The Ina Garten flag cake is a classic patriotic dessert. 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.