Patriotic Bundt Cake
My Patriotic Bundt Cake is my first choice recipe when I need to make an eye-catching yet delicious dessert with a patriotic theme. The vibrant red, white, and blue swirls make it stand out, but despite its impressive appearance, this dessert is very simple to make and is ready in just 45 minutes.
This bundt cake is a must-try if you want an easy-to-make celebratory dessert. It’s perfect for making in advance, so you can enjoy the festivities instead of spending time in the kitchen. When I host my annual Independence Day pool party, rest assured that I will serve this cake, my famous deviled egg potato salad, and shrimp salad. These are barbecue staples that all my friends and family love.
Table of contents
Guys, I have always loved to host parties and have people over, but that requires a lot of preparation and cooking. That’s why I always have a few effortless recipes under my belt that I can make in advance. This red, white, and blue cake is a breeze to make. Layering the colors in the bundt pan is simple, creating a marble effect that never fails to impress. The cake is sweet, light, and tender, with a simple vanilla glaze and many sprinkles.
Why you will love this recipe
- Because it is festive: My red, white, and blue cake is the star of the show no matter what I serve. It is so bright and colorful.
- Not just for Independence Day: There are plenty of patriotic days to enjoy this cake all year long, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Don’t forget election day!
- It tastes excellent: My homemade bundt cake recipe is heavenly. It has a tender crumb and is moist and buttery.
- It freezes well: Even if there are leftovers (there usually aren’t), I can freeze them for up to three months. Then, I just thaw them out in the fridge, and they taste as moist and delicious as ever.
What you will need
For the bundt cake:
- Dry ingredients: I use all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder, which helps the cake rise into a light and fluffy texture without any acid.
- Wet ingredients: White granulated sugar, room temperature butter for a rich and fluffy texture, whole milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Gel food coloring: I use red and blue gel food coloring instead of liquid because it is bolder, so I don’t have to use as much.
For the glaze:
- Powdered sugar: I highly recommend powdered sugar because it dissolves quickly for a smooth, sweet, and velvety texture.
- Whole milk: This is for the extra flavor and richness due to the added fat.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract rather than artificial extract to add flavor without a bitter aftertaste.
How to make
Preheat and prep: First, I preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and then grease and flour my bundt pan. If I use a silicone bundt pan, I also get a baking sheet pan to put it on.
Mix the dry ingredients: While I wait for the oven to heat, I mix the flour, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients: In my stand mixer, I beat the butter and sugar together, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. I add the eggs one at a time with the mixer on medium speed. Changing the speed to low, I add the vanilla and milk before putting the speed back on medium to mix well.
Combine: Finally, I slowly add the flour mixture a little at a time with the mixer on low, stopping to scrape the sides once.
Color the batter: Next, I divide the batter into three bowls and stir red food coloring into one and blue into another.
Bake the cake: I add the batter into the pan, starting with blue and ending with red. Then, it goes into the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cake: Afterward, I place the cake (in the pan) on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before gently loosening it and turning it onto the wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Make the glaze: I mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Then, I divide the mixture into three bowls and stir blue and red food coloring into one.
Decorate the cake: I drizzle the different colors over the cake and let it settle before serving.
Expert tip
How to keep a bundt cake from sticking
The most important step is to grease the pan thoroughly. No matter what pan I use, I always use non-stick baking spray or vegetable oil to coat it thoroughly. Butter or shortening are also good choices. Sometimes, if my pan has detailed corners or edges, I also use a silicone pastry brush. I also dust it with flour to help keep it from sticking. Then, I shake off the excess.
Using a non-stick pan is also important. Silicone bundt pans are nice choices. They are easy to use and make it simple to get the cake out because they slide right out. Be sure to let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes to let it harden up and start pulling away from the sides. Then, turn it over and gently tap the pan to loosen it. If it still won’t release, give it some help with a butter knife along the sides. Last resort: put it back in the cooling oven to soften it for a few minutes.
More tips to consider
- Don’t overbake the cake. Check it early. Just in case, I start checking mine at 25 minutes.
- I highly recommend gel food coloring instead of liquid. You only need a few drops because gel food coloring is so vivid, and it does not add any liquid to the recipe.
- If the glaze is too thick, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- To make the cake more colorful, pour ½ cup of each color, alternating one at a time. Do not stir them, as the colors will overlap and get muddy.
- If you use a silicone bundt pan, put it on a baking sheet for easier handling and support.
- Gently tap the cake pan on the counter before transferring it to the oven. This removes air bubbles and settles the batter for uniform baking.
- In a hurry? Use your favorite box of white cake mix and save a lot of prep time! But add the extra vanilla for flavor, and don’t forget to use my vanilla glaze, too.
Recipe variations and add-ins:
- Add fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, and white grapes to match the colors on the top of the cake. Place them randomly wherever you like.
- Fireworks: To add fireworks, place red, white, and blue rock candy sticks in the middle of the cake. It looks just like fireworks exploding from the cake!
- Different frosting: Instead of the glaze, frost the cake in my thick, rich cream cheese frosting. It can also be dyed red and blue for decoration.
