This Patriot American Flag Cake is made from a delicious classic yellow sheet cake topped with creamy almond cream cheese frosting. Get your red, white and blue on by topping with fresh strawberries and blueberries create our beloved Old Glory!
American Flag Cake Recipe
When summer rolls around I get excited to entertain outdoors! One of our favorite things to do is have a barbecue by the pool with our neighbors on a warm summer night. We turn our string lights on for a warm glow, have music pipping in the background and usually a fire burning in our fire pit! It is the ideal night!
There are so many perfect holidays to celebrate too in the summer! Memorial Day to start off the summer vacation, Fourth of July in the middle and we round out the summer with Labor Day.
I am always looking for patriotic themed desserts to serve at our favorite get-togethers and our American Flag Cake has become a staple!
What is an American Flag Cake
An American Flag Cake is a classic sheet cake frosted with white creamy frosting. You can use a homemade from scratch recipe or if you want to take a short cut, you can use a boxed cake mix and canned frosting.
After the cake has been baked, cooled and frosted, you use the strawberries to make the red stripes and the blueberries to create the “stars”. This is what gives it the flag appearance!
Ingredients Needed to Make a Flag Cake
Here is everything you need to make our American Flag Cake. Note: you can simplify by using a cake box mix and canned frosting (but we wouldn’t!)
Cake Batter:
- 2½ cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 ¾ Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ¾ cup Butter
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Buttermilk
Almond Cream Cheese Icing:
- 2½ cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 cup Butter
- ½ cup Cream Cheese (softened)
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
- Pinch of salt
Toppings:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
How to Make an American Flag Cake
As I mentioned, if you are in a pinch for time and are looking for the “easy” American Flag Cake recipe, you can go with your favorite boxed cake mix and can of white frosting. But, if you have the time I would really suggest trying our favorite sheet cake recipe and homemade almond cream cheese frosting. You will not be sorry!
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 x 17-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Next, in a large bowl you will want to cream the butter and sugar with a paddle attachment in a stand mixer for 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy! (you can use a hand mixer as well, I just prefer the stand mixer if you have one!)
While butter and sugar are creaming, whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition then add the vanilla.
Then, add the sour cream and vegetable oil and mix until combined. Alternate dry ingredients with buttermilk ⅓ at a time, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Do not over mix!
Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 15- 20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes (how to check if the cake is done: if a toothpick is inserted in the center comes out clean, it is done!).
Set the cake aside and let cool completely (you will want to remove the cake when you can and place on a cooling rack for about 20 to 30 minutes). While the cake is cooling, slice the strawberries in half and prepare the icing.
To make the almond cream cheese icing, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute with the whisk attachment or electric mixer.
Add the sugar all at once turn the mixer on low speed to combine. Once combined add the cream, salt and almond extract mix on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes.
Ice cake (save a little bit of frosting) and decorate the top of the cake with strawberries and blueberries. Use a star icing tip to pipe stars in between the blueberries with the remaining frosting. Pipe a shell border around the cake to finish edges if you wish!
More great 4th of July Recipes
- Red, White & Blue Chocolate Covered Strawberries – Quick & Easy!
- 4th of July Jello Shots – ADULTS ONLY!
- Red White and Blue Poke Cake
- BBQ Grill Cupcakes
- No Bake Ice Cream Cake
- Firecracker Cupcakes
This year we are taking our backyard barbecues to a whole new level and setting up our own outdoor movie theater! Want to create your own? Check out our guide to creating your own DIY Backyard Movie Theater! It doesn’t get better than this!
American Flag Cake
Video
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 2½ cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 ¾ Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ¾ cup Butter
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Buttermilk
Almond Cream Cheese Icing:
- 2½ cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 cup Butter
- ½ cup Cream Cheese softened
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1 Pinch salt
Toppings
- 25 Strawberries
- 50 Blueberries
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 by 17 inch cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar with paddle attachment in a stand mixer for 4-5 minutes on medium high speed until light and fluffy!
- While butter and sugar are creaming, whisk together dry ingredients.
- Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape sides of bowl after each addition then add vanilla.
- Add sour cream and vegetable oil and mix until combined.
- Alternate dry ingredients with buttermilk ⅓ at a time, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Do not over mix!
- Spread batter into pan and bake for 15- 20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes. Allow to cool while you slice strawberries in half and prepare icing.
- For icing, mix cream cheese and butter on medium high speed for 1 minute with whisk attachment.
- Add sugar all at once turn mixer on low to combine. Once combined add cream, salt and almond extract mix on medium high speed for 4-5 minutes. Ice cake and decorate with strawberries and blueberries. Use a star icing tip to pipe stars in between blueberries. Pipe a shell border around cake to finish edges if you wish!
