Flag Cake

my version; less than perfect blueberries and lines aren't as straight, but it sure tasted good!

professional version

Ingredients

• Cake:
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 2 boxes (18.25 ounces each) white cake mix
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• Frosting:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• 2 boxes (1 pound each) confectioners' sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Decoration:
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried
• 3 cups fresh large raspberries, washed and dried

Directions

1. Cake: Heat oven to 350°. Coat two 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pans with nonstick cooking spray. Pour lemon juice into 4-cup measuring cup; add enough water to equal 22/3 cups.

2. In large bowl, beat cake mixes, egg whites, lemon zest, juice-water mixture and lemon extract to blend, about 3 minutes. Divide evenly between two prepared pans; smooth tops.

3. Bake at 350° until cake springs back when lightly touched, about 20 minutes. Let cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Place rack over each cake. Carefully invert cakes and racks and remove pans from cakes. Let cool to room temperature. If making ahead, wrap cooled layers in plastic wrap; refrigerate for several days. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

4. Frosting: Beat butter and shortening in large bowl 1 to 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar, milk and lemon juice. Continue beating on low until well blended and good spreading consistency, adding more milk a teaspoon at a time.

5. Decoration: Place one layer on serving tray. Reserve 1 cup frosting for piping. Frost layer with 1 cup frosting; top with second layer; frost top and sides. Place reserved frosting in pastry bag with a star tip.

6. Mark off a field for "stars" with toothpicks—6 inches across and 5 inches down. Fill in with blueberries.

7. Place seven red "stripes" of raspberries on cake as shown, leaving equal spacing for 6 white "stripes" between them. Carefully pipe white frosting "stripes" between the rows of raspberries. Refrigerate uncovered to set frosting, then loosely cover with nonstick aluminum foil. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

**I changed this a bit since I didn't have 15x10 pans by halving the recipe and using a 9x13 pan; just one layer. Instead of using a decorating bag, I put the frosting in a plastic sandwich bag, and it turned out okay. We loved this! The cake itself is light and fresh with the lemon and egg whites, and the frosting is sweet; a good balance.