The Ina Garten flag cake is a classic patriotic dessert, perfect for Memorial Day or Fourth of July. It’s easy to decorate red, white and blue with fresh summer berries and cream cheese frosting. Her recipe is meant to feed a crowd (20-24!), but I wanted a small batch size, and found the recipe easy to halve and even quarter. I share the conversion with gram measurements for the half size here, made in a casserole dish, the perfect potluck size.
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Ina Garten Flag Cake
Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Family Style
Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
4.5 oz (128 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (297 g) granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs (171 g), room temperature
1/2 cup (113 g) sour cream, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (205 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the Icing:
16 oz. (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 oz. (340 g) cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups (227 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
To Assemble:
6 oz. (170 g) fresh blueberries
12 oz. (340 g) fresh raspberries
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes on medium speed, until light and fluffy. On medium-low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir the batter with a rubber spatula and pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top and bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the icing is well mixed.
Spread three quarters of the icing on the cake. Using a toothpick, outline a flag on the cake. Fill in the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like the red stripes. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternately add 2 rows of raspberries and 2 rows of icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.
Watch the cake decorating how-to is in the video below.