I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful, and extended holiday weekend. We were lucky enough to get 4 full days with the entire family home, and better yet, that means we only have 3 days of work/normal routine before the next weekend is upon us.
Our 4th of July celebrations change quite frequently based upon where we find ourselves in July. We like to set off fireworks in our driveway but many places have outlawed fireworks so bigger celebrations have dominated our last couple of years. Sometimes there is family, beaches, pools, or neighborhood block parties. I hope wherever you are this year, you are having fun, enjoying some sun, and thankful for the independence of our nation and the freedom that provides each one of us.
Despite changes in locations and celebrations, one thing that I can keep the same from year to year is our 4th of July dessert: the flag cake This recipe is not an uncommon one, but I have made it my own throughout the last few years, using a pound cake recipe handed down from my mom, and paying more and more attention to detail each time I make it. This year I ate way too much of it. Warning: there is nothing healthy about the pound cake...and it is totally addicting. It is quite a marvelous delivery system for strawberries and blueberries. My strawberries were huge this year, so the strips are a bit larger and fewer than normal, but the berries were delicious, and though presentation is important, at the end of the day, taste is what makes you lick the plate clean.
Pound Cake
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 pint whipping cream
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
Grease and flour 2 9x5 loaf pans. Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, flour, whipping cream, and vanilla. Bake at 300 degrees for 11/2 hours. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from and and cool completely.
Toppings
1 pint blueberries, sorted and rinsed
1 1/2 pints strawberries
12 ounces cool whip (extra creamy if desiring a real treat!)
Slice 1 cup of the strawberries; set aside. Halve remaining; set aside.* Slice pound cake into even slices and line the bottom of a 9x13 or similar size casserole dish with slices.** Top with sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries. Spread cool whip evenly over fruit and cake. Place remaining blueberries and strawberries in flag design.
Notes
* Try to use similar size strawberries so stripes are even in width. My package of strawberries was huge so I only had a few stripes this year. You can also slice the strawberries to create thinner stripes.
** You will have leftover pound cake. Everything is covered with cool whip, so the overall appearance is easy to create. However, the more even you can slice the slices, the easier it will be to cut and serve.
Flag Cake (printable recipe)