How to Make a Traditional 4th of July Sheet Cake

According to Forbes.com, 62 percent of Americans will gather for a cookout or picnic this 4th of July. What will you be contributing to this year’s celebration? The hottest trend for the last several years has been serving a 4th of July sheet cake. This patriotic flag cake is the perfect addition to any star-spangled celebration.

This year, make your festive sheet cake from scratch. Once you have made your first homemade sheet cake, you will never go back to purchasing cakes at the local bakery. This family recipe is tried and true.

Sheet Cake Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup butter (not margarine)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 whole eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Butter Frosting Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
1 pound (3 1/2 cups) sifted powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or light cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

4 cups fresh strawberries
1-1/3 cups blueberries, divided


Sheet Cake Instructions:

 

* Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

* Pour 1 cup of water into a small saucepan. Add butter, cocoa and vegetable or canola oil, and bring to a boil. Then remove the pan from heat.

* In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Using a mixer, add the eggs, sour cream and cocoa mixture.

* Add vanilla and mix the ingredients until you get a very smooth consistency. This usually takes about 2 minutes.

* Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9 by 13-inch pan. Glass or metal will work fine, but dark metal pans may finish cooking faster. Bake the cake 25-30 minutes. The cake will pull away from the sides when it is finished, but you can also use the toothpick test.

* Allow the cake to cool before frosting. I let mine sit for several hours. This gives you time to make the frosting, too.

* To prepare the frosting, combine the butter, salt and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Gradually, add the powdered sugar. To get the right consistency, add just enough cream or milk to make the frosting creamy.

* Once you’ve frosted the cake, remove fruit from the refrigerator. Be sure to rinse the fresh fruit and allow it to dry before adding it to the cake.

* Decorating the cake to look like an American flag is simple. Group the blueberries in the left-hand corner with no space between the berries. Slice the strawberries into halves, and then create six horizontal stripes on the cake.

Serving Tips:

This cake should be refrigerated until it is served. It can feed 28 people, but who eats a small piece of cake? At my house, it feeds 14.

Consider doubling the recipe to make a two-layer cake. Use half of the frosting between the layers. Add red and blue sprinkles to the middle layer of icing.

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