American Flag 'Slice And Reveal' Cake Recipe
Prep Time:
2 hours, 25 minutes
Cook Time:
45 minutes
Servings:
16 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 5 large eggs
  • 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups whole buttermilk
  • Red and blue gel food coloring, as desired
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Spray and line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla until combined.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined between each addition.
  5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk, and mix to combine.
  6. Transfer about 3 cups of batter into each of two bowls.
  7. Mix blue color into one bowl, and red color into the other to reach your desired shade.
  8. Transfer the blue, red, and white batters into cake pans and spread evenly.
  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
  10. Cool slightly, then unmold onto a cooling rack and cool completely. (If you have time, chill until cold for easier slicing.)
  11. Once the cakes are cool, prepare the frosting. Beat butter and cream cheese to combine.
  12. Add half the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until uniform.
  13. Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed to combine, then increase the speed and beat until light and fluffy.
  14. Use a serrated knife to divide the white cake into three layers, and the red cake into two layers.
  15. Use a 4 ½ or 5-inch round cutter to cut out the center of one white cake layer, one red cake layer, and the blue layer. If you don’t have a cutter, trace a plate or bowl and use a knife to cut out the rounds.
  16. Transfer the outer ring of the red and white cakes to a bowl, along with the center of the blue cake.
  17. Transfer half of the frosting into a piping bag.
  18. Place a white cake layer onto a serving plate or cake board, and top it evenly with a thin layer of frosting.
  19. Top with a red cake layer and repeat.
  20. Top with the blue ring of cake, then place a round of red cake in the center.
  21. Top the red cake center with a thin layer of frosting, and top with the white cake round.
  22. Coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting as a crumb coat. Chill until firm.
  23. Crumble about half of the cake scraps in a bowl to create a coating and topping for the cake.
  24. Transfer about 1 ½ cups of frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
  25. Coat the sides of the cake with any remaining frosting, and press on cake crumbs to coat.
  26. Pipe rosettes around the border of the top of the cake.
  27. Pipe a border around the base of the cake and fill the center with the remaining crumbs.
  28. Add any desired toppers and serve or store in the refrigerator.