Red, White and Blue Cake with Berries and Cream Filling

This fun red, white and blue cake is decorated with fresh berries and whipped cream, and filled with rich custard. It’s great for the Fourth of July or Memorial Day gatherings, and uses no artificial colors. This “from scratch” recipe works well with gluten free flour.

Fourth of July Parties and Summertime Catering

My summer job through most of high school and college was at the family catering business, Irene’s Custom Cakes & Catering. (Irene was my mom.)  My mom, my two sisters and I baked hundreds of cakes over the years, for everything from weddings to birthdays to baby showers. My sister, Mary, was the primary decorator, but we all knew our way around an icing tube and pitched in when needed. Summer holidays like the Fourth of July were some of our busiest times, as everyone else was on vacation and wanted good food to eat.

Some crazy stuff happened over the years. One time there was a minor accident on the way to deliver a wedding cake, and one of the cake layers ended up upside down on the sidewalk outside the reception hall just an hour before the party was set to begin. Luckily we had spare cakes in the freezer, and were able to get some thawed, decorated and to the hall in record time.

Another time the couple insisted on whipped cream instead of frosting for their wedding cake, and the wedding party was outside in the middle of summer. I wish I had known then what I know now about how to keep whipped cream looking nice on a cake, because by the time they were ready to serve the cake, the poor whipped cream was melting and didn’t look so good.

Both mom and Mary are gone now, but I always think of them when I do projects like this in the kitchen. Things got crazy at times back at the catering business, but we put out some beautiful food over the years and made a lot of people happy.

Red, White and Blue Cake with Cream Filling

The cake and filling can be prepped in advance. If there’s room in your fridge, the whole thing can be prepped the day before the event and kept refrigerated. The recipe is prepped in three parts – cake, filling, and stabilized whipped cream. Homemade vanilla extract works great in this recipe if you have it.

Cake Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups all-purpose flour*
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cup milk

Directions for cake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round pans.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and stir until blended. Set aside. In medium bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter and egg mixture, stirring after each addition, until all ingredients are added. You can do this in an electric mixer, too, I just like mixing some things by hand.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top, pulling slightly away from the edges of the pan and testing done with a toothpick. Invert onto wire rack to cool.

*Note:  I substituted Namaste Gluten Free Flour Blend with good results. That’s what’s pictured in these photos.

This cake is based on the “One Egg Cake” recipe from Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cookbook.

Cream Filling Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling Directions

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Temper the egg yolk by stirring at least half of the hot mixture into the egg yolk. Blend the egg yolk mix into the remaining mixture. Boil 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Blend in butter and vanilla. Cool, stirring occasionally.

Stabilized Whipped Cream Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (I prefer Vital Proteins Gelatin)
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a small pan, combine gelatin and cold water; let stand until thick.
Place over low heat, stirring constantly, just until the gelatin dissolves.
Remove from heat; cool. (Do not allow it to set.)
Whip the cream with the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, until slightly thick.
While slowly beating, add the gelatin to whipping cream.
Whip at high speed until stiff.

Makes about 4 cups of whipped cream.

Adapted from Food.com

To assemble the cake:

Brush off any loose crumbs from the cake. Place bottom layer on serving platter. Spread chilled custard on bottom layer, leaving about 1 inch clear around the edge of the cake.

Pipe stabilized whipped cream around the edge of the cake layer to contain the custard.

Note:  If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a plastic storage bag with a corner cut off for a substitute, but a pastry bag is easier. Also, to fill your pastry bag, it’s helpful to set it in a large glass or jar to hold it upright while you fill.

Place top layer on cake. Pipe whipped cream on to cover the top of cake and around bottom edge. If you have any whipped cream left, you can pipe extra around the center between the two layers. Arrange berries on top for decoration. I sliced some strawberries in half, and cut some into roses for the center of the cake.

The gelatin in the whipped cream will help this cake hold up for several days, but like most baked goods without preservatives, it’s best eaten in a day or two. If you’d like to see how to make the strawberry roses, you can watch the quick video below.

Red, White and Blue Cake with Fresh Berries and Cream Filling

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This fun red, white and blue cake is decorated with fresh berries and whipped cream, and filled with rich custard. It’s great for the Fourth of July or Memorial Day gatherings, and uses no artificial colors.

• Author: Laurie Neverman

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the cake

• 2 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups all-purpose flour*
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cup milk

For the filling

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the stabilized whipped cream

• 2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Fresh strawberries and blueberries

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Instructions

Directions for cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round pans.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and stir until blended. Set aside. In medium bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter and egg mixture, stirring after each addition, until all ingredients are added. You can do this in an electric mixer, too, I just like mixing some things by hand.
3. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top, pulling slightly away from the edges of the pan and testing done with a toothpick. Invert onto wire rack to cool.

Filling Directions

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.
2. Temper the egg yolk by stirring at least half of the hot mixture into the egg yolk. Blend the egg yolk mix into the remaining mixture.
3. Boil 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Blend in butter and vanilla. Cool, stirring occasionally.

For the whipped cream

1. In a small pan, combine gelatin and cold water; let stand until thick.
2. Place over low heat, stirring constantly, just until the gelatin dissolves.
3. Remove from heat; cool. (Do not allow it to set.)
4. Whip the cream with the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, until slightly thick.
5. While slowly beating, add the gelatin to whipping cream.
6. Whip at high speed until stiff.
7. Makes about 4 cups of whipped cream.

To assemble the cake

1. Brush off any loose crumbs from the cake. Place bottom layer on serving platter. Spread chilled custard on bottom layer, leaving about 1 inch clear around the edge of the cake.
2. Pipe stabilized whipped cream around the edge of the cake layer to contain the custard.
3. Note: If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a plastic storage bag with a corner cut off for a substitute, but a pastry bag is easier. Also, to fill your pastry bag, it’s helpful to set it in a large glass or jar to hold it upright while you fill.
4. Place top layer on cake. Pipe whipped on to cover the top of cake and around bottom edge. If you have any whipped cream left, you can pipe extra around the center between the two layers. Arrange berries on top in a for decoration. I sliced some strawberries in half, and cut some into roses for the center of the cake.

Notes

• I substituted Namaste Gluten Free Flour Blend with good results. That’s what’s pictured in these photos.

I hope you enjoy making memories in your kitchen, too. If the response I got when I shared photos of this cake online are any indication, you’ll draw “oohs” and “ahs” when you bring this beauty to a Fourth of July party or any gathering. If you like it, Pins and Shares are always much appreciated.

You may also enjoy:

• Easy Chocolate Brownies – So simple my kids can make them. The best brownie recipe I’ve found so far.
• Strawberry-raspberry pie with shortbread crust and whipped cream topping
• Summer Squash Gummy Candies sweetened with fruit juice – a great way to use up overgrown zucchini

Originally published in 2015, updated in 2018.