Red, White, and Blue Cake

This is red white and blue cake has a layer of cheesecake in the middle of it! It has the two classics of cake and cheesecake combined into one big Patriotic Cake for Memorial Day or the 4th of July. Your guests will be impressed when you show up with this at a Pot Luck or Barbeque this Summer.

Whenever I attempt to use food coloring in baked goods, my colors are off it always seems. The red in this cake doesn't look like the red does on the American flag and the blue doesn't look as bright. I kept on adding more coloring to the cake batter to see if that would help, but it really didn't. What is the trick in food coloring to getting the darker colors?

The major key to making cakes and cheesecakes is to have all the dairy products be at room temperature before mixing them. Even the eggs. You will need 3 9 in round pans to make this cake. The recipe seems like a lot of steps but you will feel amazing once it is finished and it will look gorgeous on the table.

How to make a Red, White, and Blue Cake 

To print the full recipe please see the recipe card below. 

For the Cheesecake Layer 

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment, then spray again.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and eggs together until smooth. Beat in sour cream and heavy cream. Blend in salt and vanilla With the mixer on low speed. Mix well and pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch springform pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the center is almost set (filling will be soft). Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before removing from pan. 

For the Cake Layers: 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into 9 in round pans.

Divide  the cake batter into 2 separate bowls. Dye one with red gel and the other with blue. Pour into 2 9 in round pans. 

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add salt, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add an additional tablespoon of milk if you'd like the frosting to be more creamy.

To assemble the cake: Place the red cake layer on a cake plate and spread a small amount of frosting on top. Remove the cheesecake from the pan and place the cheesecake layer on top of the red layer (be sure to measure it and make sure that it fits on top... you may need to place it on a cutting board and shave off some of the edge with a sharp knife to match the size of the cake layer). 

Spread frosting on top of the cheesecake layer. Add the blue layer on top. Scoop some frosting on top of the blue layer and cover the entire cake in a VERY THIN LAYER of frosting (you're just doing a "crumb coat.") Then place the cake in the freezer for a few minutes, just until the cake and frosting are a little bit firm. Then add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake, spread across the top evenly and down the sides. Sprinkle festive sprinkles on top, if desired. The cake should be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Other Recipes to Try 

25 Slow Cooker Recipes for Dinner 

Maple Bacon Corn Bread Muffins 

Knock you Naked Brownies 

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash 

Baked Buffalo Chicken Taquitos 

Sour Cream Noodle Bake 

If you’ve tried this Red, White, and Blue Cake or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. Snap a picture and upload it to Pinterest.

Hope everyone has a fun Memorial Day weekend.

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