4th of July cake FAIL

June 29, 2010

Many of you know I share the good and the bad on this little ‘ol blog. 

Well this one is in the science fair category for sure.

One of the many things I love about blogging is that I will now try things that I may have never attempted, because if it turns out I’ll want to share it with you all. And if it doesn’t turn out, I’ll want to share it with you all.  ;)

Let’s preface the rest of this post by saying I have baked a cake before. Many. You may not believe me after I show you this, but I cross-my-heart-swear I have.

Swear.

OK, a few weeks ago, someone on twitter sent along a picture of one of the cutest cakes I’ve ever seen – I can’t remember for the life of me where I saw it, but it was an ADORABLE Fourth of July flag cake. Not the regular sheet cake, but one that looks all boring with white icing and then PADOW!, you cut into it and there’s this gorgeous American flag cake.

Adorable.

So I’ve planned for weeks to try this out. And today I did.

And it:

a.) took FOREVER

b.) did not look like the picture

c.) like really, really did not look like the picture

d.) still tasted really good. :)

I figured I was going to have issues when I added the food coloring to the batter:

I needed some of the batter to be red for the red stripes, some white, and some blue for the blue corner of the “flag.”

Ummm…that batter up there? It’s not red. It’s pink. Maybe coral? Not red.

I added a little gel food coloring, then more, then a lot. Still coraly pink. Ohhhhkay.

I trudged on…and it was just one thing after the other. I learned some things this first time around so next year (oh yes, I will try it again!) I’ll remember them.

First tip is to just make all of the cake batter at ONE time, then segment it into five equal parts batter for all of the stripes. You can then color each batch whatever color you need, instead of making separate batches and coloring them as you go.

I did the red pink batter first and baked those cakes. Then I was going to make the white stripes, and put some of the batter aside to make the blue cake I needed. But I lost my mind for a few seconds and put the blue coloring in before I separate them – and then tried to get it out before I mixed it.

It didn’t work.

Hot mess. HOT.

I ran out of cake mix (oh yes, I used box mix!) and found a white Christmas cake mix in the pantry that didn’t expire till next February – SCORE!! I used that for the white layers I needed.

But it was still just a mess. I got whipped icing cause I LOVE WHIPPED ICING and it did not cover the cake well at all – I mean, seriously. Are you kidding me?

I just said forget it, garnished it with some stinkin’ fruit, and from the outside it looked OK:

OK, it was a hot mess. Just humor me.

But when you cut it open, the fruit on top accentuates the clash of the blue/aqua and red/coral/pink:

American flag cake fail

Awesome.

In the original cake I saw, there were two bottom layers of red and white, then two smaller white and red layers on top next to the blue. I didn’t have room for the top white layer. So my flag is red, white, red. Gah.

To make the flag, the bottom layers are just round cakes. The blue corner is a layer of cake, cut into a ring and placed on top of the other two. The middle two layers (what should be two layers) are the inside circle of two additional cakes. You ice between layers and then piece them together.

It’s just that easy.  :)

When hubby saw it today he was so excited I had made cake!

Then I asked, did you see it, the inside? Do you like it?

“Yeah it’s cute!” (He says just seeing the fruit and white icing. From far away.)

“See the flag inside?”

He steps closer.

“The what?”

“The FLAG.  See the three layers of pink, white, pink and the aqua? It’s an American flag!”

Crickets.

 “Ohhh, yeah. I see it! It’s cute!” (LYING. Because he still wants a slice of cake.)

I must say, the leaning tower of pink and aqua cake is absolutely scrumptious:

It’s not so pretty but ummm umm it’s GOOD!! :)

I have a ton of cake scraps left:

022

(Uh, is it me, or does it look NEON?)

So tonight I made some itty bitty trifles:

mini trifle

The cutey itty bitty trifle bowls courtesy of WalMart -- $2 each!

Again, I continue to accentuate the pastel tone of the cake with the fruit, but you know what? It’s GOOD! :)

So there you have it – my science fair cake fail. But what do you consider a cake fail – if it looks like a hot mess, or if it tastes like a hot mess?

