Fluffy White (Flag) Cake with Buttercream, an adventure

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This is the Flag Cake to know and love! Simplify easily by using cake mix but my homemade buttercream is a must!

Fluffy White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
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We have a whole bunch of new readers here at Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, which is why Iโ€™m both thrilledโ€”and mortified!โ€”to welcome you with . . . cake. Thrilled because, well, youโ€™re here and cake is cake, and when a new friend comes over, a cake is just the ticket. Mortified because, well, youโ€™re here for Lebanese recipes, we all are, and thisโ€”this is not one!

I promise we have many (many!) more Lebanese recipes to come. But it has been pointed out to me more than once that my cookbook, and probably this blog, are nearly as much sweet as they are savory. This is not traditional Lebanese-style; itโ€™s traditional Maureen-style. Sometimes it seems I wrote the book just so I could enjoy the adventure of pastry and dessert recipe development, my own kind of fantasia (I’m not called Sugar Shoes for nothing).

Family cake decorating tools!
Abood generations

I must have missed all of that recipe testing, for all of the recipes that work and even those that donโ€™t, because I put myself back at it recently with cake. And not just any cake. A wedding cake. One Iโ€™m baking, filling, crumb-coating, decorating, stacking in tiers and delivering to a wedding reception as though Iโ€™m a pastry chef or something.

My thing for cake extends far back, and I will say I my urge for cake decorating is as much a family legacy as the koosa-stuffing or the grape leaf-rolling. My grandmother Abowd baked and decorated cakes the way she did everything (and she did do everything, same as my mother): like a pro. I keep Aliceโ€™s cake decorating kit always at-hand as good karma, if not for actual use. I pulled it out when I baked my sister’s high school graduation cake, and then when got all over these gorgeous cookies a few years back, but that clearly was just prep for the wedding cake crazy bake-off Iโ€™m into right now.

Wedding cake cookies

Dan and I both have a thing for cake, so much so that our wedding cake was waaaay oversized, far bigger than what we needed. But wedding cakes arenโ€™t really about need to begin with, are they? I loved that thing as much as my own gown, and the whole family must have been acutely aware, because this past week when Dan and I celebrated our first anniversary, he and Steven gifted me with a replica of the top tier of the cake! Oh! No better gift than cake, especially this beauty.

Maureen's wedding cake
Cake top, Maureen Abood
Ladybug
Cake top anniversary, Maureen Abood

And what good timing, because Iโ€™ve been testing and retesting recipes for the wedding cake Iโ€™m baking for my adorable friend Kelsey, who is getting married, just like we did, in Harbor Springs this weekend.

I had no idea how near-impossible it is to bake a white cake from scratch that tastes great with a light and fluffy texture. You may find that ridiculous and if you do, I beg you to send me your recipe. Iโ€™ve baked every kind of white cake and asked every person on the planet I know who bakes cakes, wedding and otherwise, about their cake and their buttercream and anything else theyโ€™ll tell me. Seriously, it comes up in the grocery checkout line, pumping gas, etc.

Last year when our own wedding cake was being made, I took a little trip over to Cheboygan the day before the wedding (cray cray bride) to watch them put it all together at Bella e Dolce, the northโ€™s finest cake bakery. Those consummate pros were gracious, letting me come in and take photos (and notes) to see how itโ€™s all done. I didnโ€™t know Iโ€™d bake a wedding cake a year later, but I must have hoped I would get to do this somewhere along the line, for the study I made of it.

Bella e dolce 2

Before you get scared that Iโ€™m going to give you a useless wedding cake recipe here, not to worry. As Dan said when I finally landed on a fluffy white cake rather than the dense bricks Iโ€™d been churning out: this is just a real good one to have going forward.

For birthdays. For Christmas. For Fourth of July. Because who doesnโ€™t want a nice slice of flag cake after you down a couple of hot dogs in the backyard, as long as you’re indulging? Our people really do, because the big oleโ€™ flag cake we bake every year is gone with the wind before the parade is done. But up until this year, I was totally unsatisfied with my white cake recipe.

Dans birthday cake

Youโ€™d think I would just cave and use the boxed white cake mix that puts out an unnaturally good fluff of a cake. I was shocked when a baker downstate told me she uses a box when I asked after she made a glorious (and waaaay oversized, just how I like it) cake for Danโ€™s birthday back in December. And same with a few other bakers Iโ€™ve spoken with. But the pastry chef wanna-be in me wonโ€™t let me do it. Even when I was on my third test cake of the week last week and was back at the grocery store for more cake flour, and Dan came down the aisle with boxes of white cake mix saying โ€œhow โ€˜bout these honey?โ€โ€”I was tempted, but had to Just Say No.

Parade, Maureen Abood
Flag cake 2, Maureen Abood

So here: here is a fluffy white homemade cake you can count on. Use it for your flag cake this weekend or any other cake obsession you may have, with the buttercream that makes you happy (here, itโ€™s American-style, with no egg whites at all). Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to candids of this every 4th of July!

Flag cake with raspberries and blueberries
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5 from 2 votes

Flag Cake

This recipe is based on many, many Iโ€™ve triedโ€”but all roads seem to lead back to Cookโ€™s Illustrated white cake method. The cake is the lightest, fluffiest of its kind for a homemade cake, and the flavor is excellent. When time is short, simply use 3 boxed white cake mixes instead.

