Celebrate the 4th of July with single layer cake frosted with cream cheese frosting and lots of red and blue berries.
I used raspberries for the “red” but you can substitute strawberries if you like. In season blueberries are delicious throughout the batter and on top of the cake.
I also added lemon curd to the top of the cake before frosting it which complements the berries and adds a little suprise in the first bite. Although this is a small cake, it’s packed with flavor and sweetness.
This cake is dense so it’s easy to transport for a picnic or gathering. Just be sure to keep it cold until you cut it as the cream cheese frosting will get soft in the heat.
After baking, the cake will collapse in the middle leaving a small opening. I filled it with lemon curd which added a lot of flavor to the overall cake. This actually was a happy accident. If your cake doesn’t collapse, just cut out a small hole in the middle and fill it with your favorite topping. It’s a nice suprise when you cut into the cake. Bake. Share. Love.
4th of July Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup Land O Lake unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pipka’s Vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 6 raspberries and 8 blueberries for the cake and more for decorating the top of the cake.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8 inch spring form pan.Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper then butter the paper. Lightly dust the entire pan with flour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.
- In an stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk and beat until incorporated. Cut the raspberries in half and place in a small bowl with the blueberries.Toss gently with a dusting of flower. Carefully fold the berries into the cake batter. Fill the pan with the batter and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes. There may be an indentation in the middle of the cake. Don’t worry, you’ll fill that with lemon curd before you frost the cake. Once the cake is cool, remove the sides of the pan, invert the cake, remove the bottom of the pan and parchment paper, place right side up and cool completely before frosting.
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Land O Lake unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
- 1 small jar store bought lemon curd
- Beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add the lemon juice. Add more powdered sugar if needed to make a thick but soft frosting. Fill the indentation in the center of the cake with lemon curd, then spread a thin layer of lemon curd on the top of the cake. Frost the sides with cream cheese frosting, then the top, using a nice thick amount for the top of the cake. Decorate the cake with raspberries and blueberries, pressing them gently into the cake. Place the cake set in the fridge so the frosting will set and keep the berries in place.
Notes:
You can buy Lemon Curd at the grocery store or make your own with my Easy Lemon Curd recipe. I like to keep it on hand in the fridge since it so delicious and good on top of everything!
The cake will store well in the fridge. Leave it out at room temperature about 5 minutes before serving.
