4th of July Cake

This red, white, and blue tye-dye 4th of July Cake is an incredibly impressive 4th of July Dessert. Swirls of colored coconut cake are topped with coconut frosting and red and blue colored white chocolate ganache dripping down the sides.
UPDATE - New Video Tutorial with a New Version of this Cake

This tye-dye red, white, and blue drip cake was inspired by two very popular cakes that I shared with you in the past few weeks, the Melting Rainbow Cake and the Rainbow Tie-Dye Surprise Cake.

Both were created for my gig over at Tablespoon.com and have been seen by millions of people.

I have gotten such wonderful compliments about these two cakes that I couldn't resist making another cake using similar designs.

My Tye-Dye Surprise cake is a long loaf cake with a Tye-dye #5 cake hiding inside. The #5 cake was created by swirling colored pound cake batter in a pan, baking the cake, then cutting out the numbers. Those were then inserted into a loaf pan filled with more cake batter. I covered the pound cake with marbled rainbow fondant.

The rainbow drip cake was made by dripping colored white chocolate ganache over the edge and the top of a frosted loaf cake.

I combined those two ideas into this one 4th of July Tye-Dye Drip Cake.

In this post, you will see two different versions of this cake. The one pictured above was the original cake that I created.

This cake is decorated with white frosting stars and red and blue ganache drips.

It looked nice but when I recreated the cake for this video tutorial a few years later, I made it look even better.

What do you think?

For this cake, I decorated it with white modeling chocolate stars. I personally like this one better but I think either cake would make a great 4th of July dessert.

Video

I love how the cake turned out in the video below. The blue and red drips look fantastic and I decided to use Candy Clay (modeling chocolate) to make the stars. It gives the cake a cleaner appearance. Check out my chocolate-making tips page for the Candy Clay recipe.

Here's my latest version of the cake. I made this cake for Valentine's Day.

Raspberry Lemon "I ❤ You" Valentine's Day Cake

Supplies

You can find supplies needed to make this cake from Amazon (commission earned for affiliate sales).

Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Alu...Shop on AmazonAmeriColor, Royal Blue, 75 ...Shop on AmazonWilton Cake Icing SmootherShop on AmazonWilton Red Candy Melts Cand...Shop on AmazonWilton Candy Melts, 12-Ounc...Shop on AmazonAteco Plain Edge Star Cutte...Shop on AmazonWilton Set of 3 Star Cut Ou...Shop on AmazonMakin's USA Clay Cutters, S...Shop on Amazon

Ingredients

Red, White, and Blue Cake

white cake mix
egg whites
coconut milk
sweetened coconut
red and blue gel food coloring

Creamy Coconut Frosting
Wilton Coconut Candy Melts (or white candy melts and coconut extract)
powdered sugar
unsalted butter
remaining coconut milk (from the cake mix ingredients)

NOTES

• *Wilton's Coconut Candy Melts were a limited edition and were only available for a short time, which is so sad. They were fabulous and I hope Wilton brings them back soon. When I recreated this recipe for the video in 2017, I made the coconut frosting using plain white candy melts and added Wilton's Toasted Coconut Flavoring. You can use coconut extract in place of the flavoring. Both will work great.
• The frosting firms up very quickly so do not make it ahead of time. Make it then frost the cake. If it feels too firm add a bit of milk to thin it out.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark non-stick pans)
• Either line loaf pan with non-stick tin foil or grease with shortening and dust with flour or spray with non-stick flour baking spray. I prefer the tin foil. It's easy and clean.

Coconut Cake Batter

• Combine the cake mix with egg whites, water, and coconut milk.
• Beat on low for 30 seconds, then beat on high for 2 minutes.
• Finely chop the coconut, using a mini food processor or knife.
• Fold coconut into the cake batter.

Red, white, and blue cake batter swirls

• Divide the batter in half. Pour half into a large 18-inch pastry bag or two smaller bags.
• Divide the remaining batter between two bowls. Color one red and one blue.
• Pour red batter into a pastry bag and blue into another bag.
• Pipe a small amount of blue batter in a squiggly pattern into the pan.
• Pipe on some white then some red. Repeat until all the batter is gone.
  • You have twice as much white so that it actually shows through.

Bake.

• Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick poked into the center of the cake comes out clean.

I used Wilton Bake Even Strips on the outside of my pan to make sure the cake baked evenly. They keep the sides from browning too much which is especially nice with this cake, so you see more red, white, and blue.

Cool.

• Allow the cake to cool completely.
• Level the cake by cutting off any cake that is domed on top.
• Cut a cake board so that it is ¼ inch bigger on all sides of your cake. Set the cake on the board. I found it best to flip the cake upside down. That way I had a nice smooth surface to frost.

Note about Coconut Candy Melts

Update: Sadly the Coconut Candy Melts are no longer available. You can make this frosting using white chocolate chips or white candy melts instead. You'll probably want to add a teaspoon of coconut extract to enhance the coconut flavor. Or if you don't like coconut, you skip it and swap out heavy whipping cream for coconut milk.

Coconut Frosting

• Pour Wilton Coconut (or white) Candy Melts into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds.
• Let sit in the microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Heat again on high for 25 seconds, let rest for 1 minute, then stir. If not completely melted heat on high for 10-second increments, stirring after each until melted.

