Description
Decorate a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake with homemade whipped frosting, blueberries, and strawberries to resemble an American flag.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 baked and cooled quarter sheet cake (such as vanilla sheet cake)
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Topping
- 1/2 cup (70g) fresh blueberries
- 2–3 cups (380–560g) halved fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Cake: Bake and cool any 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake, whatever flavor you enjoy with vanilla frosting and berries. You can follow steps 1–4 for making my vanilla sheet cake, which is the cake pictured. Cool cake completely before decorating.
- Make the buttercream: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 4 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I add 1/8 teaspoon salt.) Frosting should be extra fluffy.
- Spread 2/3 of the frosting all over the cake (I use and recommend an offset spatula), reserving the remaining 1/3 for piping detail. Place whole fresh blueberries and halved fresh strawberries to mimic the stars and stripes on an American flag. Using a piping bag (disposable or reusable) and piping tips, fill in the space between the stars and stripes. I used Ateco 32 piping tip for the piping between the blueberry “stars” and Ateco 844 piping tip for the piping between the strawberry “stripes.”
- Slice and serve. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The frosting can be prepared and then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the refrigerated frosting sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then beat with a mixer for 1 minute to bring it back to a spreadable consistency. Add a splash of heavy cream if needed to thin out. Frosted cake (without berries) can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating with berries and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 32 Piping Tip | Ateco 844 Piping Tip
Keywords: 4th of July dessert, American flag cake