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Perfect American Flag Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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A quick and easy patriotic sheet cake featuring moist layers in red, white, and blue, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting, perfect for any celebration.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Red gel food coloring
  • Blue gel food coloring
  • 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • A pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla extract.
  4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
  5. Divide batter evenly into three bowls. Leave one plain (white), add red gel food coloring to the second, and blue gel food coloring to the third. Stir gently to blend colors.
  6. Pour red batter into the bottom of the pan and smooth out. Carefully spoon white batter over red layer, then blue batter over white. Smooth each layer gently without mixing colors.
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check at 30 minutes to avoid overbaking.
  8. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
  9. Beat cream cheese and softened butter until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, beating until creamy.
  10. Spread cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Use a spatula to create flag stripes and add small dollops or piped stars in the top left corner.
  11. Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes to set frosting before slicing and serving.

Notes

Use gel food coloring to prevent colors from bleeding and thinning the batter. Soften butter and cream cheese to room temperature for smooth mixing. Chill cake before slicing to keep frosting firm and flag design crisp. Avoid overmixing batter to maintain a tender crumb. Homemade buttermilk can be made by mixing 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice.

Nutrition

Keywords: American flag cake, patriotic dessert, sheet cake, cream cheese frosting, Fourth of July dessert, easy cake recipe

Find it online: https://avabowls.com/perfect-american-flag-sheet-cake-recipe-easy-patriotic-dessert-with-cream-cheese-frosting/