Who doesn’t love a good American flag cake to celebrate the fourth? In our opinion, there’s no better way to kick off Independence Day than with a red, white and blue dessert , and who better to turn to for ideas than Ina Garten ? No stranger to creating a seasonally-themed dessert masterpiece, Ina is exactly the person who can provide 4th of July inspiration.
One of Ina's most famous themed treats is her iconic American flag cake , which really hits that Ralph Lauren, summer in the Hamptons vibe so perfectly. The dessert made its debut in her third cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family , which was published in 2002. In the 20+ years since, the red, white and blue recipe has become a tradition for countless families, including food creator @pastrywithjenn , who recently posted a video reminding us of the dessert's greatness. Here's why Ina's recipe is the GOAT of American flag cakes.
Related: 27 Patriotic Fourth of July Dessert Recipes That Might Be Better Than Fireworks
What Makes Ina Garten's American Flag Cake So Great?
Per usual, Ina thought of everything when putting together this recipe, proving again why she's a national treasure.
• The cake is actually good. We've found that oftentimes cakes that are big on decorations aren't as strong in the flavor department. That's not the case with this one. For this cake, Ina makes a vanilla cake, but adds sour cream for tenderness and tang, cornstarch for lightness and plenty of eggs (6!) to make sure the cake is rich and moist.
• So is the frosting. Instead of just basic buttercream, Ina goes in a cream cheese direction with the frosting, which adds a nice tangy flavor that helps balance the richness of the dessert.
• It's made for hot weather. The other smart thing about the frosting? Because it's a cream cheese frosting it can hang out in the heat without getting totally destroyed. King Arthur did a test where they put a hair dryer on different kinds of frostings and cream cheese frosting was one of the ones that held up well.
• She walks you through the decorating. Some American flag cakes just tell you to make stripes with fruit and frosting and put some blueberries in one corner. Not Ina. She knows that for a high-stakes dessert like this one you might need a little more guidance.
• It's tried and true. As the comment section on @pastrywithjenn's post showed, this cake has many fans. "We’ve made it every year since I was a toddler. Best recipe!! said one commenter. "I’ve made this one before and it’s the best!" added another person. "The cake is absolutely *delicious* and it’s beautiful."
Fans were out in force in Ina's comment section too. "My daughter stared making this cake when she was 13 and has made it most years for our July 4th party," says one commenter. "It’s very impressive and tastes amazing!"
Related: Where to Eat and Shop in the Hamptons, According to Ina Garten Herself
How to Decorate Ina's American Flag Cake
In Ina we trust! Here's how to make your American flag cake look as good as the Barefoot Contessa's.
• Make a pattern. Start by outlining a flag shape on top of the frosted cake with a toothpick. These guidelines, which will eventually be covered by fruit and frosting, will help you make sure that your lines are straight and everything is where it's supposed to be.
• Add the blueberries. Start the flag decorations by filling the upper left corner with rows of blueberries . In Ina's Instagram video, she does a rectangle that's 7 blueberries deep and 9 blueberries wide, but how many you use depends on the size of your berries.
• Start arranging the raspberries. Once the blueberries are in place, you can start on the stripes, which are alternating rows of raspberries and frosting. Some cooks use strawberries instead of raspberries, but the advantage of raspberries is that they create clean, straight lines, which is what you want in a flag cake. Start at the top of the cake right by the blueberries and place two rows of raspberries, pointy side up.
• Add some frosting. To make the white stripes, pipe two rows of frosting under the first two rows of raspberries. Ina uses a piping bag fitted with a star tip to create a texture that makes it look like the flag is waving, but if you don't have piping bags or pastry tips you can also use a resealable plastic bag with a small hole snipped in one end. Continue alternating two rows of raspberries and two rows of frosting until the flag is complete.
• Bring on the stars. The finishing touch is adding a few frosting stars on top of the blueberries. Ina does three rows of four stars in her Instagram video, but you can make it your own.
Up next: The Best Way to Slice a Bagel, According to Ina Garten
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