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This Patriotic Red, White & Blue cake is perfect for upcoming 4th of July celebrations. It’s a show-stopper of a cake with the vibrant red and blue layers striped with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

I really enjoyed the process of making the Milk Bar Birthday Cake and chose to use the same technique for my Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake.  However, I wasn’t a fan of the overall Milke Bar Birthday Cake flavor.  It was much too sweet for my liking and although I do enjoy baked goods with a hint of salt, the salt in the cake, again, was more than I preferred.

Since the Milk Bar Birthday Cake assembly process is fun, easy, and creates a stunning cake, I used the same technique to create my Patriotic Red, White & Blue cake. My recipe modifications resulted in a cake that’s less sweet when compared to the traditional Milk Bar recipe. The cake also has less of a salty finish and overall, it’s easier to make.

Although I enjoyed the multi-layer texture of the Milk Bar Birthday Cake, it required a lot of time to make — cake, frosting, crumbs, milk soak.  The Patriotic Red, White, and Blue cake has fewer components (no soak or crumbs) which make it easier to bake and assemble because I’m all about saving time and dishes!

Rather than getting too fancy with the Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake decorations, I chose to keep things simple on top with a few dollops of vanilla buttercream, a light dusting of [amazon_textlink asin=’B00CRJ72P8′ text=’patriotic star sprinkles’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’21c09dea-76f0-11e8-8e67-1df482bad1b7′], and a few shimmery [amazon_textlink asin=’B074Z5ZTM1′ text=’gold star cake toppers’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’3331a409-76f0-11e8-8628-231fb3c06b08′] to mimick fireworks on the 4th of July!

Here’s to celebrating America with cake, friends, and fun. Happy 4th of July, y’all! 

Alyssa

Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 unsalted butter softened
• 2/3 cup shortening like Crisco
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 36 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups cake flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 quarte sheet pans with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, and mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. On low speed, gradually pour in the milk mixture.
7. Increase the speed and combine on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until fully emulsified.
8. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until the batter comes together.
9. Split the cake batter into two bowls (use a scale to ensure even measurement).
10. To one bowl, add 4-6 drops red food coloring and gently stir until fully distributed.
11. To the other bowl, add 4-6 drops blue food coloring and mix until combined.
12. Pour each cake batter into the prepared quarter sheet pans.
13. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes.
14. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

Alyssa

Cream Cheese Frosting

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 1

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch baking powder

Method

 

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the corn syrup and vanilla extract.
2. Cream together the butter, shortening and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth.
3. With the mixer on its lowest speed, pour in the corn syrup mixture and beat for 2 minutes until glossy.
4. Add the powdered sugar, salt, baking powder and mix until smooth.

Alyssa

Buttercream Frosting

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 1

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening like Crisco
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon meringue powder
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons whole milk
• pinch of salt

Method

 

1. Cream together the butter, shortening, vanilla extract and meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth.
2. With the mixer on its lowest speed, add in 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk and mix until combined.
3. Add in an additional cup of powdered sugar and salt and mix until combined.
4. Depending on the consistency add in more sugar or milk until mixture becomes a stiff buttercream for piping.