Cupcake Flag Cake Recipes

CUPCAKE FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes. Cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add COOL WHIP; beat on low speed just until blended. Spread onto cupcakes.
• Arrange cupcakes on platter, in 4 rows of 6 cupcakes each. Place blueberries on tops of 6 cupcakes in top left corner of platter to resemble stars of an American flag as shown in photo.
• Place 2 strawberry pieces on top half of each of the remaining cupcakes. Sprinkle coconut onto bottom halves of strawberry-topped cupcakes to resemble the stripes on the flag.

FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
• For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.
• Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.
• I serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

ICE CREAM FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F; coat a 9-inch-round springform pan with cooking spray. Prepare the cake mix as directed, adding the cocoa powder and food coloring to the batter. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake until done, about 45 minutes.
• Let the cake cool, then remove from the pan; level the domed top with a serrated knife. Use a 5-inch circle of parchment paper as a guide to cut a circle from the center of the cake (you won't need the small circle). Freeze the large cake ring.
• Cut a 6-by-30-inch strip of parchment paper. Clean the springform pan, then butter it and line the side with the parchment as shown; the paper will extend above the rim of the pan so you can build a tall cake.
• Let 1 pint sorbet soften slightly at room temperature. Spread in the prepared pan, then lay a piece of plastic wrap on top and use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the sorbet into the pan in an even layer. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Let 1 pint vanilla ice cream soften; spread in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and press evenly with the measuring cup. Freeze until firm, then repeat to make 1 more layer each of sorbet and ice cream (4 layers total). Freeze until firm.
• Place the blue cake ring on top of the ice cream, pressing gently; return to the freezer while you prepare the next layer.
• Cut off the top 1 1/2 inches of the remaining sorbet carton; remove the carton and wrap the sorbet loosely in plastic wrap. Press into a 5-inch round, then place the flattened sorbet into the hole in the cake, smoothing as needed. Freeze until firm.
• Cut off the top 1 1/2 inches of the remaining ice cream carton (you won't need the bottom). Flatten as you did the sorbet; place on top of the raspberry layer. Repeat with the bottom section of sorbet. Freeze until firm.
• Beat the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Remove the springform ring and parchment collar from the cake. Cover the cake with the whipped cream. Freeze until ready to serve.

FLAG CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 18 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients except food color with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter between 2 bowls. Add red food color to 1 bowl to desired color of red; leave other bowl white.
• To make flag-striped cupcake, spread a spoonful of red batter and then a spoonful of white batter in paper baking cup; repeat, and then end by spreading red batter on top. Use up batter to make 18 cupcakes.
• Bake as directed on box for cupcakes; 2 to 3 minutes may need to be added to bake time. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• To make frosting, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, beat in 3 cups of the powdered sugar until sugar is incorporated with butter. With mixer on medium speed, add salt, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the milk; beat 3 minutes. If frosting needs more stiff consistency, beat in up to 1 cup powdered sugar. If frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Garnish with strawberry fans and blueberries. Store covered in refrigerator.

CANADIAN FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 11X17-inch baking pan with 1-inch high sides.
• Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat one egg at a time into the butter mixture; beat in sour cream and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk just until combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and finish mixing with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread to corners of pan and smooth top with a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes. To remove cake from pan, run a paring knife between cake and pan. Cover cake pan with plate or cooling rack; invert to transfer cake onto plate.
• Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly pour in cream. Once cream is incorporated, turn mixer speed to medium-high; beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over top and sides of cake, smoothing the top. Place 2 to 3 rows of overlapping strawberry slices parallel to short sides of cake for the two red stripes of the Canada flag. Trace out a maple leaf shape in center of cake with a toothpick; use points of strawberry slices to create points of maple leaf. Cut a strip of strawberry for the leaf stem; fill in the area of the maple leaf with sliced strawberries. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

FOURTH OF JULY CUPCAKE FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. With 1 box of cake mix, make batter as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about 2/3 full).
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. While 24 cupcakes are baking, make batter with remaining cake mix, water, oil and eggs. Repeat baking and cooling to make 24 more cupcakes.
• While cupcakes are cooling, tint 1 container frosting with blue food color; tint 1 1/2 containers frosting with red food color. Set both aside. Spoon remaining white frosting into decorating bag with large tip.
• On covered board or cutting board, arrange cooled cupcakes into rectangle. Mark off 12 cupcakes to be frosted blue. Pipe thick lines of white frosting onto remaining cupcakes; spread with spatula until smooth. Spoon blue frosting into separate decorating bag; pipe onto the 12 cupcakes and smooth. Carefully move blue section of cupcakes to join other portion of cupcakes.
• Into decorating bag with large star tip, spoon red frosting. Pipe stars in rows to make red stripes. Using smaller star tip, pipe white frosting stars onto blue frosting section.

JULY 4TH CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. (Cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.)
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
• Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
• With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.
• Decorating: Tint 1 cup buttercream bright blue with gel-paste food color. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (#4). Using an offset spatula, spread each cupcake with a smooth layer of untinted buttercream. (Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before decorating.)
• To finish, cut licorice laces into seventy-two 1 1/2-inch-long pieces and seventy-two 3/4-inch-long pieces. Arrange three longer pieces and three shorter pieces to form a flag pattern on each cupcake. With blue frosting, pipe nine dots in each open corner to form "stars."

4TH OF JULY FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Beat cold milk and instant pudding in a bowl until no lumps remain. Beat cream cheese in a separate bowl until creamy. Gradually add in milk-pudding mixture and mix until smooth. Mix in whipped topping.
• Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until crumbs are completely moistened. Spread into a 9x13-inch baking dish and push down to create an even crust.
• Set aside 45 blueberries and 60 raspberries for topping. Mix remaining blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries together in a bowl and pour on top of the graham cracker crust. Spread pudding mixture evenly over the berries, making the top as smooth as possible. Top with reserved blueberries and raspberries to make a flag design.