Flag Cake
This homemade American flag cake is easy to make and perfect for 4th of July! All you need is cake, frosting, and some fresh berries to create this simple yet beautiful dessert.
This American flag cake couldn’t be simpler to assemble and it tastes absolutely incredible!
This recipe starts with my homemade white cake baked in a 9×13-inch pan. Some fresh strawberries, blueberries, and a light and fluffy frosting create the stars and stripes on top.
While I prefer to make this cake from scratch, you can go the “partially homemade” route by swapping in your favorite box cake mix or store-bought frosting. It’s also pretty easy to decorate, but if cake decorating isn’t your thing, I’ve included some other ideas to make it even easier!
Watch The Full Recipe Video
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
The Cake
I used my white cake for this recipe, but feel free to use another cake recipe like my yellow cake or funfetti cake (you could use red, white, and blue sprinkles to make it even more festive!). If you want to make this recipe easier, you can use a box mix instead.
The Frosting
I opted to stick with my whipped cream cheese frosting, because it’s light and pairs really well with fresh fruit. If you prefer an even lighter option my homemade whipped cream or stabilized whipped cream would work great too.
The Fruit
Look for vibrant blueberries and strawberries that smell sweet (that’s how you know they’re ripe!). Keep in mind that strawberries don’t ripen much after they’ve been picked, so it’s best to stick with bright red ones. You can use sliced strawberries to create the red stripes, but I prefer the look of halved berries when decorating this cake.
How To Decorate The Cake
- Let the cake cool, then frost with ⅔ of the frosting. You will be using the rest of the frosting to create the white stripes later! I like to spread the frosting on top of the cake and smooth it out into an even layer with an offset spatula.
- Create a rectangle of blueberries in the upper left corner. This is the blue background for the frosting “stars.” I usually do 6 to 7 rows of blueberries, but you can just eyeball it. If you want to make it a little easier, you can outline a rectangle in the frosting using a toothpick before placing the blueberries on the cake.
- Create alternating red and white stripes using the strawberries and frosting. Start with a row of halved strawberries at the very top, then pipe a stripe of frosting (I used the Wilton 1M piping tip here). Repeat this same process with two more rows of halved strawberries and frosting, ending with a final row of halved strawberries.
- Pipe “stars” of frosting onto the blueberries. This is optional, but I usually have a little frosting left over so I like to pipe a few stars on top of the blueberries.
More Decorating Options
You can really customize this recipe with almost any cake and frosting combo you like, but I do recommend using a cream or white-colored frosting (since it’s part of the red, white, and blue color scheme!).
If you want to try another frosting my white chocolate frosting, coconut frosting, lemon buttercream, or classic cream cheese frosting would all work. Just keep in mind that these options will be sweeter!
If piping frosting isn’t your thing, you could also replace the stripes of frosting with shredded coconut, mini marshmallows, white sprinkles (any shape), or just leave gaps between the rows of strawberries to let the white frosting underneath shine through.
Feel free to replace the strawberries with whole raspberries and use blackberries instead of blueberries. If you want to make this cake for another occasion, you can use pretty much any fruit on top of it!
I really can’t get over how perfect this cake turned out! I’m planning to make another one for 4th of July this year, but it would be great for Memorial Day too.
I’d love to hear what you thought of this cake, so don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know how yours turned out! Happy baking!
Flag Cake Recipe
Ingredients
White Cake
- 2 ¾ cups cake flour spooned & leveled (310 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature (240 ml)
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract or pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226 grams; 2 sticks)
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (350 grams)
- 5 large egg whites at room temperature
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces brick-style cream cheese softened (226 grams; 1 block)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (360 ml)
Decorations
- 1 cup fresh blueberries rinsed and dried
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries rinsed and dried, stems removed, and sliced in half
Instructions
- To make the white cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.2 ¾ cups cake flour,1 tablespoon baking powder,½ teaspoon salt
- Combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a measuring cup and stir until well combined. Set aside.1 cup buttermilk,2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract or pure vanilla extract
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, then slowly mix in the granulated sugar. Once all of the sugar is added, increase to medium speed and continue mixing for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter,1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar in three additions alternating with the buttermilk mixture (begin and end with the dry ingredients) on low speed. Mix in each addition until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- In a separate clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold half of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.5 large egg whites
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth it out into one even layer.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- To make the whipped cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.8 ounces brick-style cream cheese
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.1 cup powdered sugar,1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add the heavy whipping cream to a separate mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix on low-medium speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue mixing until stiff peaks form, making sure not to over mix the whipped cream.1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- Gently fold one-third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until just combined, then fold in the remaining whipped cream until fully combined.
- To assemble the cake: Spread ⅔ of the frosting onto the cooled cake and smooth it out into a flat, even layer. I like to use an offset spatula for this step.
- Add the remaining frosting (about 1 and ½ cups) to a large piping bag fitted with your preferred piping tip (I used the Wilton 1M piping tip).
- Place several rows of blueberries in a small rectangle on the top left corner of the cake. If desired, you can draw out a rectangle in the frosting with a toothpick before adding the blueberries.1 cup fresh blueberries
- Starting at the top right side of the blueberries, place a row of halved strawberries along the top edge of the cake to create the first red stripe. Use the frosting you set aside earlier to pipe a white stripe below the row of strawberries. Repeat with two more rows of halved strawberries and frosting, ending with a final row of halved strawberries. Pipe a few “stars” onto the blueberries.2 pounds fresh strawberries
- Serve and enjoy or refrigerate until ready to serve!
