With Fourth of July coming up, I wanted to do a patriotic cake. This is the result. Below are instructions for putting it together.
What you need to bake:
Red Velvet Cake- 1 (8 inch) and 1 (6 inch) tier
White Cake- 1 (8 inch) tier
Blue Velvet Cake- 1 (8 inch) tier. For a Blue Velvet Cake Recipe, click here.
1. You will torte (basically cut in half lengthwise) all of these cakes EXCEPT THE VELVET BLUE CAKE, so 3 tiers total. For detailed instructions on how to torte and level cakes, see Crumb Coat/Fondant Video Tutorial Part 1.
2. You will need to cut out a 4 inch circle as a guide, place it on one of the 6 inch red velvet cake layers, and cut the cake down to a 4 inch circle
3. You will follow step #2 for 1 of the white cake layers.
4. You will follow step #2 for the velvet blue cake tier (remember that we did not torte this tier) except instead of pulling away the outer ring, you will pull out the middle circle so it is a hollow ring.
5. At this point you should have: 2 (8 inch) and 1 (4 inch) red velvet cake layers, 1 (8 inch) and 1 (4 inch) white cake layer, and 1 hollow (8 inch) blue velvet cake layer that is twice the thickness of the other layers.
6. Place an 8 inch red velvet layer on your plate. Frost the top of the layer, place an 8 inch white cake layer on top, frost that, place a red velvet layer on top of that and frost the top.
7. Place the Blue cake layer on top of the cake. Then frost the 4 inch white cake layer and lower it into the middle of the blue velvet layer.
8. Lower the 4 inch red velvet layer onto the top of the white layer in the blue velvet circle.
9. Crumb coat the cake. For detailed directions on crumb coating a cake, see the Crumb Coat/Fondant Video Tutorial Part 2. Then Frost the cake.
Extra tips: chilling the layers will help prevent messy crumbs and hold the whole thing together better. You might also want to coat the inside of the hollowed out blue velvet circle layer to better hold the inner stripe layers to the outer blue cake after its cut.
For tips on cutting this cake to preserve the look of the layers, see my Cake Cutting Tips article.
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Love, love this cake, will make it for the 4th.
Great! Glad to hear that you’ll try it. Remember to chill it so it all holds together well.
Absolutely Wonderful, thank you so much for sharing your instructions and making it easy to understand!
Happy 4th of July to you and most of all, Thank You, Kathryn, for being Patriotic!
You are very welcome! Happy 4th of July!
Oh I have to try this. Just too marvelous.
Brilliant. If someone had just shown me a picture of the piece I would never have been able to solve that puzzle and figure out how to do it. Your directions make me think I could actually do it myself.
I discovered your site a few weeks ago and absolutely LOVE it! Your directions are wonderful to follow. You’re inspiring me to keep trying new things in the cake world. Keep it coming. I’m a big fan!!!
Thanks! I appreciate it!
Oh, I’m so doing this one! You rock, sistah!
Wow! you rock!!! Thanks so much for sharing
love, Love, LOVE this cake! Trying this weekend for the 4th of July family picinic! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Thanks for the easy instruction and great idea.
I’m so glad you like it! Please let me now how it turns out for you!
HELP???? My red velvet cake keeps falling apart. What can I do????? Thanks by the way. LOL!
Been there before! Freeze it! Most recipes freeze very well, and if things are falling apart, wrap it tightly with saran wrap so it holds its shape and freeze it. Then finish putting it together. As the temperature lowers, the rest of the cake should hold it up pretty well, but I would keep it chilled until served. I hope this helps! What recipe did you use?
I’m using just a dunkin hines box receipe. I can’t seem to get it out of the pan. Should I freeze it in the pan and then try to take it out? Frustrated!!! But I’ll keep trying.
Don’t freeze it in the pan. Run a knife around the edge and if it falls apart coming out, then try to piece it together, then wrap it and let it freeze. In the future, after you grease the pan, you can dust it with flour to help it come out clean. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper. (Sorry, I know this information is a little too late for you but hopefully you’ll never have to deal with this again… it is SOOOO frustrating!) Once the cake is cold it’ll be much more workable.
Thanks!!! The 6 in came out ok, workable and I still have to make the rest of the layers so I will try the parchment paper. I did grease and flour the pans, not sure other than maybe I didn’t let it cool long enough. I really do absolutely LOVE this cake! If I hadn’t told so many people I was going to make it, then maybe……. LOL!!! Thanks for your help, you are now on my favorites tab!!!
Have any ideas for a princess castle cake??? Hee hee hee!
Oh good, I’m glad its working for you! I usually only wait 10 minutes for the cake to cool and then turn it out. Maybe try that. But parchment paper has never failed me! I’ll have to get back to you about a princess castle. I only have boys so I’ve never looked into it. Hahaha! Happy Fourth of July!
I saw the blue velvet recipe, but do you have a red velvet recipe? I am going to make this for my nephews Avenger birthday party. I am making a Captain America Sheild cake…and then it will be the flag when we slice it….too cool!
Wow wow wow! Stunning!!