kid-friendly july 4th treat: flag cake

One of our favorite summertime traditions involves sweets (big surprise).

Every year for as long as I can remember, the kids and I have made a July 4^th flag cake. It’s simple. It’s sweet. And it’s so pretty, it’s hard to take.

It’s a 100% kid-friendly July 4th treat: the traditional flag cake.

All you need is a boxed cake mix, cool whip, strawberries, and blueberries, and you’re ready to rock and roll.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Traditional July 4^th Flag Cake:

Though there’s nothing magical or wild about this cake, kids love it.

And like any family tradition, they look forward to doing it each year. They love buying the supplies, baking the cake, and assembling the flag.

They love bringing it to parties or picnics, and they love eating it.

It’s super-easy, which I love. Perfect for parents who are trying to get it all done and make it look like they’re doing it in style.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Clean the berries & bake the cake.

Be sure to get the kids involved. Have them read the recipe and follow directions, or allow them to add ingredients, crack eggs, or scrape the pan.

2. Ice it with Cool-Whip. Because really? Cool Whip rocks.

We just like the way the whipped topping makes it taste more like a shortcake and less like a heavy, fruit-topped birthday cake.

3. Cut the strawberries in half.

4. Make your flag!

We usually do four lines of six blueberries in the upper left hand corner for the ‘stars’ and five rows of strawberries for the ‘stripes’.

Helpful Hint: use a toothpick to poke tiny holes where the fruit should go so that they stay in a straight line.

That’s it. Super-easy. Super-fun.

A sweet way of ringing in Independence Day, if you ask me.

How do you ring in the 4^th? What are your family’s Independence Day traditions?

originally published June 28, 2013

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