American Flag Butter Cake

By draingal

Instead of using ready-to-spread buttercream frosting -- make your own -- it takes this cake to a whole other level! ;)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. blue food coloring
• 1 1/2 tsp. red food coloring
• 4 1/2 tbsp. strawberry jam
• 3 cups ready-to-spread buttercream frosting

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 - 9x3 inch round cake pans; line with parchment paper. Butter and flour parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
Combine sugar and butter in a bowl of a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Gradually add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating on low speed until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
Divide batter evenly among 3 bowls (about 3 cups each bowl). Stir blue food coloring into 1 bowl. Stir red food coloring in another bowl. Leave the remaining bowl white. Pour batter into prepared pans, and smooth top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; 23-25 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes; run a knife around the edges and remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
To assemble: split white cake layer and red cake layer in half horizontally; Spread a thin layer of jam on top of each half. Stack cake alternating red and white layers. Top with the blue layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake and serve.