Ina Garten’s Best Red, White & Blue Flag Cake: Your Go-To Patriotic Dessert for the 4th of July, Memorial Day & Beyond
For any patriotic occasion, whether it’s Independence Day (the 4th of July), Flag Day, Memorial Day, or Labor Day, this Red, White, and Blue Flag Cake stands out as our family’s absolute favorite. It’s truly a showstopper and consistently earns rave reviews. While initially inspired by Ina Garten’s beloved flag cake, this particular version incorporates several thoughtful adjustments that cater perfectly to our family’s taste preferences. We firmly believe that the best recipes are those that you make your own, tailoring them to delight your palate and the palates of your loved ones. After all, you’re the master chef in your kitchen, so feel empowered to personalize any dish!
The Enduring Allure of a Patriotic Flag Cake
There’s something uniquely captivating about a dessert that not only tastes incredible but also visually celebrates a nation’s spirit. Our Red, White, and Blue Flag Cake does just that. Its striking appearance, with rows of vibrant red fruit and a field of deep blue berries atop a pristine white frosting, immediately evokes a sense of national pride and joy. This cake isn’t just a treat; it’s a centerpiece, a conversation starter, and a sweet symbol of unity and celebration. It’s perfect for gatherings where friends and family come together to honor shared traditions and create lasting memories.
The original Ina Garten recipe, which served as our foundation, traditionally featured raspberries for the red stripes. However, for this particular rendition, we opted for juicy strawberries, and the result was equally stunning, adding a slightly different sweetness and texture profile. Both fruits offer a gorgeous presentation, so feel free to choose whichever you prefer or what’s freshest and most available. If you’re curious to see how the original cake appeared, you can view the original post here. The beauty of this recipe lies in its adaptability, allowing you to personalize the decoration to your heart’s content.
I absolutely adore the brilliant, contrasting colors of this cake, don’t you? They pop beautifully and make a truly festive statement. And for those not from the United States, don’t let the “flag” theme deter you! This concept is incredibly versatile. You can easily adapt this cake to celebrate your own country’s national holidays by simply using fruits whose colors represent your nation’s flag. Imagine green and white for Italy, or red and white for Canada! Your guests will undoubtedly be impressed by such a thoughtful and delicious creation tailored to their heritage.
Celebrating American Holidays with a Sweet Tradition
This flag cake is more than just a dessert; it’s a staple for a variety of American holidays, each carrying its own special significance:
- Independence Day (4th of July): The quintessential summer holiday, celebrating the birth of the United States. Families gather for barbecues, parades, and fireworks, making this vibrant cake the perfect festive treat to conclude an day filled with celebration. Its colors perfectly mirror the patriotic spirit of the day.
- Flag Day: Observed on June 14th, this day commemorates the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States. What better way to honor the national emblem than with a cake designed in its image?
- Memorial Day: A solemn yet celebratory day at the end of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Often marking the unofficial start of summer, it’s a time for family gatherings and reflection. The flag cake serves as a respectful and delicious tribute.
- Labor Day: Celebrated on the first Monday of September, this holiday pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It’s often seen as the unofficial end of summer, a last hurrah for backyard cookouts and parties, where this refreshing cake is always a welcome addition.
Across all these occasions, the Red, White, and Blue Flag Cake unifies festive spirit with deliciousness, making it an indispensable part of any patriotic celebration.
From Ina Garten’s Kitchen to Our Family’s Favorite: Crafting This Iconic Cake
Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, is renowned for her elegant yet approachable recipes, and her flag cake is no exception. Her original recipe provides a fantastic foundation for a moist and flavorful cake base and a rich, creamy frosting. Our adaptations aimed to enhance certain aspects, making it even more aligned with our ideal dessert. For instance, we increased the amount of pure vanilla extract from 1-½ tsp to a full 2 tsp in both the cake and the icing. This small change deepens the aromatic warmth and sweetness, giving the cake an extra layer of sophisticated flavor that we absolutely adore.
Another significant modification was in the icing. While cream cheese frosting is a classic and delicious choice, we opted for mascarpone cheese instead of traditional cream cheese. Mascarpone, an Italian cream cheese, is naturally sweeter and has a smoother, richer texture. This swap results in an icing that is incredibly luxurious and slightly less tangy than typical cream cheese frosting, providing a perfect counterpoint to the cake’s sweetness. We also added an extra cup of confectioners’ (powdered) sugar to the icing, ensuring a perfectly balanced sweetness and a firm yet spreadable consistency that holds up beautifully, especially when decorating the flag design.
These minor tweaks transform an already excellent recipe into one that truly shines, showcasing how a personal touch can elevate a classic to new heights. The subtle changes in vanilla and the choice of mascarpone make this cake irresistibly delicious and uniquely “ours.”
Mastering the Recipe: Ingredients and Expert Tips for Your Flag Cake
Ingredients Breakdown: Achieving the Perfect Cake Batter
The secret to a truly outstanding cake lies in the quality of your ingredients and how you handle them. For our flag cake, we use:
- Butter (room temperature): Essential for proper creaming with sugar, creating a light and airy texture.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps tenderize the cake.
- Jumbo Eggs (room temperature): Incorporate better into the batter, ensuring a smooth, emulsified mixture and a fine crumb.
- Sour Cream (room temperature): Adds moisture, richness, and a subtle tang that enhances flavor and tenderizes the cake.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: A crucial flavor enhancer; our increased amount truly makes a difference.
- All-Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Salt, Baking Soda: The dry ingredients forming the cake’s structure. Cornstarch helps create a wonderfully tender and soft crumb, while baking soda provides the lift.
Always ensure your cold ingredients like butter, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature. This allows them to emulsify correctly, creating a smoother batter and a more uniform texture in the finished cake.
