Dessert: Glorious Red, White, and Blue Cake

Recipe by Kemp Minifie If you want a knockout ending to your July 4th feast, look no further. This three-layer red-and white-striped tall cake with its tumble of blue and red berries might just steal the show from the fireworks! Thankfully, it won't stea

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising (sift before measuring)
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa (such as Hershey's; not Dutch process or extra-dark cocoa)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 (1-ounce) bottle (2 tablespoons) red food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1/4 cup water

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 °F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of wax 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 wax paper. Cool layers completely.

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