In today’s post: Turn a boxed cake mix into a vibrant red, white and blue fireworks cake for the Fourth of July!
This fireworks cake is the perfect dessert for Memorial Day or July 4th. It’s very easy to make – you’ll use a boxed cake mix and a tub of frosting – but it looks so fun! Kids will love helping you make and decorate this cake and they’ll be so excited to slice into it to see the “fireworks” effect inside.
Ingredients
I wanted to keep this recipe super simple, so I used a boxed white cake mix. I usually use Better Crocker or Duncan Hines cake mixes, but any brand should work. You’ll need the water, oil, and eggs called for on the box mix (I used whole eggs, not egg whites). You’ll also need gel food coloring, which will let you get vibrant colors without watering down the cake mix. Finally, I used a tub of prepared frosting and some patriotic sprinkles.
You can absolutely use homemade frosting here if you prefer – it’s definitely better – but prepared frosting keeps this recipe easy. If you are going to use tub frosting, the Cream Cheese flavor tastes better than the plain white frosting.
How to Make Fireworks Cake
This cake is made in a bundt cake pan. Sometimes it’s hard to get cakes out of bundt pans without some breakage, so I always use Baker’s Joy nonstick spray. It has flour in the spray and does the best job ensuring your cake doesn’t stick. If you don’t have Baker’s Joy, you can spray your bundt pan with regular nonstick spray and then dust it with flour.
Color + Layer Cake Batter
To make the cake, you’ll begin by mixing up the cake batter as directed on the back of the box, using whole eggs (not just the whites). Then split the batter into three separate bowls. Use an entire teaspoon of red gel food coloring to color one bowl red, and a teaspoon of blue gel food coloring to color another bowl blue. If you want the colors even darker, use even more food coloring.
Now it’s time to layer the batters into the bundt pan. Start by pouring all of the red batter in the bottom of the cake pan. Then carefully pour or spoon the white batter over the red batter. Try not to cover the red batter completely; add the white batter in a ring so you can still see some of the red batter on the edges and in the middle.
Then add the blue batter in the same way, in a ring inside the white batter. When you’re done, you should be able to see some of all three batters in the pan. This helps you get the swirled effect in the finished cake, instead of just a layered effect.
Bake the Cake
Bake the cake as directed on the back of the box, approximately 40 minutes at 350 degrees. When the cake comes out of the oven, let it sit in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert it on a cooking rack or cake stand. If the cake doesn’t immediately release, grab a wooden spoon and give the cake pan a couple good smacks. That should help the cake release. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
Decorate
Now you get to decorate! Spoon out about a quarter of the frosting into a small bowl and color it red. Spoon out another quarter of the frosting and color it blue. You’ll have about half the frosting left in the tub. Microwave it for approximately 20 seconds, until it is pourable but still thick. Pour the frosting over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
Next, microwave the red frosting for a few seconds until it is thin and drizzle it over the cake. Do the same with the blue frosting. Finally, top with sprinkles. Then you are ready to slice and serve!
Fireworks Cake
Ingredients
- White Cake Mix
- Water, Oil and Eggs as called for on box mix
- Red and Blue Gel Food Coloring
- Cream Cheese Frosting 16 oz tub or homemade frosting
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the cake batter as directed on the back of the box, using whole eggs. Divide batter into three bowls.
- Stir a teaspoon of red gel food coloring into one bowl of batter. Stir a teaspoon of blue gel food coloring into another bowl. Use more food coloring if needed to make batter brightly colored.
- Spray bundt cake pan with Baker's Joy spray (or use regular nonstick spray and dust with flour). Carefully pour all the red batter into the cake pan.
- Pour or spoon the white batter over the red batter. Do not cover the red batter completely; instead pour or spoon a ring of white batter into the center of the red batter.
- Pour or spoon the blue batter over the white batter, again pouring a ring of blue batter into the center of the ring of white batter. It's best if you can see some of the red batter and some of the white batter; this helps give the cake a swirl effect instead of just a layered effect.
- Bake the cake as directed for about 40 minutes until it springs back when you touch it and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the cake pan onto a cooking rack or cake stand. Allow to cool completely.
- When the cake is cool, you can decorate it. Put about a quarter of the frosting into a small bowl and color it red. Put another quarter of the frosting in another bowl and color it blue. You'll have about half the frosting left in the tub. Microwave it for 20-30 seconds until it is pourable but still thick. Pour the frosting over the cake. Then microwave each of the colored frostings for a few seconds and drizzle them over the white frosting. Top with sprinkles.
Kat says
Looks delicious I am going to make it today thanks for posting the recipe