I used to always make my Flag Cake recipe every 4th because it’s a tradition. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret…lately I’ve been cheating and making a semi-homemade version instead!
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After you’ve crossed state lines to buy the GOOD fireworks (shh, I won’t tell), threaded chicken onto countless skewers, and prepped your potato salad, you don’t have a lot of time left to make dessert for your Fourth of July party. Do you:
- A) Grab a clamshell container of sad, dry grocery store cupcakes with gobs of red, white, and blue frosting on top? Then watch your guests scrape off the frosting, gingerly take a bite, and discretely toss the rest?
- B) Skip the dessert because… Fruit Salad is kind of like a dessert, right?
- Or C) Break out the beaters and make a Flag Cake from scratch because is it even Fourth of July without it?
If your answer is C, I’m with you, friend, but life lately has been busy!
Instead, here are two easy options to make a shortcut flag your guests will absolutely adore:
- Make the frosting, not the cake. Use a yellow or white cake from a boxed mix, and make a homemade cream cheese frosting while it bakes. (I use the one in my original Flag Cake recipe). I find cake mixes are pretty great, but premade frostings are too cloying. Your guests will assume it’s 100% from scratch!
- No time for either? Pick up an undecorated sheet cake with vanilla frosting (Costco makes a GREAT one).
- Less-fuss slicing. Instead of slicing the strawberry thin and arranging them in fanned rows, cut them in half length-wise and line one up next to the other, uncut sides facing up.
Tips to Make It Shine
- Prep Ahead-ish. If you’re using the cake mix (or going the extra mile and doing it from scratch), you can bake the cake a day early. Frost and decorate just before serving to keep it fresh, though. (If you’re bringing this to a party, you can bring it frosted, but I still recommend adding the berries just before serving if at all possible.)
- Make Sure Your Berries Are DRY. Rinse the berries and gently pat them dry to keep them from making your frosting watery.
- Add Patriotic Sprinkles. Using a boxed mix? Add some red, white, and blue jimmies for a patriotic Funfetti cake.
- Get the Servings You Need. Bake the cake in a half sheet pan (a la my original Flag Cake) and you’ll get 24 servings out of this bad boy. Or get fewer, thicker slices in a 9×13 pan.