Crafting the Silky-Smooth Icing
The icing is just as important as the cake itself, providing the white base for your flag design:
- Unsalted Butter (room temperature): The foundation of the creamy frosting.
- Cream Cheese or Mascarpone Cheese: We prefer mascarpone for its sweeter, richer, and smoother profile, but classic cream cheese works beautifully too. Ensure it’s softened.
- Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the icing to a perfect spreadable consistency. Our extra cup ensures optimal sweetness and texture.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Complements the richness of the cheese and butter.
Whip these ingredients together until they are perfectly smooth and fluffy, making sure there are no lumps of cheese or butter for a professional finish.
Artful Decoration: Blueberries and Raspberries (or Strawberries!)
The decoration is where this cake truly comes to life as a flag:
- Fresh Blueberries: Used to create the “stars” portion of your flag. Choose plump, firm berries for the best visual impact.
- Fresh Raspberries or Strawberries: Form the “stripes” of the flag. As mentioned, while raspberries are traditional, sliced strawberries also work wonderfully and can be a delightful change.
The key to a stunning flag design is neat arrangement. Take your time placing the berries to create distinct, clean lines and a clear blue field.
Step-by-Step Baking & Decoration Guide
Baking the Cake to Perfection
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour an 18 x 13 x 1-½ inch sheet pan. If you’re using a slightly smaller pan, like a 17 x 11 inch baking pan as we sometimes do, you’ll simply need to adjust the baking time, often extending it by a few minutes.
- Cream Butter & Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer on high speed. Continue mixing until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color – this can take several minutes and is crucial for the cake’s texture.
- Add Eggs Gradually: Reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the jumbo eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. This gradual addition prevents the batter from curdling.
- Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Add the sour cream and our increased amount of pure vanilla extract to the batter. Mix thoroughly until everything is well combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda until they are uniformly combined. This step ensures that the leavening agents and flavorings are distributed throughout the cake.
- Combine Mixtures: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet butter mixture. Mix just until everything is well blended and no streaks of dry flour remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can develop the gluten in the flour and lead to a tough cake.
- Pour & Spread Batter: Pour the prepared cake batter into your buttered and floured sheet pan. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread the cake batter evenly across the entire pan, ensuring a consistent thickness for even baking.
- Bake & Test for Doneness: Bake in the center of your preheated oven. For a smaller pan (like 17 x 11 inches), bake for approximately 40 – 50 minutes. If using the larger 18 x 13 inch sheet pan, baking time will be shorter, typically 20 – 30 minutes. The cake is done when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool Completely: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before attempting to frost it. Frosting a warm cake will cause the icing to melt and slide off.
Preparing and Applying the Iconic Icing
- Combine Icing Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, cream cheese (or mascarpone cheese), the adjusted amount of confectioners’ sugar, and pure vanilla extract.
- Mix Until Smooth: Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients on medium-high speed until the icing is completely smooth, light, and fluffy. Ensure there are no lumps for a truly professional finish.
- Spread Icing: Once the cake is fully cooled, spread the luscious icing evenly all over the top surface. Use an offset spatula to smooth it out flat, creating a pristine white canvas for your flag design.
Assembling Your Patriotic Masterpiece
- Create the “Stars” Field: Carefully arrange fresh blueberries in the upper left-hand corner of the cake to form the blue field of the flag. You can create a square or rectangular shape, mimicking the canton of the American flag.
- Add the “Stripes”: Place your fresh raspberries (or sliced strawberries) in straight, alternating lines across the remainder of the cake to form the red stripes. Aim for even spacing and straight lines to achieve a visually accurate flag design. This step is where your precision will truly make the cake shine!
Serving Suggestions and Storage Notes
This magnificent flag cake is best served at room temperature, allowing the cake’s flavors and the icing’s creaminess to truly shine. However, due to the generous amount of butter and cheese in the frosting, it is crucial to keep the cake refrigerated if you’re not serving it immediately. Prior to serving, remember to remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes, which will ensure the icing is perfectly soft and the cake is at its most delicious.
It’s the perfect dessert to share at any gathering. If you make this delicious cake, we would absolutely love to see your creation! Please remember to take a photo and shoot it in an email to me. I would be thrilled to share it here on the blog for everyone to see and admire!
In the meantime, we wish you a safe and happy Memorial Day holiday. As you celebrate, don’t forget to take a moment to think and/or pray for those who have passed from this life, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.
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The Best Red, White and Blue Flag Cake
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 6 reviews
Author: Roz Corieri Paige & Ina Garten | La Bella Vita Cucina
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- Butter and flour an 18 x 13 x 1-½” sheet pan . . . I used a 17 x 11″ baking pan and just baked it longer.
- On high speed, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer, until light and fluffy.
- On medium speed, add 2 eggs at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Add sour cream and vanilla, mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- With a whisk, in another large bowl, mix the flour, corn starch, salt and baking soda.
- On low speed, mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Spread the cake batter evenly in the pan.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 40 – 50 minutes (if you use the smaller pan as I did). If you use a larger sheet pan, bake for only 20 – 30 minutes. Make sure that a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely!
- Combine the butter, cream cheese/mascarpone cheese, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl using an electric mixer.
- Mix until smooth.
- Spread the icing all over the cake and smooth it out flat.
- Decorate the cake with blueberries for the ‘stars’ portion of the flag.
- Place the raspberries in straight lines for the ‘stripes’ portion of the flag
Notes
*Note: If you don’t serve this cake immediately, keep the cake refrigerated due to the amount of butter in the icing that will melt. Remove the cake to come back to room temperature before serving.
This recipe is based on Ina Garten’s flag cake with many changes of my own indicated in parentheses.