Ina Garten’s Flag Cake

It was my mom’s birthday recently and she loves Ina Garten, so I decided to try out this cake recipe that I’ve been eyeing for a while. Ina’s original recipe is for a larger sheet pan, so I halved the recipe for it to fit into a 9x13 pan- and it turned out perfectly (perfectly for a non-cake maker)! I also added a little almond extract into the cake batter, which kind of makes the whole thing resemble the Whole Foods Chantilly Berry Cake- talk about a WIN!

Try this cake out- it’s delicious!

Ina’s original recipe here.

NOTE: I used a 9x13 glass pan, which isn’t ideal because glass retains heat and can dry out cakes more easily—so if you don’t have a metal pan, lower your oven temperature to 325°F and start checking for doneness earlier to avoid overbaking.

Ina Garten's Flag Cake (smaller version)

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Yield: 12

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Ingredients

Cake

• 9 tablespoons (1 stick + 1 Tbsp) butter (I used salted), at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter (I used salted), at room temperature
• 12 ounces cream cheese (1½ blocks), at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Decoration

• 1 half-pint blueberries
• 1½ half-pints raspberries (or just eyeball how much you need for stripes)

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x13" baking pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. With the mixer on medium-low, add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Scrape down the bowl and stir until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, ,mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until just combined. Stir the batter by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure it’s fully incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 28–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.
6. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla on medium speed until very smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to ensure it’s well blended.
7. Spread about ¾ of the frosting over the cooled cake. Use a toothpick to lightly outline a flag shape on the surface.
8. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries.
9. Make 2 rows of raspberries across the top to begin the “red” stripes.
10. Transfer the remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe 2 rows of white stripes beneath the raspberries.
11. Continue alternating 2 rows of raspberries and 2 rows of piped white frosting.

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