Red, White & Blue Cake

There’s no doubt that the Fourth of July will be here before we know it! If you’re anything like us, then you’re probably already browsing the web for that perfect Independence Day confection. As luck would have it, Beth Branch of bethcakes is about to make your job a lot easier. She’s whipped up an amazing All-American, patriotic cake that just screams I-love-the-USA! Complete with red, white, and blue frosting and tiny silver star sprinkles on top – this is one cake that is sure to wow! And, did we mention that it’s six layers?! Check out what Beth has to say:

“If you’re looking for a festive and patriotic cake that’s as impressive as the fireworks you’re bound to shoot off on the Fourth of July, this cake is for you! It may look like a lot of layers and frosting, but it’s super easy to make. You might have a few dishes to clean afterwards, but I can guarantee that it’s worth it. The key to this cake is thin layers: thin cake layers and thin layers of frosting. I baked these cake layers in six 8-inch cake pans because I happen to have that many. I realize that might not be the case with most people, though! Luckily, disposable pans are available in most grocery stores, so that’s a great option for easy clean-up. Or you can simply use two 8-inch cake pans, bake two layers at a time, and then rinse the pans out between colors. The frosting technique is pretty easy, too! You just need a rose petal decorating tip and a piping bag. The tiny silver star sprinkles complete this festive dessert!”

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE CAKE

WHITE CAKE LAYERS: 

— 1/2 cup butter, softened

— 3/4 cup sugar

— 3 egg whites

— 1 tsp vanilla

— 3/4 cup buttermilk

— 1 1/4 cup flour

— 2 tsp baking powder

RED CAKE LAYERS: 

— 1/2 cup butter, softened

— 3/4 cup sugar

— 1 egg

— 1 tsp vanilla

— 3/4 buttermilk

— 1 1/4 cup flour

— 2 tsp baking powder

— 2 tsp red gel food coloring

BLUE CAKE LAYERS: 

— 1/2 cup butter, softened

— 3/4 cup sugar

— 1 egg

— 1 tsp vanilla

— 3/4 buttermilk

— 1 1/4 cup flour

— 2 tsp baking powder

— 2 tsp royal blue gel food coloring

WHITE FROSTING:

— 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

— 2 tsp vanilla

— 3 cups powdered sugar

RED AND BLUE FROSTING: 

— 1/2 cup butter, softened

— 1 tsp vanilla

— 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

— 1 tbsp milk

— 2-3 tsp red gel food coloring

— 2-3 tsp royal blue gel food coloring

— Silver star sprinkles

WHITE CAKE LAYERS: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar and mix on medium speed until combined and fluffy.
3. Add egg whites and vanilla, and mix well.
4. Next, add the buttermilk, flour, and baking powder. Mix on low speed at first, until just combined. Then mix on medium speed until completely incorporated and there are no lumps.
5. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cakes and it comes out clean.
6. Cool cakes completely before frosting.

RED CAKE LAYERS: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar and mix on medium speed until combined and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.
4. Next, add the buttermilk, flour, and baking powder. Mix on low speed at first, until just combined. Then mix on medium speed until completely incorporated and there are no lumps.
5. Stir in food coloring.
6. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cakes and it comes out clean.
7. Cool cakes completely before frosting.

BLUE CAKE LAYERS: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar and mix on medium speed until combined and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.
4. Next, add the buttermilk, flour, and baking powder. Mix on low speed at first, until just combined. Then mix on medium speed until completely incorporated and there are no lumps.
5. Stir in food coloring.
6. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cakes and it comes out clean.
7. Cool cakes completely before frosting. Then level all layers of the cakes with a cake saw or long serrated knife.

WHITE FROSTING:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and mix well.
2. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix on low speed at first and until mostly combined, then on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
3. Add two tablespoons of milk. If the frosting is still two thick, add another tablespoon of milk.
4. Place a blue layer of cake on a plate or cake stand and cover with a thin layer of frosting. Repeat with the rest of the cake layers, and cover the entire cake with a very thin crumb coat.
5. Fit a piping bag with a rose petal tip and pipe wavy strips of frosting up the sides of the cake. Start piping at the bottom of the cake and work upwards, slightly moving the tip back and forth to make a wavy pattern. There should be enough frosting left for the white circle on top of the cake.

RED AND BLUE FROSTING:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and mix well.
2. Add the powdered sugar and milk. Mix on low speed until mostly combined, then mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
3. Divide the frosting in half. Stir red food coloring into one half and blue food coloring into the other half.
4. Add red frosting to one piping bag and blue frosting to another piping bag. The rose petal tip is on piping bag with white frosting, and if it’s attached to the outside of the piping bag, it can easily be removed and used with the other two frostings. Just make sure to rinse it out before switching to another frosting.
5. Pip 3 ribbons of red frosting around the outer edge of the top of the cake. Remove the tip, rinse and dry it, then add it to the white frosting. Pipe 4-5 ribbons of white frosting. Repeat with the blue frosting until the entire top of the cake is covered.
6. Sprinkle with silver star sprinkles.
7. Enjoy!