Firecracker Cake

Show your patriotism with this Firecracker Cake! The red, white, and blue runs inside and out!! Great for Memorial Day, the 4th of July or any occasion you want to share a little American pride!

The school year is winding down which means, summer is oh so close!! Here in the Phoenix area, it sure feels like summer! With highs in the 90's with a few days creeping into the triple digits, I'm just going to call it summer .... we're close enough. Amiright?!

I love everything about summer ... okay, technically not the 120 degree heat, but I'll take the Arizona heat over shoveling snow in the winter any day! Needless to say, we're gearing up for an awesome #summer2016 in the Love Bakes Good Cakes house! Like many Americans, we look at Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial start of summer. If you can believe it, we're looking at summer only being about 2 weeks away, y'all!!

2 weeks!!

One thing I know we'll be sharing at our first summer cookout is this Firecracker Cake! It's an old recipe on my blog - actually, it was the 9th recipe I shared on Love Bakes Good Cakes - first published in April 2012! I found the original recipe on the Betty Crocker website and I remember wanting to make it immediately! This old post really needed some updated pictures, and it's about time I got around to re-doing some of those old posts! Don't you agree?! If you go back and look at my crappy pictures, you'll totally agree! :)

Even though I made a note in the recipe, I think it bears repeating in the actual post ... I personally prefer to use Wilton Icing Colors for this Firecracker Cake recipe. I used "Red - No Taste" and "Royal Blue". I think the Wilton Icing Colors are more vibrant, however, you may use any kind of food coloring you have it on hand. I use this bundt cake pan if you're in the market to buy one! :)

Since my birthday is on the 4th of July, this will probably be my birthday cake this year ... and yes, I'm kind of already thinking about a menu!! :D I will have to get myself some of these Sparkler Candles ... wouldn't that be a fun birthday cake for the 4th of July?! Of course, it would be super fun to celebratre America's birthday with those awesome sparkler candles too! Maybe it will become a new tradition?!

Firecracker Cake

by Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz.) white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix
Red food coloring (see note)
Blue food coloring (see note)
1 container (12 oz.) white frosting
Red, white and blue sprinkles, optional

Note:

I personally prefer to use Wilton Icing Colors. For this recipe, I used I "Red - No Taste" and "Royal Blue". I think the colors are more vibrant, however, you may use any kind of food coloring you have it on hand.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven according to cake mix directions. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan; set aside.

2. Make cake batter as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites. Pour 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl; stir in red food coloring until well mixed. Pour another cup of the batter into a separate bowl; stir in blue food color until well mixed.

3. Pour red cake batter into bottom of pan. Carefully pour the white batter over red batter in pan. Carefully pour blue batter over white batter. (The blue batter does not need to cover the white batter completely). When you add the batter to the pan, do not mix with a spoon. Just pour it in so the colors don't mix but rather, just rest on top of each other in the pan.

4. Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place cooling rack over cookie sheet. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack. Cool cake completely, about 30-45 minutes.

5. When cake is cool, divide the frosting evenly into 3 microwavable bowls. Microwave 1 bowl of frosting uncovered on HIGH a few seconds until smooth enough to drizzle over cake. With spoon, drizzle all of the 1st bowl of microwaved frosting all over the cake, back and forth around the cake in a striping pattern. Repeat microwaving second bowl of frosting until smooth. Stir in a few drops of the blue food coloring until well blended. Drizzle over cake, scattering back and forth. Repeat with remaining frosting and red food coloring, making sure red, white and blue can be seen on the cake. Sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles, if desired. Let cake stand at room temperature until frosting is set before serving.

Store loosely covered at room temperature.