Firecracker Cake (from scratch!)
A homemade version of firecracker cake – a red, white and blue Bundt cake perfect for celebrating the 4th of July!
I have the absolute perfect cake for your 4th of July celebration.
Shockingly (ha), it’s red, white, and blue. BUT! It’s also made completely from scratch! And it’s DELICIOUS.
Last week when I asked my mother-in-law what she wanted for dessert on Sunday for her birthday, she said a red, white, and blue cake. This classic firecracker cake has been on my radar for years, but all of the versions I’ve ever seen used a box cake mix, and I definitely wanted to go homemade. I also wanted it to be super moist and full of flavor, so I turned to the coconut Bundt cake I made a couple of years ago that was crazy good, stripped out all of the coconut flavor, added some red and blue flair, and, voila!
The most amazing red, white, and blue cake you’ll ever eat!
I know, I know, the food coloring is not “from scratch”, but we’re not using a box cake mix and this cake is super simple to make, so it’s a total win as far as I’m concerned!
Once you make the cake batter, you separate out a little bit into two small bowls and color each one red and blue, then layer it into your Bundt pan. I didn’t measure the food coloring because I was using those itsy bitsy little squeeze bottles that come in a 4-pack, but just add more color until you get the shade you want. You could also totally use gel colors, as well.
This is, hands-down, my all-time favorite homemade vanilla Bundt cake. I’m not much of a cake person, but I could devour piece after piece of this and not even need to smother it in ice cream (but yes, always serve your cake with ice cream!). It’s supremely moist and incredibly rich. It’s not quite as dense as a pound cake; it still has that fluffy yellow cake texture, but is sturdy and just totally amazing.
My mother-in-law loved her cake and I now have a go-to festive cake for the 4th of July should I ever need one. And let’s not stop there – you could absolutely use whatever different colors you’d like for holidays, graduations, or whatever you’re celebrating!
One year ago: Baking Basics: Chocolate 101
Five years ago: Mojito Cupcakes
Six years ago: Sweet and Salty Brownies
Seven years ago: Pea in a Pod Baby Shower Cookies
Firecracker Cake (from scratch!)
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cups (315.45 ml) whole milk
- Red food coloring
- Blue food coloring
For the White Glaze:
- 4 to 6 tablespoons whole milk
- 1Â teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) white chocolate, melted and still warm
For the Red and Blue Glazes:
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Red food coloring
- Blue food coloring
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-cup or 12-cup Bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs and the yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl again, add the vanilla extract, and beat until just incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing after each addition until just combined; do not overmix.
- Transfer 1 cup of the batter to a small bowl and stir in red food coloring until desired color is reached; set aside.
- Transfer another 1 cup of the batter to a separate small bowl and stir in blue food coloring until desired color is reached; set aside.
- Spoon the red batter into the prepared pan, then top with the plain white batter, smoothing it into an even layer. Finally, spoon the blue batter into the center of the white layer, leaving some white batter on either sides so it creates a "tunnel".
- Bake until a sharp knife or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.
- Make the Glaze: In a large bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until incorporated and smooth. Slowly stir in the white chocolate. The glaze should be thick yet pourable; if the glaze appears too thick, thin it out with additional milk, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Pour the glaze in large, thick ribbons over the crown of the cake, allowing the glaze to spread and drip down the sides of the cake. Allow the glaze to set, about 5 minutes. In small bowls, mix two small batches of powdered sugar with milk until a thick, yet pourable consistency is reached, then dye one red and the other blue. Using a spoon drizzle the red and blue icings over the white. Allow to set for about 10 minutes before serving.
- The cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I bake the cake went by the instruction  when done and turn cake on wire rack it looked like a red cake . What happen ??
Hi Wanda, Yes, you should see the red on the top of the cake. The white and blue will be on the inside.
WOWWWW this cakes looks amazing!
I really love playing with colors.
Beautiful and festive cake
This sounds like the perfect cake for 4th of July! (or any time really!) Next time we are having a family get together I’m bringing this.. The hockey games are nail biting…aren’t they! Good luck to your team!
Loooove this!! So pretty and festive, and looks down right delicious too. Definitely adding this to the 4th lineup!
The Firecracker Cake looks amazing. Would there be a way to make it nondairy so my grandson could eat it? Thanks.
Hi Jean, I think you could safely substitute almond milk for the regular milk here, but I’m not sure about a butter substitute. If you’ve found one that has worked well in baking, you could give it a try here!
Earth Balance makes excellent non-dairy (some are also soy-free) butter substitutes. Their baking sticks are perfect for something like this! We use them all the time and sub in coconut milk for dairy milk.Â
Going to pin this to my Halloween board. I can totally see this cake in orange, green, purple or maybe some black? Chocolate was always my go to flavor but as I gotten older, vanilla is taking over and this looks delicious!
Have any suggestions for the glaze that doesnt use white chocolate >_> I am not a fan but this cake looks so fun! I’m thinking a traditional powdered sugar glaze might work or a cream cheese version.
Hi Adrianne, Yes, definitely either a simple powdered sugar glaze or a cream cheese one (I would lean cream cheese, but that’s just personal preference!) would work!
It looks like the popsicle but better!! Â I love the bright colors! Â So perfect for 4th of July! Â
How festive is this version?! Â I’m definitely loving it! Â But I do have a question: Â does the coconut have to stripped out? Â Would this work just as well if the coconut flavors were left in as in your coconut bundt cake recipe specifies? Â Even the icing as written, which would be white, could be left in tact and just drizzle the red & blue glazes over that? Â And one last question: Â could you even leave the coconut on top, only not toasting it, but rather coloring it red and blue?
All these questions, because we love coconut at our house . . . .
Are you ready for Game 5 tomorrow night? Â Gahhhhh . . . . can. not. wait.
Hi Michelle, Yes, you could totally keep this the coconut cake!
Ahhhh Game 5, so nervous!
I love bundt cakes and bundt cake pans! Thanks for the great recipe and for removing all traces of coconut (not a fan). Â Â Already pinned this to my Bundt Cake Pinterest board and looking forward to trying this recipe.
Hi Michelle! Your timing is spot. on. I am hosting a Bridal shower for my future sister-in-law on Saturday. Instead of buying a sheet cake from the grocery store that will hardly be touched, I decided to make cupcakes instead :) Super cute and homemade always wins in my opinion. How many cupcakes do you think I would get out of this batch and how long would they take to bake? Her colors are Navy and Coral and I’ve been playing with gel colors to get as close to her shades as possible for the icing on the cupcakes. I also have cute Anchor cupcake wrappers and little anchor picks to stick inside:)
Hi Angela, Oh my gosh, those cupcakes sound so fun! I haven’t tried to convert this recipe to cupcakes, so I would definitely do a tests run first (most recipes convert okay, but I’ve run into a couple that don’t). I imagine you’d get about 24 cupcakes from this batter; I would probably start checking them around 15 minutes and go from there. Let me know how they turn out!