Fourth of July Cake

Show your patriotism this Forth of July with this delicious looking layered cake.  Make your favorite recipe and dye the layers to create this star spangled cake! Use a whipped cream frosting and fresh berries to give it that refreshing touch you need on the hot summer days!

From: White Lily Flour and The J.M. Smucker Co.

Makes: 12 servings
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
3-1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 tsps. baking powder
1-1/2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1-1/4 cups all-vegetable shortening OR 1ø sticks all-vegetable shortening sticks
5 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tbl. red food coloring
1 tbl. blue food coloring
Garnish:
Fresh blueberries and strawberries, optional


Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting:
2 cups butter, softened
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 (13-oz.) jar marshmallow cream
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat three 8-inch round pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, cut to fit. Coat paper with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl. Add buttermilk and shortening. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg whites, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat an additional 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
3. Pour one-third (about 2 cups) of batter into prepared pan. Divide remaining batter into 2 medium bowls. Stir in food coloring to make one red and one blue batter. Pour batter into remaining pans. Tap pans on counter several times to remove air bubbles.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pan. Remove cake and cool completely on wire rack.

5. For frosting, beat butter in a large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fluffy. Beat in almond extract. Stir in marshmallow cream until well blended.
6. Place blue cake layer on cake plate and generously frost top. Stack white layer and generously frost top. Add red layer, frosting top and sides of entire cake. Garnish with fresh blueberries and strawberries, if desired.






source: http://unusual2tasty.blogspot.com/2010/06/cake-tuesday-red-white-and-blue.html