Is + Was: Flag Cake

I realize this is only my fourth post on this blog, but I think I may have to retire after this one. I've outdone myself. Peaked too soon. This cake is officially the coolest thing I've ever made.

In all seriousness, this project was a major motivator for starting my blog before the 4th of July. I actually made it last year, and there was no way I was waiting another year to share it with you! (For the record, I think I'm gonna cut myself a break this year and make something a little lower maintenance, like this.)

I won't pretend it isn't a serious undertaking, but if you've got it in you, make a flag cake!! It is such a fun project, and the delighted, awestruck looks on the faces of family and friends when you cut it open are well worth the effort.

These crumbs remind me of fireworks!

Here's the lowdown:

I followed these instructions, pretty much to the letter, except I opted to use this basic vanilla cake recipe instead of a boxed mix (you know, because this project wasn't time consuming enough already). In order to make the day-of as relaxed and easy as possible, I made the cake layers ahead of time and froze them, so all I had to do in the morning was assemble and frost!
I used this "seven minute frosting" recipe, which holds up really well in the heat and tastes deliciously like marshmallows (though it invariably takes more than seven minutes to come together).
I strongly recommend using a gel food coloring to get those super-saturated colors without overwhelming your batter with liquid.
The cake bunting is made from triangles I cut out of scrap fabric, sewed together, and tied to two wooden skewers (if you look closely at the bunting and my outfit, you might see some familiar fabric...). If you're not sewing-inclined, here's one on Etsy that's very similar to mine.