This American flag sheet cake is a light vanilla cake with a cream cheese whipping cream frosting and topped with any fresh berries. Top it with blueberries and strawberries for one of the easiest and best desserts to make for any patriotic American holiday or BBQ.
AMERICAN FLAG SHEET CAKE
Growing up this cake was a staple strawberry shortcake kind of cake for us to eat when people would come over for a bbq in the summer. But once I started having my own kids and celebrating these patriotic holidays myself I decided to change it up a bit and make it look like an American flag. This cake is so easy to make and assemble, but so fresh and flavorful. We still look forward to it every year.
HOW TO MAKE THIS AMERICAN FLAG SHEET CAKE
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and spray and line a sheet cake pan with parchment paper. Can also use a 9x13 pan or three 8" rounds if preferred.
- In a small bowl combine both flours and set aside.
- In a medium bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low in between each egg.
- Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and vanilla, in three parts.
- Pour the batter into the large sheet cake pan, 9x13, or split between three 8" rounds. If splitting between 3 pans, it will be roughtly 470g each pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Set aside to allow to cool.
To make the frosting:
- In a small bowl, blend 1 cup powdered sugar with 8 oz of cream cheese until completely smooth.
- In a medium size bowl, whip 1 pint of whipping cream and 1 cup powdered sugar together on high until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the two mixtures together until well blended.
To assemble cake:
Frost sheet cake with whipping cream frosting. Place berries in the shape of an American flag with blueberries in left corner and strawberries in lines. Or feel free to just top cake with berries mixed together, or even just one type of berry.
DO I HAVE TO USE A SHEET CAKE PAN
No, this cake recipe works perfectly in a 9x13 pan, or three 8 inch round pans, or even as 24 cupcakes. You will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly, but there are so many ways to serve this cake.
I also love making this into three 8 inch rounds and topping with strawberries for a strawberry shortcake type of dessert like pictured below. You would just place a third of the frosting on top of each layer, and place fresh strawberries on top of each layer of frosting.
HOW BEST TO STORE CAKE
I have found that this cake is best when eaten the day it's assembled. If I am wanting to prep it in advance I will make the cake ahead of time and wrap and store the cake in the freezer until ready to frost and eat. You can also cut the strawberries ahead of time and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Once cake is assembled I would store it in the fridge if possible until ready to eat. If it's a few hours its fine sitting at room temperature. But the frosting will soften and lose its shape because of the whipping cream
Another great dessert to try with fresh strawberries is my Strawberry Buttermilk Almond Cake.
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment below if you make them and love them as much as I do.
American Flag Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups self-rising flour
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Whip Cream Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 pint whipping cream 16 oz
Fruit Topping:
- 4 cups strawberries and blueberries
- a little sugar if needed to sweetend berries
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and spray and line a sheet cake pan with parchment paper. Can also use a 9x13 pan or three 8" rounds if preferred.
- In a small bowl combine both flours and set aside.
- In a medium bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low in between each egg.
- Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and vanilla, in three parts.
- Pour the batter into the large sheet cake pan, 9x13, or split between three 8" rounds. If splitting between 3 pans, it will be roughtly 470g each pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Set aside to allow to cool.
To make the Whip Cream Frosting:
- In a small bowl, blend 1 cup powdered sugar with 8 oz of cream cheese until completely smooth.
- In a medium size bowl, whip 1 pint of whipping cream and 1 cup powdered sugar together on high until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the two mixtures together until well blended.
Fruit Topping:
- Cut strawberries and mix with a little sugar if needed to sweeten more.
Cake Assembly:
- Frost sheet cake with whipping cream frosting. Place berries in the shape of an American flag with blueberries in left corner and strawberries in lines. Or feel free to just top cake with berries mixed together, or even just one type of berry.
Barbara Christensen
Okay this one is 100% a new family favorite. Tbh, I don’t love cakes. But this?! This is next level strawberry shortcake. I made it in a cookie sheet because I loved the idea of a thinner slice of cake. Genius! It is dense, not too sweet and perfectly combines with the light and airy frosting and berries. I basically ate half the pan myself. Cheers!
Ashley
I made this first in a 9x13 pan but the second time in a sheet pan and that was the winner! The vanilla flavor is perfect and the frosting is to die for! Perfect to feed a crowd!
Mike Norfolk
My wife made this and it was a hit. It’s one of my favorite desserts ever!
Bekah
This was a huge hit! Brought it to a party and received so many compliments. Loved how it feeds a crowd too