Red White and Blue Cake

Print Recipe

5 from 16 votes

Red White and Blue Cake

Make a spectacular red white and blue cake that's beautifully festive, delicious, and incredibly easy to put together!

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Cool Time20

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Kristyn Merkley

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake

3⅔ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups buttermilk
red and blue food coloring

Frosting

1½ cups butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup milk or half and half
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch salt
sprinkles

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 (8-inch) cake pans with parchment paper, then grease and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the whole eggs, egg whites, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour in buttermilk and mix until combined.
Divide the batter into 3 bowls and add red food coloring to one and blue to another, keeping the third white. Pour into three prepared cake pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Frosting

Beat the butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine. Add milk or powdered sugar as needed to make a smooth frosting. Beat on high for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Assemble

Level the tops of each of the cake layers with a serrated knife.
Place the blue cake layer down on a cake turntable or serving platter.
Spread on one cup of frosting.
Place the white cake layer on top and spread with another cup of frosting.
Place the red cake layer on top, then spread the frosting around the top and sides of the cake.

Notes

Recipe Tips.

When we have them we love topping this cake with sparklers.
Eggs separate best when they're cold, see this post for more tips on How to Separate Egg Whites.
Ateco 848 or Wilton 1M piping tips work great to get a fluffy textured frosting design.
To keep crumbs from getting into the frosting apply a very thin layer of frosting and chill for 30 minutes. This layer seals any crumbs in and you can then apply a thicker final layer of frosting.
For a shortcut version, use a box cake mix to make the 3 layers and assemble as directed.

Make ahead of time. Make the cake rounds ahead of time and store them until ready to assemble and decorate the cake. Wrap cooled round in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 days. Add a layer of aluminum foil and freeze up to 3 months. If desired, layer the cakes and add a crumb coating (light thin layer of frosting) over the entire cake. The light layer will help keep the cake from drying out and it can be kept in the fridge overnight.

Store frosted cake at room temperature or in the fridge for a couple of days. Use a cake keeper or cover with a large bowl to keep dust off. Be aware of odors in your fridge that could seep into the cake. Do not top with fresh berries or fresh flowers until 1-2 hours before serving.

Store leftover cake. Remove any fresh fruit before storing it. Keep the cake in an airtight container(s) at room temperature for 3-5 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Freeze frosted cake. Wrap the cake in plastic and freeze for 3-4 months. It will be safe for longer but will begin to lose some of its flavors.

Nutrition