I’ve never had a picnic. It’s something I’d like to try once, but I have mixed feelings over it. On one hand, it sounds so romantic. The perfect, sunny day with just a bit of a breeze. A big blanket and an expertly packed basket full of an array of food and all the necessary utensils. The people I love surrounding me. Perhaps a lake in the distance. A butterfly floating by us, as we sit comfortably on our blanket.
But then there’s what I fear is reality. A stray shower that pops out of nowhere, accompanied by gusty winds. A tattered blanket that’s not nearly big enough to protect me from the dirt and grass below. Not so tasty food on paper plates with plastic utensils. And the bugs. Oh the bugs. Bees, flies, the stereotypical ants, parading off with our food. Our bodies aching from sitting on the hard ground.
Maybe an indoor picnic would be more my speed! Air conditioning, no bugs (hopefully), a refrigerator and pantry steps away. Yeah, indoor picnic it is.
Regardless of it you want an indoor or outdoor picnic, you have to make this Flag Cake. Really, you have to! It’s one of the best things I’ve made in a long while. In fact I ate it two nights in a row – I honestly can’t remember the last time I did that. It’s a vanilla bean butter cake topped with vanilla bean frosting. Then to make the flag part of the cake, I used blueberries and on Mom’s genius suggestion Swedish Fish. The fish look so cute on the cake and both the fish and the berries add a pop of flavor. Your Fourth of July party needs this cake!
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Flag Cake #SundaySupper
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Yield: 24 servings
Ingredients
Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups almond milk
Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
3 – 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup blueberries
50 or more Swedish Fish
Instructions
Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13 inch pan and line the bottom only with parchment. Butter the parchment.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. I did this by hand, but a hand or stand mixer will work as well. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla bean paste. Alternately add flour mixture and almond milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. I did three installments of flour and two of milk.
Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth into an even layer and bake 40-50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan.
Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter using a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla bean paste, followed by the confectioners’ sugar, added one cup at a time. After 3 cups are added, taste the frosting to see if it is sweet enough. Spread frosting over cooled cake.
Use blueberries to create a large square/rectangle in the upper left corner of the cake. Use the Swedish Fish to create the stripes in the flag. Make the blueberry area as large as you like, and make as many stripes as thick as you like. The flag is your creation! Cover cake tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Additional cooling time is necessary
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Original article: Flag Cake #SundaySupper
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