This cake feeds a crowd -- as much as 36 -- depending on how you cut it. It's pretty rich, so small pieces will be plenty. Inspired by Ina Garten, this cake is a crowd pleaser and not easy on the waistline. But hey. It's summer.
Flag Cake
FOR THE CAKE:
- 2-1/4 sticks Unsalted Butter
- 3 cups Sugar
- 6 whole Eggs
- 1 cup Sour Cream (Not Low Fat)
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
- 3 cups Flour, Sifted
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (Use 3/4 Teaspoon Regular Salt If Kosher Salt Is Not Available)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- _____
- FROSTING
- 1-1/2 pound Cream Cheese (3 - 8oz. Packages, Not Low Fat)
- 1 pound Unsalted Butter (4 Sticks)
- 1 pound Powdered Sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/2 pint Blackberries
- 2 pints Strawberries (Wash And Pat Dry)
Cake:
In a mixing bowl, mix unsalted butter and sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about a minute or so. Add eggs, two at a time. Mix after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, kosher salt and baking soda. Turn mixer to low and gradually add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture, one scoop at a time. Mix after every addition. Keep adding the flour mixture, mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
Grease and flour a 17 x 12 1/2-inch sheet cake pan. (Note: this recipe may be halved for a smaller pan.)
Pour the thick cake batter into the pan. (It’s much thicker than regular cake batters.) With a knife or offset spatula, spread the cake batter evenly over the pan.
Place the pan into a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Start checking at 20 minutes.
To make the cream cheese frosting, in a mixing bowl, add cream cheese and butter. Whip to combine. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides once during mixing.
Put about 1/2 the frosting on the cake. Mark off the area of the stars with a toothpick. (No need to be proportionately accurate; just guesstimate.) Prepare a gallon-size ziplock bag for the frosting. I cut an opening at the end and use it as a pastry bag. Fill the bag with frosting before snipping the opening.
In a mixing bowl, mix unsalted butter and sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about a minute or so. Add eggs, two at a time. Mix after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, kosher salt and baking soda. Turn mixer to low and gradually add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture, one scoop at a time. Mix after every addition. Keep adding the flour mixture, mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
Grease and flour a 17 x 12 1/2-inch sheet cake pan. (Note: this recipe may be halved for a smaller pan.)
Pour the thick cake batter into the pan. (It’s much thicker than regular cake batters.) With a knife or offset spatula, spread the cake batter evenly over the pan.
Place the pan into a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Start checking at 20 minutes.
To make the cream cheese frosting, in a mixing bowl, add cream cheese and butter. Whip to combine. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides once during mixing.
Put about 1/2 the frosting on the cake. Mark off the area of the stars with a toothpick. (No need to be proportionately accurate; just guesstimate.) Prepare a gallon-size ziplock bag for the frosting. I cut an opening at the end and use it as a pastry bag. Fill the bag with frosting before snipping the opening.
Gripping the folded-down end tightly under fingertips and start squeezing lines of frosting across the cake. Make rows of strawberries in between the lines. You can use whichever fruit you'd like. Blueberries in place of the blackberries; raspberries in place of the strawberries.
Fill the square in the corner with a nice layer of blackberries. With the star tip, squeeze little dollops of frosting all over the blueberries.
Variation: Simply frost the cake with all the icing and sprinkle strawberries and blackberries randomly and generously all over the cake.
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