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Jul 08, 2023

Fourth of July Cake Recipe

By Kemp Minifie 4.5 (46) Active Time 90 minutes Total Time 4 hours As much as we

By Kemp Minifie

4.5

(46)

Active Time

90 minutes

Total Time

4 hours

As much as we love a simple no-bake summer dessert (this easy cheesecake is a perpetual favorite), your Independence Day cookout requires a showstopper. Forget fireworks—this Fourth of July cake is the real spectacle.

In this patriotic layer cake, an alternating stack of red velvet and white cakes mimics the stripes of the American flag. Yes, you will need to make two separate batters, but both recipes are straightforward. The white cake recipe differs from a standard vanilla cake in that it uses only egg whites (not the yolks) for a brighter color. Flavored with vanilla extract and lemon zest, it's the perfect counterpoint to the rich red velvet cake. For the red velvet cake batter, it's important to use natural cocoa powder—avoid Dutch-process or extra-dark cocoa, which would dull the red color. Don't have time to bake cake from scratch? Swap in boxed cake mix. We won't tell.

No need to fuss over buttercream that’ll melt in the summer heat: Cover the cake with tangy cream cheese frosting, then garnish with a tumble of fresh berries—we like a mix of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries. From there, let your creativity run wild with the decorations: Shower on red and blue sprinkles or stick in some sparklers for extra flair.

Not quite the Fourth of July cake recipe you’re looking for? Check out our American flag cake decked with fruity stars and stripes, or this poke cake marked with vivid blueberry jello stripes. Find these and more, like Gourmet's classic strawberry shortcake and Elvis's favorite pound cake, in our roundup of Fourth of July desserts.

12 servings

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9" round cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with some additional flour, knocking out excess.

Resift cake flour together with cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using stand mixer) at medium-high speed until combined well, then add oil and beat until very pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and sour cream mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until batter is smooth.

Divide batter between pans (about 3 cups in each) and smooth tops. Rap pans on counter a couple of times to expel any air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pans, 25 to 30 minutes. Keep oven on.

Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pans. Invert layers onto racks and peel off parchment paper. Cool layers completely.

Butter one 9" round cake pan, then line bottom with parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pan with some additional flour, knocking out excess.

Resift cake flour together with baking soda and salt into a bowl. Whisk egg whites in another bowl with sour cream mixture until combined.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using stand mixer) at medium-high speed until combined well, then add oil and beat until very pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in zest and vanilla extract.

Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and sour cream mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is smooth. Transfer batter to pan and spread evenly. Rap pan on counter a couple of times to expel any air bubbles.

Bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from side of pan, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan. Invert layer onto rack and peel off parchment paper. Cool layer completely.

Do ahead: Cake layers can be made 1 day ahead and chilled or 1 week ahead and frozen. Wrap well in wax paper and then in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. No need to thaw before assembling cake (cake is easier to frost when layers are chilled or frozen), but allow plenty of time for cake to thaw and come to room temperature after frosting it.

Beat together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixture until creamy and smooth. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt.

Sift powdered sugar into a bowl and add to cream cheese mixture. Mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.

Brush loose crumbs from cake layers with a pastry brush.

Put a red velvet layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate or stand. Spread 1 cup of frosting over layer. Cover with white layer, bottom side up, and spread with another cup of frosting. Top with second red velvet layer, bottom side up.

Spread a thin layer of frosting around sides and over top of cake. (This is called crumb-coating. It tamps down any loose crumbs to keep them out of the top layer of frosting and fills in any crevices. This is particularly important with red velvet cake layers.) Chill or briefly freeze cake just until frosting is firm.

Spread sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Chill or briefly freeze cake just until frosting is firm.

Do ahead: Cake can be frosted 1 day ahead and kept in a cake keeper, chilled. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Toss together fruits in a bowl. Just before serving, top cake with about 1½ cups fruit. Serve remaining fruit on the side.Editor's note: This recipe was first printed on Epicurious in June 2011. Head this way for more of our best Fourth of July recipes →

How would you rate Red, White, and Berry Fourth of July Cake?

Leave a Review

I make this every year for Canada Day as it works perfectly for both countries. Love this cake, double it and make it a sheet cake to feed a crowd. It is delicious.

judithcanada537246

Toronto, Canada

7/3/2019

Absolutely loved this cake!!! Followed instructions to a T. Came out perfectly delicious and beautiful.

