How to Make an American Flag Cake
 
 
Ingredients
  • 1-3 circular cake pans (I only have one, three would make things quicker)
  • 2 boxes of vanilla cake mix OR 1.5 of your favorite vanilla cake recipe (you need 3 layers of cake)
  • red gel food coloring
  • blue gel food coloring
  • black gel food coloring (optional)
  • knife
  • lid/bowl/cutter that's smaller in diameter than your cake pan
  • 2 containers of frosting OR enough homemade frosting to ice a large cake
  • sprinkles and decorations as desired
Instructions
  1. Prepare the batter for your cake according to the box or recipe directions. Evenly divide the batter into quarters. Use a scale if you have it or eyeball it if you don't. [Note: Even though you're only going to use 3 out of 4 layers make all 4. If you use all that batter to just make 3 layers I don't think the cakes will come out well.]
  2. Leave one quarter plain.
  3. Add ¼ teaspoon red food dye and 1-3 drops black dye to one quarter of the batter. Mix and check to see if it's a color you like. Adjust the color until you have your perfect balance.
  4. Add ¼ teaspoon blue food dye and 1-3 drops black dye to one quarter of the batter. Mix and check to see if it's a color you like. Adjust the color until you have your perfect balance.
  5. Do what you want with the last quarter. Maybe leave it to bake until last then if one of the other layers comes out crazy you can use this as a replacement.
  6. Bake the cakes according to the box or recipe directions.
  7. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool completely.
  8. Once cool, cut the red and white cakes in half lengthwise.
  9. Using a bowl, lid, or cutter cut out a circle from the middle of the red and white cakes. The hole would be about ⅔ the diameter of the cake. So if you use a 6" cake pan, cut a circle that's about 3.5-4" in diameter. Discard or set aside the outer rings, you won't need them. Set aside the small circles - you do need those. [Note: If you get confused about the cuts see the photo above in the main body of the post]
  10. Using that same bowl/lid/cutter cut a circle out of the middle of the blue layer. Set aside the inside circle. You don't need it.
  11. Place the large white layer on a plate or cake stand. Frost the top of that layer.
  12. Place the large red layer on top of the frosted white layer. Frost the top of the red layer.
  13. Put the blue donut ring layer on top of the red layer. Frost the top and inside of the blue ring.
  14. Put the white small circle layer inside the blue ring. Frost the top of the white circle.
  15. Put the red circle on top of the white circle. Cut off any excess red cake that is sticking above the blue layer.
  16. Roughly ice the whole cake. Don't worry if crumbs are in the icing.
  17. Put the cake in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. This is to chill the icing.
  18. Once the icing is slightly hardened, frost it again. This layer should be your pretty layer.
  19. Decorate the cake as you desire.
  20. Serve and watch your friends and family be amazed.
Recipe by Cooking is Messy at https://www.cookingismessy.com/2015/07/02/how-to-make-an-american-flag-cake/