American Flag Cake

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9x13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.

2. 2

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. 3

   In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and oil with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.

4. 4

   Beat in the egg whites one at a time until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and almond extract (if using).

5. 5

   On low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, starting and ending with the dry. Mix just until combined—don’t overmix.

6. 6

   Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

   35 min

Make the Frosting

1. 7

   In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and instant pudding mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (2–3 minutes). Do not overbeat.

   3 min

Assemble the Flag

1. 8

   Spread the whipped cream frosting evenly over the cooled cake.

2. 9

   In the top-left corner, arrange blueberries in a rectangle to represent the stars section.

3. 10

   Lay sliced strawberries in rows across the rest of the cake to form red stripes, leaving space between each row for the white frosting “stripes.”