Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Favorite Summer Recipes - Flag Cake





This cake has become a major 4th of July tradition in our house. It is rich, decadent, beautiful and a little extravagant - a perfect holiday treat. (p.s. It's easy too!) The recipe comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style. Here's the recipe along with a few of my notes:

Flag Cake

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature (Use a non-colored brand of butter like Land O'Lakes for a more white frosting.)
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature (If these ingredients aren't at room temp the frosting will come out lumpy.)
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:
2 half-pints blueberries
3 half-pints raspberries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

I serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan. (Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yummy!

daisy said...

Is Roxcy being hired out? Looks yummy. Of course everything you make looks yummy!sfwi

Anonymous said...

No way - we are making that for a summer barbecue today! I luv that cake so much, wish I could eat it this year :(

Liz Stanley said...

yes, i made this cake last year and i'm making it again this year, by request. however, last year i made the mistake of decorating it and THEN refrigerating it which made the blueberries and raspberries run juices onto the white frosting

marta said...

to die for. absolutely stunning.

Elizabeth said...

how is it that you do not weigh 500 pounds? This cake has more butter in it than i have used the last four months.

QueenScarlett said...

Oh Happy Day linked to you - thank you for posting. This was a hit at our 4th of July party.

sara said...

we make this cake every year too! but don't you find that you have about 3 gallons of frosting when you follow the recipe? i always half or quarter it, and end up with plenty.