the filled cake in the freezer for 15-30 minutes to chill the frosting and the cake, which will make it easier to decorate.
Step 4: Save 1-1/2 cups of frosting on the side. Add red white and blue sprinkles into the rem frosting. Completely frost the outside and the top of your cake with the sprinkle frosting; using a flat frosting spatula (offset spatula).
Step 5: Take red and blue gel food colorings and paint stripes with them inside a piping bag with a star tip. Add the remaining 1-1/2 cups of frosting into the bag. Pipe stars on top of the cake. Enjoy!