Ingredients 

For the cake:

  • 5 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 large whole egg, room temperature
  • 1 cup whole milk, room temperature, divided
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or pure lemon extract
  • 3 cups cake flour, sifted
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cut into 1/2 tablespoon pieces

For the Buttercream:

  • 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
  • 1 pound cream cheese, softened
  • 6 cups confectionersโ€™ sugar, sifted
  • 3-5 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla or lemon extract
  • pinch of salt

For decoration:

  • Blueberries, raspberries and/or red and blue sprinkles
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Instructions 

For the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Grease and flour one 18x13x1 1/2-inch pan (pan size can vary, just fill to about halfway up the sides of the pan, or less, and use batter in more than one pan if needed).
  • In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the egg whites, whole egg, 1/4 cup of the milk, and vanilla. Set this aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the dry ingredients until combined. Using the paddle attachment on low speed, add the butter one piece at a time until the mixture is a fine crumbly texture. Add the remaining milk and continue to mix on low for about five minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches, mixing on low until light and fluffy, another 3-5 minutes. Scrape and fold the batter.
  • Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Bake until the cake is spongy in the center when touched with the tip of your fingers, or until a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs when inserted in the center, about 30 minutes. Be very careful not to over bake! Start checking for doneness at 20 minutes.
  • If youโ€™re serving the cake from the pan, cool the cake in the pan on a rack. Otherwise, let the cake rest for 10 minutes, loosen the sides with a knife, then flip the cake out carefully onto the back of a sheet pan or other large surface for serving. Frost the cake when it is completely cool.

For the Buttercream:

  • In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, about 5minutes. Add the confectionersโ€™ sugar in several batches (to avoid a big poof when you turn on the mixer) and mix on low to incorporate. Add the vanilla or other flavoring and the salt, and then add a tablespoon of milk with each addition of confectionerโ€™s sugarโ€”but only enough milk to make the buttercream smooth; be careful not to add too much liquid. The buttercream should be thick and spreadable, but still holding its shape.
  • The buttercream can be made several days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
  • To decorate the cake, smooth a couple of cups of the buttercream over the top (and sides if itโ€™s turned out of the pan. Or not! Exposed sides are lovely too). Score the cake with a knife for the stars and stripes as a guide. Use a piping bag fitted with a flower tip, or simply fill a gallon-sized plastic ziplock bag with buttercream, and snip off the end. Pipe rosettes or simple large dots for the stars in the upper left corner, and top each with a blueberry. Make four double horizontal rows of raspberries for the strips, piping icing decoratively in between. Beautiful! Delicious!

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Maureen Abood
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15 Comments

  1. Jennifer says:

    Maureen,
    The best cake I have ever had is the recipe for Moist Yellow Cake from Toba Garrett’s book, The Well-Decorated Cake (tobagarrett.com). I have the book but the recipe can also be found here:
    https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/moist-yellow-cake-109358
    You must follow her method exactly because the key is the long mixing of the butter and sugar. The only change I ever make to this cake is substituting White Lily all-purpose flour for the cake flour.
    Just made another apple pie with your Mom’s Best Crust. Fabulous again. Thanks again.
    Jennifer

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Jennifer, can’t wait to try your yellow cake recipe! Thank you and so glad you enjoy my mom’s crust as much as we do!

  2. Amber @ cleanteam says:

    Lovely!

  3. Michele says:

    Maureen, I’ve been looking for a cake like this forever! It was fabulous. I made three layers one with strawberry puree, one white and one with blueberry puree for the fourth so the layers were red,white and blue! It was gorgeous and everyone loved it! I will use this recipe often & was quite surprised how fabulous a regular buttercream could be, I’d succumb to the idea that the best frosting was Swiss or Italian meringue!

    All the best- your wedding pictures are gorgeous!

    Michele

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      This is so great Michele! I love your red, white and blue layers!! And yes, agree that the basic, no-egg buttercream is as delicious as it is easy! Thank you for your kind words…

  4. Carol says:

    Hi Maureen! This recipe looks and sounds delicious. I’d like to adapt the cake recipe for a round layer cake…any ideas on how many layers I can make using 9-inch pans? And how many times must I multiply the Buttercream to fill and frost a layer cake? With all the dairy in the frosting, must the finished (decorated) cake be refrigerated? Or can it be stored at room temperature? Save that corner piece with the strawberry for me!

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Hi Carol–this will make 2 9-inch rounds perfectly! This should be plenty of buttercream to fill and frost the layer cake. You can store at room temperature for a day or two, but if it’s warm and humid, refrigerate. Just bring the cake to room temperature for a couple of hours before serving to soften the buttercream.

  5. Mimi says:

    Hi Maureen, this cake sounds delicious. I just noticed when I printed it that it “Serves 60”. I’m wondering if that could possibly be a mis-print. Can 5 large egg whites and 1 whole egg plus 3 cups of cake flour (plus other ingredients of course) possibly feed 60 people? Just wondering!

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Thank you! Depending on the size of your slice (and in this pan, they’re thinner, like sheet cake), it’ll make about 35 pieces–fixed above!

  6. Rebecca says:

    Hi Maureen- happy anniversary! Your wedding cake looks beautiful and I’m sure the one you make will be gorgeous!! Thanks for the cake recipe. I will try it. I’m surprised that it uses cold butter and the cut-in method. Have you seen other cakes made with this method? Xoxo

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Thank you Rebecca! The method really is surprising! It works great–let me know what you think!

  7. Leah says:

    Is it bad that the picture of those piping tools brought a tear to my eye? Just beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Danielle says:

    I didn’t know you got hitched last year–mabrouk Maureen! I actually did too, in late September. Your anecdotes always warm my heart, and I often come here simply for a boost of optimism. Keep smiling! And happy anniversary to you and Dan!!

  9. Rina says:

    Whenever I eat dessert I can’t help but think of you! You’re just a sweetie:)))) XOXO This is a must-have in my dessert repertoire!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!

  10. Janet Kalush Moore says:

    I will sink my teeth into a piece of that that this weekend. I will get my cake first….before the hot dog…..they say “Life is short, eat dessert first”, but my reason for getting it first is because there won’t be any left if I wait…..jus sayin.