Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free American Flag Cake
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If you’re hosting a Fourth of July barbecue, Memorial Day cookout, Labor Day picnic, or summer family gathering, this cake is guaranteed to be the centerpiece of the dessert table. This Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free American Flag Cake has a light, moist, fluffy homemade vanilla cake topped with a rich dairy-free buttercream frosting and decorated with fresh blueberries and raspberries for a patriotic dessert. The best part? This cake is insanely easy with only 9 ingredients, uses 1 bowl, and the flag design looks impressive but only takes a few minutes to create! Plus, you can easily bake, cool, and freeze the cake for up to a month for an easy make-ahead dessert.
The Perfect Patriotic Sheet Cake for Summer
If you’re looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing festive dessert for summer, this American Flag Cake will be the winner. The fluffy, moist vanilla cake is topped with silky dairy-free buttercream, while the fresh blueberries and raspberries add bursts of juicy sweetness and vibrant color. Together, they create a dessert that’s both refreshing and indulgent making it perfect for warm summer days.
It’s festive, beautiful, and tastes just as amazing as it looks. Plus, even the non-food allergy people LOVE this cake! You can also skip the flag design altogether and scatter the berries over the top in whatever arrangement you like and it’ll look just as incredible.
Only 9 Ingredients You’ll Need:
The Super Easy Steps:
This cake only uses 9 ingredients, 1 mixing bowl, and 5 minutes of time to prep! It doesn’t get any easier than throwing all the dry ingredients in the bowl, whisk, then add all the wet ingredients and mix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake. BAM! You just made a delicious cake in a few minutes. Best part? This cake can easily be baked, cooled, and frozen for up to a month for an easy make-ahead cake.
Cupcakes: This recipe works great for making about 18 cupcakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes!
Tier Cake: You can also use two 8-inch round cake pans for a tiered cake. Bake for 24-28 minutes!
The Easy Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting:
If the cake wasn’t easy enough, the frosting is just as simple. You just cream the room temperature butter, then add the powdered sugar and mix. Then, add the dairy-free milk and vanilla and mix. BAM! Frosting made. Once the cake is completely cooled, spread 1/3 of the frosting over the top. Then, scoop the rest of the frosting into a piping bag or Ziploc bag. Attach your piping tip or cut the corner of your Ziploc bag. Start adding your blueberries, then space out your raspberries stripes and alternate frosting rows to make stripes! It’s the easiest and cutest festive cake that all ages LOVE!
When To Serve This Cake
This patriotic sheet cake is perfect for a Memorial Day cookout, Independence Day celebrations, Veterans Day, military homecomings, Labor Day picnic, and any summer gathering. However, this cake is phenomenal for any occasion. Just simply skip the flag design and scatter the berries over the top in whatever arrangement you like and it’ll look and taste just as incredible.
Make Ahead and Storage
Once the cake is decorated, it’s best enjoyed within 1 to 2 days for the freshest berries and best texture. I like to cover the cake with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.
For longer storage, bake the cake ahead of time, cool completely, cover in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and assembling. Enjoy!
More Sweets You’ll Love:
- Grandma Jean’s Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Redhead’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes
- Gluten-Free Funfetti Cupcakes
- Chewy Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies
- Gluten-Free Citrus Lemon Bars
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Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free American Flag Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake:
- 2 2/3 cup almond flour, super-fine
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 2/3 cup potato starch (not flour)
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cup dairy-free milk (we use almond, oat, or coconut-not canned)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 1 cup dairy-free butter (we use Earth Balance)
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp dairy-free milk (we use almond, oat, or coconut-not canned)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 12 oz fresh raspberries
- 6oz oz fresh blueberries
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and grease a 9×13 size pan and lightly dust with brown rice flour. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together well until combined.
- Next, add the wet ingredients and whisk until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Pour batter in the prepared baking dish and bake for 22 minutes. Check the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean from the middle or with just a few crumbs, remove the cake.
- Let the cake cool in its pan on a wire rack for a couple hours.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth on low-medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Stop the mixer, add the 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, then mix on the lowest setting so that the sugar doesn't jump out of the bowl. Once sugar is incorporated, move to a higher speed.
- Let it mix on high speed for about 2 minutes, then stop the mixer and add the vanilla and dairy-free milk. Mix again on high speed for about 1 minute.
- Frost the cake right away or refrigerate. Spread a 1/3 of the frosting evenly on the cooled cake. Scoop the rest of the frosting into a piping bag. I like to use a 1M frosting tip.
Decorating the Cake:
- Place blueberries in the top left corner of the cake. I do about 6 rows and 8 columns of fresh blueberries to make a rectangle shape.
- Carefully space your rows of raspberries and rows of frosting, so you don't run out of space with an odd layout of the stripes. I like to start with a row of raspberries at the top of the cake.
- Optional: pipe small stars in between the blueberries to make white stars.
Notes
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