• Pour powdered sugar, room-temperature coconut milk, and butter into a mixing bowl.
• Add the melted coconut candy melts, stir to combine, then beat on medium speed until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. If using white candy melts, add them, and stir, then add the coconut extract or flavoring.

Note: If any of your ingredients are cold or the candy melts stick to the sides of your bowl, your candy melts can harden and form little hard bits in your frosting. Try to pour the candy melts into the ingredients so they don't touch the sides. If you end up with hard bits in your frosting, gently warm it in the microwave to allow them to melt, then beat until fluffy.

Frosting the cake

• Frost the cake immediately, reserving about 2 tablespoons of frosting for later. This frosting will become stiff quickly, so don't dawdle.

You want a nice smooth surface on the cake. I used a Wilton Icing Smoother, and it worked great. I also filled a tall glass with hot water and dipped my metal spatula in the water, dried it, then spread it over the top and sides of the cake. The hot spatula slightly melted the frosting, smoothing it out nicely.

• Arrange 5-7 small star-shaped cookie cutters over the top of the cake.
• Gently press them into the frosting just far enough that they will keep the ganache from seeping underneath.

Red and blue ganache

• Pour 2 ounces of the colored candy melts into a small bowl, and pour on 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, and 2 teaspoons corn syrup.
• Microwave on high power for 25 seconds, let sit in the microwave for 1-2 minutes then stir. If not all melted heat on high for 10-second increments until melted.
• You want the ganache to be thin enough to drip but not so thin that it just drips off the side of the cake, so you may need to allow it to cool slightly. As you are working, you may need to warm it slightly, also.

• Start at one end of the cake and drizzle on some blue, then some red, then blue, and red, until you've made your way all around the cake.
• Once you've added dribbles to the side of the cake, fill in the top.

• Allow the ganache to harden, then remove the cutters.

Pour reserved coconut frosting into a zip-top bag. Snip the tip off and pipe the frosting over the stars.

Just a note: you can skip using the star cutters and just pipe the stars on yourself. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to add any extra frosting but I when I removed the cutters the edges of the stars were jagged, so I added the frosting. It was nice to just pipe over the shape, but you can just pipe them on over the blue and red ganache if you prefer.

Or you can simply cut stars out of white modeling chocolate and press them onto the top of the cake. See the video tutorial above the recipe to see this method.

Variations

You can alternatively decorate this red, white, and blue drip cake with white modeling chocolate or fondant stars. See the video for instructions.

Related Recipes

You might enjoy these other 4th of July Recipes.

4th of July Dip

Marshmallow Flags

4th of July Fudge Stars

Recipe

The coconut cake recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker.

Print

4th of July Cake

Prep Time

1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time

55 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 25 mins

 

Stunning red, white and blue swirled cake topped with bright white frosting and drips of red and blue colored white chocolate ganache.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 4th of july dessert, red white and blue, red white and blue cake

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Beth Klosterboer

Ingredients

Coconut Cake -

• 1 Betty Crocker Super Moist White Cake Mix
• 3 egg whites
• ¼ cup water
• 1 ⅓ cups coconut milk well shaken and stirred from a 14 ounce can, reserve rest for frosting
• ½ cup sweetened coconut very finely chopped
• red and blue gel food coloring
• .

Creamy Coconut Frosting -

• 10 ounces Wilton Coconut Candy Melts*
• 2 ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• remaining coconut milk (from the cake mix ingredients) - a little more than ⅓ cup
• .

*Alternative Coconut Frosting (if you can't find Coconut Candy Melts)

• 10 ounces White Candy Melts if you use a 12 ounce bag, remove 24 of the wafers
• 2 ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• remaining coconut milk from 14 ounce can used for cake mix a little more than ⅓ cup
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 12 drops Wilton Toasted Coconut Flavoring or coconut extract
• .

Red Ganache -

• 2 ounces Wilton Red Candy Melts, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• .

Blue Ganache -

• 2 ounces Wilton Blue Candy Melts finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

White Stars

• white frosting or white modeling chocolate candy clay

Instructions

Coconut Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray a long loaf pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.

3. Combine cake mix, egg whites, water, and coconut milk together in a mixing bowl.

4. Beat on low speed using an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
5. increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
6. Stir int eh finely chopped coconut.
7. Divide batter in half. One half will remain white.
8. Divide the other half into half again and color one part red an the other blue.
9. Pour batter into individual pastry bags.
10. Pipe squiggles of batter, layering the colors red, white, blue, white, red, white, etc.
11. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles.
12. Bake cake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
14. Remove cake from pan and set on a cooling rack to cool completely.
15. Carve off the domed top and sides of the cake.

Coconut Frosting

1. Melt candy melts.
2. Beat powdered sugar and butter together until fluffy.
3. Add coconut milk, melted candy melts, and extract if using.
4. Beat until smooth and creamy.
5. Spread frosting over cake.

Red Ganache

1. Heat the red candy melts, whipping cream, and corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl on high power for 30 seconds.
2. Stir until melted.

Blue Ganache

1. Repeat steps above to make blue ganache.
2. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Drip ganache over the edges and top of the cake alternating red and blue as you go around the cake.

White Stars

1. Either pipe on white frosting stars or roll out and cut stars from white modeling chocolate (candy clay).

• Author
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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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