4th of July Flag Cakes

For the cake:
Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.

In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the milk, lemon juice, vanilla and egg whites and set aside.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat together until the flour mixture is moistened. Beat in 1/2 of the milk and egg mixture until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, alternating until you’ve finished with the last 1/3rd of the flour. Mix the batter for a further 2 minutes to ensure it is lump free.

Divide the batter into two greased 9-inch round cake pans OR a brownie pan (one of the 9×9 size pans with the dividers inside of it that allow you to make 9 individual brownies) filling the brownie pan about half full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool completely before removing cakes from the pan and frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting:
Beat together all the frosting ingredients and frost the tops and edges of the cake when the cake is completely cooled.

For the stars and stripes topping:
Wash your berries and make sure they are completely patted dry. Hull then chop the strawberries. Arrange the berries on top of your cake in rows, like a flag (you’ll fill in between each stripe of berries with whipped cream).

In a small bowl, beat together the cream, sugar and vanilla (for about 3-4 minutes) until the heavy cream forms stiff peaks, being careful not to over beat. Pipe the whipped cream as strips between the rows of the berries on top of the cake. Enjoy!