- Other colors: For other holidays, the colors can be changed to red and white for Valentine’s Day or Green for St. Patrick’s Day. The cake will still have the same delicious flavor.
- Add sprinkles: To make this cake more festive, I like to add red, white, and blue sprinkles on top.
Serving suggestions:
This is the perfect cake to serve for an Independence Day celebration, as well as for Memorial Day and Labor Day. These are the holidays when I pull out the grill and cook some steaks, homemade lamb burgers, and my favorite grilled shrimp skewers. I usually have other patriotic dishes like my red, white, and blue cheesecake salad, which is easy to make in a few minutes with seven ingredients.
These patriotic stuffed strawberries are an even easier dessert. They look so fancy and elegant, but they only take me 15 minutes to make with five ingredients. Looking for a deliciously crisp and light summer cocktail to serve? My lemonade vodka club soda is the perfect balance of citrus and fruit.
How to store leftovers:
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to five days.
- Freezing: Leftovers can be frozen for up to three months in a freezer-safe container.
- Defrost: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
This often happens if the outer edges of the cake bake and set faster than the center, causing the center to rise higher than the rest of the cake. Uneven heat distribution is sometimes caused by an oven cooking at too high a temperature. Check your oven’s cooking temperature with an oven thermometer. Metal pans, as can pans that are too small or deep for the amount of batter being used, can also cause this to happen.
If the cake has a domed bottom, the easiest way to fix it is to trim the excess off. Since this is the bottom of the cake, it will not be as noticeable as if it were the top. Use a serrated knife to even the bottom before removing the cake from the pan. Another way to fix it (if the dome is small) is to flip it upside down while it is still hot and see if the weight of the cake levels it out.
This often happens if too much flour is added. Be sure to use the proper measuring technique. Do not scoop flour out with a measuring cup. Use the spoon and level measuring method. First, sift the flour three times. Then, use a teaspoon to place the flour gently into the measuring cup before leveling it with the back of a butter knife.
This usually happens if the cake is undercooked. Be sure to check it with a toothpick before removing it. If there is wet batter on it, let it cook longer. Also, if the oven door is opened too early or too often, it can cause the cake to fall while it is still cooking. It can also happen if the oven is too hot, the cake rises too quickly, and it sinks as it cools. To prevent this, put the cake into the oven when properly preheated and let it cook until the time is up before checking it.
More red, white, and blue-themed recipes:
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Patriotic Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5-8 drops red gel food color
- 5-8 drops blue gel food color
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 6-8 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5-8 drops red gel food color
- 5-8 drops blue gel food color
- 2 tablespoons red, white and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour a silicone or regular bundt pan. If using a silicone bundt cake, place it on top of a baking sheet pan.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine.
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat together granulated sugar and butter, stopping once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until well blended.
- Change the speed to low, add the milk and vanilla extract, increase the speed back to medium, and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture little by little and beat until smooth. Stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Divide the batter into three bowls and stir in gel food color with a spatula until well combined: one bowl should contain red batter, one should contain blue, and one should remain white.
- Pour the colored batter into the prepared pan, starting with blue, followed by white, and finishing with red.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Gently loosen the cake from the pan and turn it onto a wire rack; cool completely before icing.
Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. If the glaze is too thick, gradually add more milk until it reaches the desired consistency. The glaze should be thick enough to hold its "drip" on the cake while still being pourable.
- Divide the glaze into three bowls. Add gel food coloring to two of the bowls: one blue and one red, while keeping the third bowl white. Stir the colors to combine them.
- Drizzle different colors of glaze over the cake and immediately top with sprinkles.
- Let the glaze completely settle. Slice and serve the cake.
Video
Notes
How to keep a bundt cake from sticking
The most important step is to grease the pan thoroughly. No matter what pan I use, I always use non-stick baking spray or vegetable oil to coat it thoroughly. Butter or shortening are also good choices. Sometimes, if my pan has detailed corners or edges, I also use a silicone pastry brush. I also dust it with flour to help keep it from sticking. Then, I shake off the excess. Using a non-stick pan is also important. Silicone bundt pans are nice choices. They are easy to use and make it simple to get the cake out because they slide right out. Be sure to let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes to let it harden up and start pulling away from the sides. Then, turn it over and gently tap the pan to loosen it. If it still won’t release, give it some help with a butter knife along the sides. Last resort: put it back in the cooling oven to soften it for a few minutes.More tips to consider
- Don’t overbake the cake. Check it early. Just in case, I start checking mine at 25 minutes.
- I highly recommend gel food coloring instead of liquid. You only need a few drops because gel food coloring is so vivid, and it does not add any liquid to the recipe.
- If the glaze is too thick, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- To make the cake more colorful, pour ½ cup of each color, alternating one at a time. Do not stir them, as the colors will overlap and get muddy.
- If you use a silicone bundt pan, put it on a baking sheet for easier handling and support.
- Gently tap the cake pan on the counter before transferring it to the oven. This removes air bubbles and settles the batter for uniform baking.
- In a hurry? Use your favorite box of white cake mix and save a lot of prep time! But add the extra vanilla for flavor, and don’t forget to use my vanilla glaze, too.