Make a Patriotic American Flag Cake

How to Make an American Flag Cake with Strawberries and Blueberries

This patriotic American flag cake is one of the best crowd-pleasing desserts for any summer celebration. This makes a full sheet cake! Too much? To make a 9×13 just cut the recipe in half. Made with a buttery vanilla sheet cake, thick cream cheese frosting, and fresh berries, it’s festive, flavorful, and easy to customize this sheet cake recipe for any occasion.

Serve it for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, or any backyard BBQ or potluck. You can even change up the design for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, or other holidays. You can also thy our easy no bake 4th of July Jell-o Cake

Why This Cake Is So Good

This vanilla sheet cake has the perfect texture—dense like a pound cake, buttery like a sugar cookie, and perfectly moist. It’s far better than any box mix and pairs beautifully with the lightly sweet, rich cream cheese frosting. The fresh strawberries and blueberries add just the right touch of natural sweetness and patriotic flair.

Serving Size

This half-sheet cake easily serves 24 people with 3-inch square pieces. Hosting a smaller gathering? Simply halve the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 baking dish. It still makes a great presentation and tastes just as amazing.

Cream Cheese Frosting

This frosting is a dreamy blend of cream cheese and butter, whipped until smooth and spreadable. It’s not overly sweet and balances the fruit perfectly. Want a whiter finish? Use clear vanilla extract instead of traditional dark vanilla.

American Flag Cake Decorating Tips

To create the flag, outline your design with a toothpick. Use blueberries in the top left corner for stars and rows of strawberry slices to create the red stripes. Use a star tip or round piping tip to pipe frosting in between for a polished look.

Tip: An angled spatula makes spreading frosting faster and cleaner. If you’re making this with kids, let them help place the berries—it’s a fun way to get them involved and makes for a great family activity. You can even add mini marshmallows or shredded coconut to mimic stars if you’re short on frosting tips.

Variations & Creative Ideas

• Make a heart shape with berries for Valentine’s Day
• Spell out a name in fruit slices for birthdays
• Use kiwi, raspberries, or mango for a tropical look
• Skip the flag design and make it a fruit pizza cake
• Try drizzling a white chocolate glaze for an elegant twist

Storage & Make-Ahead Tips

You can bake the cake a day ahead and store it covered at room temperature or in the fridge. For the best look and taste, frost and decorate just before serving. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 2 to 3 days for best texture. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake for up to a month—just wrap it well in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw overnight before decorating.

Recommended Tools

• Angled spatula for even frosting
• Star piping tip for decorating
• Half sheet pan for the full recipe
• Cake carrier to transport your finished dessert

Nutrition & Ingredient Swaps

• Replace some butter with Greek yogurt in the cake batter
• Use reduced-fat cream cheese in the frosting
• Top with extra fruit and less frosting for lower sugar
• Swap cane sugar with coconut sugar or monk fruit for a lower glycemic index

More Easy Recipes to Try

• Honey Lime Fruit Salad
• Best Baby Back Ribs
• Air Fryer Roasted Strawberries
• Easy Summer Pasta Salad

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The Best American Flag Sheet Cake Recipe

This is the BEST 4th of July dessert! Of course, it doesn't have to be a flag cake. Make this amazing sheet cake and cream cheese frosting for any other special occasion too!

5 / 5 ( 1 Review )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Serves: 24

Adjust Servings: 24

Ingredients

Cake:

• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 5 large eggs room temperature
• ¾ cup sour cream room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

• 21 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 pound cream cheese room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• fresh blueberries and sliced fresh strawberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter and flour an 18x13x1.5-inch sheet pan, or spray with a nonstick baking spray.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric or stand mixer on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, two at a time until incorporated. Then mix in the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir until smooth.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and cake is golden brown. Let the cake cool to room temperature.
• For the frosting, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread about 2/3 of the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Use a toothpick to outline the flag on the frosted cake.
• Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Use sliced or diced strawberries for the red stripes. Fill a pastry bag with a star tip with the remaining frosting and pipe the white stripes between the rows of strawberries. Pipe the stars between the blueberries.
• Cut into squares and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe Notes

Reduce cake ingredients by half to make it in a 9x13 pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Sodium: 189mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g

Recipe Adapted From: Ina Garten