29 Fourth of July Cakes That Sparkle
You could go all out and make the most patriotic dessert ever, but Fourth of July cakes don’t actually require red and white stripes or meticulously placed berries to be considered festive. A chocolate sheet cake is what we tend to want after a plate or two of hot dogs and potato salad. A no-bake ice cream cake is what cools us down after a day spent by the pool. A simple angel food cake topped with fresh blueberries and raspberries is red, white, and blue enough for us—but we get that some of you out there will want extra bang, boom, and pow. With that in mind, here are our favorite cakes for the Fourth of July, from the simple to the spectacular, to celebrate another summer in the USA.
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Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore1/29Raspberry Cake With Whipped Cream Filling
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin2/29Sheet-Pan Berry Shortcake
This is a sort of slab shortcake, but if you and your family members are more of individual-shortcake people, try these classic Simple Strawberry Shortcakes.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi3/29Red Velvet Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
If you ask us, here’s an ideal Fourth of July menu: Start with Fried Green Tomatoes and chips and dip, move on to Pork Spareribs With Jammy Barbecue Sauce and Blistered Corn and Scallion Salad, and finish with a slice of this red, white, and…well, gold…sheet cake.
Photo by Shay Harrington4/29Chocolate Fudge Cake
Why, of course this ultrarich chocolate fudge cake made the list. (If you’re baking for someone with a nut allergy, though, try our Brooklyn Blackout Cake instead.)
Photograph by Shawn Michael Jones, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams, Food Styling by Micah Morton7/29Glazed Funnel Cake With Fruit Confetti
Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Drew Aichele9/29Triple Strawberry Cheesecake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Floral Styling by LaParis Phillips10/29Chocolate Sheet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
The decoration really makes this one feel festive, so go the extra mile and buy fancy sprinkles or even edible glitter. Use up the rest of the bottle when you want to take a store-bought boxed yellow cake to the next level.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley11/29Sticky Chocolate Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin12/29Ice Cream Cake With So Many Sprinkles
This make-ahead showstopper of an ice cream cake has confetti cake layers, vanilla and strawberry ice cream, and rainbow sprinkles. In short, it screams, “Let’s party.” Add sparklers, and suddenly, it's “Let’s party in the U.S.A.!”
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Drew Aichele, Prop Styling by Christina Allen13/29Old-Fashioned Blueberry Coffee Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon14/29Giant Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
There’s no need for stress if you can’t decide whether to make cookies or cake: Grab a skillet and bake a cookie cake, then serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk15/29Ginger-Raspberry Icebox Cake With Caramel Cream
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua16/29Tahini Hot Fudge Skillet Cake
Cleverly designed to be gluten-, dairy-, and mixer-free, this rich, brownie-like dessert really is a great choice for anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Photograph by Rana Düzyol, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni18/29Sour Cherry Crumb Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin19/29Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
Photograph by Yudi Ela Echevarria, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Sean Dooley, Special thanks to Frank's House20/29Coconut and Cardamom Cake
This butter cake features both coconut and cardamom for a floral, tropical take on classic yellow cake. If you’re a real cardamom sweets girlie, serve it with a scoop of Raspberry-Cardamom Yogurt Semifreddo.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua22/29Confetti Cake With Chocolate Frosting
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca23/29Anytime Almond Cake
This plushy almond cake with slightly crispy, sugared edges is the perfect match for sweet, ripe summer fruit and a dollop of softly whipped cream.
Photo by Chelsie Craig24/29Easy Sheet Cake With Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting
The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, commemorates the ratification of Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. In other words, it’s the United States of America’s birthday. Why not bake her a birthday cake?
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni25/29Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake
This flourless chocolate cake features meringue both in the batter and on top, which bakes into a light and crispy shell with beautiful swirls.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua26/29PB&J Dome Cake
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Claire Saffitz27/29Lemon Cake With Fruit
This is one of those cakes that pulls double duty: Whatever you don’t finish for dessert, you can eat for breakfast—and you should.
Photo by Alex Lau28/29Easy One-Bowl Upside-Down Cake
Not all upside-down cakes are pineapple upside-down cakes. This one uses summery dark red cherries. Bonus: You only need one bowl (and a round cake pan and an oven) to make it.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown29/29No-Mixer Vanilla Cake With Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting
If you want there to be absolutely no doubt that this is a Fourth of July cake, serve it with a side of fresh blueberries, or even our blueberry compote.
