Ice Cream Flag Cake Recipes

AMERICAN FLAG ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Line a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
• Pulse the shortbread cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl and set aside. Add the freeze-dried strawberries to the food processor and pulse until finely ground. Remove 1/4 cup of the ground strawberries to a separate bowl and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the cookie crumbs for the topping. Add the rest of the cookie crumbs to the food processor along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the brown sugar and pulse to combine. With the processor running, drizzle in the butter and continue to process until the crumbs are coated and the mixture resembles wet sand. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon the jam over the crust and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze while you make the ice cream.
• Whip the cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 2 minutes. Decrease the speed to low. Add the sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the vanilla, then increase the speed to medium and beat until combined and the mixture has soft peaks.
• Pour the cream mixture over the jam and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Meanwhile, cut six strips of parchment paper that are each 3/4 inch wide by at least 13 inches long. Cut a 4-by-5-inch rectangle from parchment paper as well.
• Using the foil overhang, lift the cake out of the pan and place onto a cutting board with a long side facing you. Sprinkle the reserved shortbread crumbs to cover the ice cream layer completely in an even layer. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the confectioners' sugar over the shortbread crumbs in an even layer until the top is completely white.
• Place the 4-by-5-inch parchment rectangle on the top left-hand corner of the cake. Arrange the parchment strips in even intervals across the cake, starting 3/4 inch from the top and stopping 3/4 inch from the bottom. Using the fine-mesh sieve, dust the reserved ground strawberries in an even layer over top of the templates. Carefully remove all the parchment templates. Sprinkle the blue sprinkles over the blocked-off corner area in an even layer. Scatter the star candies on top of the blue sprinkles. Slice the cake into 12 equal pieces using a sharp knife to serve.

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.

FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the raspberry purée: In a medium saucepan, stir together the raspberries, sugar and salt. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until the berries start to break down, 5 to 6 minutes. Use a potato masher or large fork to smash the berries until they are soft and lumpy.
• Strain the purée over a large bowl, discarding the solids. (You should have about 1½ cups/360 milliliters of purée.) Stir in the vanilla extract, and let cool to room temperature.
• Make the cake: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the bowl well. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the cream gradually in a slow, steady stream, pausing for a moment if the milk begins to splash up.
• Continue to whip the mixture on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. Scoop about half of the whipped cream (about 3¼ cups) into the bowl with the raspberry purée, reserving the remaining half in the mixer bowl. Use a whisk to mix the raspberry mixture and cream just until combined. (It should still look thick, but also smooth and creamy. Do not overwhip.)
• Line a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, pressing it firmly into the base, corners and sides and leaving enough excess to wrap the surface of the cake later. Transfer ⅓ of the white whipped cream mixture to a disposable piping bag, or a zip-top bag with a ½-inch opening cut from a lower corner of the bag. (Working with a batch at a time keeps the cream from becoming overworked as you squeeze the bag.) Pipe back and forth to fill the base of the pan with an even layer of white cream. (Alternately, you could dollop the cream into the pan and spread into an even layer.) Arrange 8 saltines evenly on top of the cream, pressing gently to affix them. Pour or spoon ⅓ of the raspberry whipped cream mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Arrange 8 saltines evenly over the raspberry-cream cheese mixture, pressing gently into it.
• Repeat this process twice more, layering the white whipped cream, saltines, raspberry whipped cream and saltines again until the pan is full. The final layer or two may rise slightly above the top rim of the pan, which is O.K.! (If you can't fill your pan any more, and still have a little cream left, save it in the refrigerator to use as a topping for ice cream.)
• Use the excess plastic wrap to cover the top of the assembled cake. Transfer it to the fridge for 12 hours or overnight.
• Unwrap the top of the cake, then invert the pan onto a platter or serving dish. The cake should easily pop out of the loaf pan, but if it doesn't, you can use the plastic wrap to help to pull it away from the pan. Remove and discard the plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve. The cake slices well directly from the refrigerator, but for even cleaner, sharper slices, you can freeze the cake for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving. When ready to serve, pile raspberries and blueberries on top of the cake and dust with confectioners' sugar.

FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan with cake slices. Add the fruit juice to a saucepan and sprinkle the agar-agar over the juice; let soak for 15 minutes. Bring the juice to simmer and stir until the agar-agar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit until the juice starts to thicken. Stir 1 cup sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries into the slightly thickened juice. Pour the fruit and juice mixture over the pound cake slices and let sit until the juice has set.
• In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until foamy and peaks are just about to form. Beat in the honey until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the cake. Arrange the blueberries on the whipped cream for the stars of the flag. Place the strawberry halves on the whipped cream to resemble the stripes of a flag.