Flag Cake
Make Flag Cake for celebrations: a thin honey-scented sheet cake with cream-cheese frosting, blueberries, and strawberries.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature (1 stick))
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (at room temperature)
- 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour*
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup milk (plus 2 tablespoons—any kind you like—I used 2%, at room temperature)
- 12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel, at room temperature)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2-3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare the Pan
Preheat the oven to 325°F and generously grease and lightly flour an 11×17-inch half-sheet pan or coat it with a flour-containing baking spray; set this prepared rectangular pan aside on the painted white pine surface. Keep a small rubber spatula or offset spatula ready for smoothing—we’ll use the same tool through the process. This step is about creating the correct vessel geometry and a lightly floured bed so the thin cake bakes evenly in that rectangular shape.
Step 2: Cream the Wet Ingredients
In a mixer or large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter until smooth, then add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the honey, then the eggs and vanilla until the mixture looks glossy and well combined; scrape the bowl as needed. Finish by beating in the Greek yogurt until the wet mixture is silky but slightly custardy in texture. This stage yields a pale, ribbon-like batter base with honey-tinted highlights and a light, aerated mouthfeel.
Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients and Build the Batter
Whisk together the white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a bowl, then add the dry mixture to the wet in thirds, alternating with the milk and mixing briefly after each addition to avoid overworking gluten—beat just until smooth. The final batter should be a smooth, pourable, pale tan mass with faint air bubbles and an even sheen. Spread the batter into the prepared half-sheet pan, smoothing it into a thin, uniform layer with the rubber spatula and wiping the rim clean. The pan with even, glossy cake batter is the key visual milestone here.
Step 4: Bake and Cool
Bake the thin-layer cake in the prepared rectangular pan until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, rotating the pan once halfway through for even color. Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely in the pan; the surface will contract slightly and show a tender, fine crumb when fully cooled. Cooling fully in the pan preserves the exact rectangular geometry we’ll carry through to the final presentation.
Step 5: Make the Frosting
Beat the room-temperature Neufchâtel (reduced-fat cream cheese), unsalted butter, powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, and vanilla together until the frosting is glossy, thick, and spreadable—silky with a controlled stiffness that still yields soft peaks under the spatula. Taste and adjust for sweetness and tang: this frosting should be bright white, creamy, and able to hold the weight of fresh fruit without sliding.
Step 6: Frost, Decorate, and Chill
Spread the smooth white cream-cheese frosting evenly across the cooled cake in the rectangular pan using the same rubber spatula, leaving a clean edge. Arrange fresh blueberries in a dense square in the top-left corner to form the blue “star” field, then lay sliced fresh strawberries in five horizontal rows to make the red stripes—each strawberry slice glossy, slightly heart-shaped, and closely overlapped for visual continuity. Refrigerate the finished flag cake until set and ready to serve.
Notes
- Cool the cake completely before frosting to prevent melting or sliding.
- Use room-temperature ingredients for smoother batter and frosting.
- Arrange berries close to serving time to maintain color and texture.
- To make ahead, bake layers unfrosted and freeze; frost after thawing.
- If using salted butter, reduce additional salt slightly in the batter.