Debra817

Franklin Tn

7/5/2018

Delicious cake that got raves at my party. However, I agree with the other comments about its excessive oiliness and the crumbliness that made it difficult to move the layers. If I made it again, I'd play around with reducing the oil in the red velvet layers. The white lemon layer was especially good. I'd consider making the cake with three white layers instead.

Anonymous

Chevy Chase, MD

5/24/2018

I'm not even a red velvet fan, but I loved this, and so did everyone else at my party. Followed the directions completely: moist cake, nice flavor, great icing, all made beautiful with berries on top!

Anonymous

Pittsburgh, PA

7/4/2017

Having never baked a cake in my life, I'll admit that at times while making this I was thinking oh no, what have I gotten myself into. I followed the instructions to a T though and it turned out absolutely perfect. The velvet layers were not as red as the photo, but they still looked and tasted great. The white layer with the lemon was one of the best cakes I've ever tasted. Excellent and perfect instructions.

ddiml

PGH, PA

6/29/2017

And I forgot to mention that I left out the lemon. As much as I love lemon, it didn't seem right with the cocoa powder.

steingld1

Santa Monica, CA

7/5/2016

What a hit!! For a July 4th party, I only used strawberries and blueberries, and placed them geometrically around the cake (tart style). I did use almond extract instead of vanilla in the center layer. Also, I combined some of the frosting with blueberry jam so that there would be a purple-blue stripe in the middle of the cake. If you do this, don't over-frost the edges. Otherwise, the bluish frosting will mix disgustingly with the white frosting and cause a smurf fiasco!!

steingld1

Santa Monica, CA

7/5/2016

I made this for a July 4th party and it was quite pretty. It's definitely a show-stopper. I agree with the other reviewer who called it a calorie bomb. Certainly the cakes tasted delicious (I tried a few bites of the trimmings), but knowing just how much fat was in them, I couldn't bring myself to have a piece. Based on other reviewers' comments I decided to try the cream cheese marscapone frosting from the red velvet cupcake recipe instead of the frosting called for in the recipe. Again, the frosting was delicious, but incredibly rich. Also, the cupcake frosting recipe recommended by another reviewer was really not enough for this cake. Even after skimping on the frosting between the layers I didn't have enough to cover the outside of the cake with a thick layer. It was OK, but I could have used another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of frosting.

Anonymous

Boston, MA

7/4/2016

I usually complain about red velvet cake (it's ALWAYS dry), but this recipe impressed me! It is the best red velvet cake I've made to date. I followed others' suggestion and used the mascarpone frosting recipe from the Pastry Queen Christmas red velvet cupcakes. Beautiful presentation for 4th of July!

elizabeth_douth

Austin, TX

9/10/2015

This cake is an absolute winner. It has become my go to cake for feeding a large group. It is delicious and gorgeous,

RobinDiane

Toronto

11/6/2014

Sorry, i meant to give 4 forks!

kathleencahill

Chicago

7/7/2014

This cake is wonderful. It is beautiful to behold, and sumptuous to taste. The almond layer in the center is so delicious. I did make a different cream cheese frosting; using one that had mascarpone in it. It was perfect. I will make it every year for a star spangled finish to dinner.

kathleencahill

Chicago

7/7/2014

After seeing the picture, I decided to make the cake. I took it to my neighbor's 4th of July picnic in 2011, and 2012. They started asking for the cake on Memorial Day and I will make it again. The icing was just right and the berries looked just gorgeous atop the cake.

clairedelong

Easton, PA

6/28/2013

The red velvet portion of this cake was a real disappointment. This is the oiliest cake, very unappealing. Yes, it was light and tender, but just couldn't get past how oily my fingers were when I touched it, or the residual in the pan. The ration of 1 c oil plus 1/2 cup butter AND sour cream (vs buttermilk most recipes use) to only 2.5 cups SIFTED CAKE flour... As I learned in pastry school, if it doesn't mesh with your intuition and what your training has taught you, it probably is for a reason...lesson learned. I might try tweaking the recipe, not sure.

toobzymom2

Orange County

3/29/2013

This cake looks really good, i found similar cake at this site: http://www.feliksa-konditoreja.com/Tortes/Jogurta_Torte

elvispiks

Latvia

10/30/2012