Red, White, & Blue Layer Cake

close up of red white and blue layer cake with star sprinkles.

Red, White, & Blue Layer Cake

This red, white, and blue layer cake is the ultimate patriotic dessert for the 4th of July or Memorial Day! With 3 different colored cake layers and tons of red, white, and blue sprinkles it's sure to be a showstopper!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings slices

Calories 426kcal

Author Kyleigh Sage

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake Layers

1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 large egg whites room temperature
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
2 ½ cups cake flour substitute all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1-2 drops red food coloring
1-2 drops blue food coloring

Frosting

1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 drop purple food coloring optional
patriotic sprinkles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cake Layers

Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray three 6 inch layer cake pans with pan spray.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, sugar, egg whites, and vanilla together until combined.
Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
Separate the batter out into 3 equal bowls (about 2 cups of batter in each). To one bowl add 1-2 drops of blue food coloring, to another bowl add 1-2 drops of red food coloring, and leave the last bowl plain.
Pour each different color of the batter into a cake pan (they will only be about half full). Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Place a cooling rack on top of each cake pan and invert. The pan should slide cleanly away.
Let the cakes cool completely to room temperature before trimming.
Once the cakes are fully cooled. Using a sharp bread knife, trim the cakes until the layers are even. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer overnight to help the frosting spread on smoothly (minimum of 2 hours).

Frosting

In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
Add in the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Then beat the frosting on high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Optional: If the frosting has a yellow tinge, you can add a tiny drop of purple food coloring to help the frosting look bright white!

Assemble the Cake

Remove cake layers from the freezer. Place the blue layer of cake on your cake stand and spread about ¼ of the frosting on top in an even layer.
Then top with the white layer and repeat. Place the red cake layer upside down so that the top of your cake is as even as possible.
Spread a thin layer of buttercream (your crumb coat) over the top and sides of the cake. Then place the cake back in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.
If desired, set aside a small amount of buttercream in a piping bag to decorate the top of the cake (about ½ cup is plenty). Evenly smooth the rest of the buttercream on the top and sides of your cake as desired.
Use an open star piping tip to make little dollops of frosting along the top and bottom edges of the cake, then garnish with red, white, and blue sprinkles if desired!
Refrigerate the cake for 2-3 hours before slicing and serving.

Notes

Store the red white and blue layer cake in the fridge for up to 4 days. However, it will taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.

Nutrition