Celebration Worthy 4th of July Cakes

Five patriotic desserts, worthy of any Fourth of July celebration!

If you haven’t finalized your Fourth of July dessert(s) just yet, I’m here to help! I’ve got some perfectly patriotic cakes, and cupcakes, to really wow your guests and ignite your taste buds.

Red, White and Blue Fireworks (Shag) Cake

Let’s start off with a real bang and talk about my Red, White and Blue Fireworks Cake. This shag-inspired cake is definitely a labor of love, but is a real statement dessert.

I’ve used a simple grass piping tip and my basic vanilla buttercream. To get the true red and blue colors, just follow my tutorial for How to Make Red and Blue Frosting that Won’t Stain Your Teeth. You’ll want to have three piping bags and three tips so you can use the bags interchangeably as you decorate the cake. I also recommend that you start from the bottom and work your way up so can easily overlap the frosting.

American Flag Sheet Cake

If a layered cake is a little intimidating, you can take any of my recipes and turn them into a sheet cake. Make the entire recipe, pour the batter in a half sheet pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray, and bake at the same temperature called for in the recipe, but for a few minutes less. Just like with a layered cake, when you insert a toothpick in the center of a cake, you want it to come out with just a few moist crumbs on it. The cake itself will rise about one and a half inches in the sheet pan.

9″x13″ Pan Option

If you want a thicker cake, you can also use the entire cake batter in a 9″x13″ pan as well. For this size, you’ll turn the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and increase the bake time about 10 to 15 minutes.

For the piping design, I used a Wilton 1M tip and created overlapping “wave” shapes – all going in the same direction.

Red, White and Blue Berry Cake

If you’re really want to wow your guests with flavor more than looks, my Red, White and Blue Berry Cake is for you! You only have to make one cake batter, but you’ll get three different flavors – blueberry, vanilla and raspberry.

To get these incredible colors and flavors, you’ll use fruit purees and some emulsions.

How to Make a Fruit Puree

For a simple puree, blend about one cup of fruit in your blender and then simmer the puree on the stove for about 10 minutes to reduce the water content.

And I love just a rim of fresh berries for a simple, classic look.

Red, White and Blue Berry Cupcakes

If you’re looking for an amazing flavor, but want a slightly easier way to create the red, white and blue layers, you can easily turn this cake into cupcakes!

Using a one and a half inch cookie scoop, measure a scoop of the blueberry batter and pour it into the bottom of each cupcake liner. You’ll then measure the same amount of the vanilla batter and raspberry batter to layer in each cupcake liner.

The cupcakes will bake at 350 degrees F, but for less time. I’d recommend setting your timer for about 5 minutes less than the given time and keep your eye on them. Use a toothpick to check the centers before taking

Fourth of July Funfetti Cake

And to round things out, another great option for your parties is my Fourth of July Funfetti Cake. This cake is a tender, fluffy white cake with red, white and blue star sprinkles and my vanilla buttercream.

To get the sprinkles around the entire cake like this, I frosting my cake with a cake board on the bottom and top of the cake. I then filled a half sheet pan with sprinkles and turned the cake on its side and rolled it in the sprinkles. It’s honestly a breeze! Here’s a video of when I showed Brooke Walker from Studio 5 how to do it.

Ok, so now you’ve got five different Fourth of July desserts to choose from! So, which one will it be?