After multiple requests from my daughter, I decided to attempt a flag cake. Well, I learned a few things during the process. First, don’t take short cuts. I bought cheap cake mixes to make the red cake part (trying to save time and a bit of my sanity). It crumbled when I cut it and therefore I couldn’t make as many layers from each 8 inch round. Also, I should have chilled each layer of cake before slicing it to make clean cut layers. Perhaps making all the cake the evening before would have worked better. Second, the white chocolate chips for stars was a failure. The chips simply melted into the cake. While that added to the taste of the cake, it failed to give the appearance of stars in the blue section. In the end, it was festive. But no, I would not repeat this cake.

I wouldn’t call this project a complete bust. I had a ton of cake left over from all the trimmings. I decided to turn it into cake balls. For me, the best part of this project was that both of my kids got involved in it. It has been years since my son has wanted to “play” in the kitchen. To see both my son and daughter at the kitchen table rolling dough into tie dye bundles was a bigger treat for me than any sugary dessert. Fourth of July is a great opportunity for a bit of family time. Having both my kids in the kitchen with me made this the best Fourth of July that I can remember.