Flag cakes are iconic for a reason. We have always associated them with the Fourth of July and grew up with the recipe popularized by Ina Garten. They are simple to make, but decorated in a way that is perfect for every Fourth of July occasion. We make the classic flag cake, but our flag cake with vanilla sheet cake is topped with vanilla bean cream cheese icing on top. We then add blueberries for the stars and raspberries for the stripes. Happy Fourth!

Why You’ll Love This Flag Cake Recipe

Great for a group. This vanilla sheet cake serves 16, so it’s any easy way to feed a group of people at your Fourth of July BBQ, block party, or beach trip!
No piping needed. The “stars and stripes” design is done by placing fresh blueberries and raspberries on top of the iced cake.
Cream cheese icing. Our vanilla bean cream cheese is our favorite icing of all time. It just makes everything better.
A little nostalgic. With a touch of imitation vanilla and almond extract, this cake has a little bit of a nod to the boxed-cake flavor a lot of us grew up loving, but from scratch.
Make-ahead friendly. Bake the sheet cake a day in advance, then ice and decorate the morning of your holiday gathering. We don’t recommend keeping in the fridge as it will dry out.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Cake flour: This is what gives the sheet cake its soft, tender crumb. We are often asked if all-purpose flour can be substituted, but we do not recommend it as it won’t create the same crumb.

Coconut oil + butter: The combination keeps the cake moist, but it won’t give it a coconut flavor. We like this combination best, but if you cannot use coconut oil, other oils can be substituted.

Egg whites: Using only whites (rather than whole eggs) keeps this vanilla sheet cake light in color and fluffy.

Imitation vanilla + almond extract: Both are optional, but find this is what creates that nostalgic “birthday cake” flavor. Both can be left out

Flag Cake: Vanilla Sheet Cake

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 35

Cooling 1

Total Time 2 35

Servings 16

Ingredients

Vanilla cake:

4 cups cake flour 480 g
2 teaspoons baking powder 10 ml
1 teaspoon baking soda 5 ml
1 teaspoon salt 5 ml
170 g coconut oil room temperature
170 g butter room temperature 1.5 sticks
2 ½ cups granulated sugar 500 g
8 egg whites
2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract optional adds nostalgic box cake flavor
1 teaspoon almond extract optional adds almond flavor if you don’t enjoy this leave it out
2 cups buttermilk 480 ml

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 sticks butter 226 g or 1 cup
1 stick cream cheese 226 g or 8 ounces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Topping:

3 baskets raspberries
1/2 basket blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
In the base of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugar until pale, light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes on medium high speed. Scrape down the bowl halfway through
Creaming butter and sugar for Vanilla cupcakes
With the mixer still running, slower pour in the egg white and whip for 1-2 minutes until well combined
Add in the extracts and mix until well combined
Reduce the mixer speed to low and then add 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined then add ½ of the buttermilk and repeat the remaining flour and buttermilk, alternating. You should start and end with the dry
Place the batter into a greased, parchment lined cookie sheet. We used a 16 x 10” sheet pan but if you have a larger cookie sheet the layers will be slightly thinner and bake time likely slightly less.
Bake for ~35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Icing:

In the base of a kitchen aid or large bowl with a hand mixer, add softened butter and cream cheese
On medium high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy (around 2 minutes)
Add salt, almond extract, and vanilla. Whip until combined
On low speed, add the powder sugar 1 cup at a time
Once all the sugar has been added, turn up the mixture and whip on medium high until light and fluffy (around 2 minutes). Set aside

Assembly

Once the cake has cooling, spread the icing on top of the cake in an even layer
After spreading the icing, in the top left corner place the blueberries in an even square (our was about 3" x 3")
After adding on the blueberries, add the raspberries on top into even stripes (we used about 2 rows of raspberries per stripe)