Maybe it’s not a complete fail? Just a half-way one? I’m going with that.  :)

P.S. I found this 4th of July cake idea here

P.P.S. Many are suggesting gel food coloring and that’s what I used – maybe the whole tube just isn’t enough?  ;) I have no clue – any other ideas?

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Comments

  1. Is this the cake you saw?

    http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/06/make-cake-series-flag-cake.html

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  2. I've been enjoying your blog for a while. This post made me really laugh. I regularly have things like this happen to me.

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  3. I've made the mistake of using yellow cake mix instead of white cake mix and coming up with some ridiculously wrong colors before. Also, gel food coloring gives the best color. Better luck next time! :)

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  4. I still think it's cute and bravo for giving it a try!

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  5. Yep - the only way to get a true red or blue icing is to use a gel food color. Wilton makes some good ones. You can usually find them at Hob Lob and use a 40% off coupon. :)

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  6. I loved reading your story of the science fair cake. :-) I know this won't help you at this point in time, but I JUST saw this cake today - http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2010/06/fourth-of-july-cake.html via www.tidymom.net. Maybe that is where you originally saw it?

    Thanks for sharing your successes AND messes with us all - you are a hoot!

    Hannah

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  7. I love it, you are so good to share the good and the bad! You definitely need to get the food coloring gel, it works perfectly, adds true color and doesn't change the consistancy or taste of the cake.

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  8. This absolutely made me laugh out loud and I'm on my deck reading this (alone), so my neighbors probably think (they know) I'm crazy! I think that the success is in the taste, so, it was only a half science fair cake!

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  9. This cake is all the rage right now. There are lots of blog posts about it too, but I'm pretty sure the original is from 17andbaking.com/2009/07/01/a-little-taste-of-independence
    We were going to make this for my daughters 3rd birthday on July 3rd, but now I'm kind of scared... but I guess as long as it tastes yummy :) I love that you share the good and the bad! But those itty bitty trifles are too cute and look so yummy, you recover well!

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  10. Oh this post made me giggle...a lot, because we've all done this at some point! And if it tastes good who cares! Plus it's World Cup time and I'm sure there's a country that has an aqua, pink, and white flag...someplace tropical I'm thinking! ;-)

    There is a whole website dedicated to cakes gone wrong. It's called Cake Wrecks!

    http://www.cakewrecks.com/

    Kat :)

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  11. Hey, at least you were brave enough to attempt it! :)

    This doesn't sound like the same blog, but iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/ makes amazing cakes like you mentioned! Simple outside but crazy colors and patterns inside.

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  12. The powder food colorings really work well if you want solid, bright colors (even primary red or blue) that don't get pastel-y or light. :) I think your cake is beautiful, and because it wasn't what you expected on the inside and it was the late 80's interior decor color version of red white and blue, I think that makes the memory even more fun. :)

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  13. Oh.
    My.
    Gawd.
    I am dying here ! I almost peed my pants reading this, I just love this ! I feel like I'm living this coral/aqua cake fail with you in your kitchen, totally hysterical. I'm so laughing at your narrative, girlfriend, YOU CRACK ME UP !!!

    And I'm sure it tasted completely perfect. And another thing, coral and aqua are a HOT combo. You are cutting edge cool. :-)

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  14. Hmmm... I was going to mention gel food coloring too, but I see you said that's what you used. Did you use yellow cake mix or white? If you used yellow that would affect the colors.

    That aside, I totally see what you were going for and mine would have ended up looking exactly the same (or worse). If you're planning to try the design within the cake thing again you must check out this blog - http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/

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  15. I am very glad to know I am not the only one with cooking/baking experiences such as this! My motto is, "As long as it tastes good, that is all that matters"!

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  16. i saw this cake last night at 1 am or so....17andbaking is the blog. i plan on making it this 4th. i might need a prayer beofre the attempt though......

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  17. Good work on your cake!!! It takes practice to get all of those different colors. I use Wilton gel paste on all of my cakes and icings. I even made a three layer cupcake which can easily be made in red white and blue!! Good luck!!!LOVE LOVE LOVE your site!!

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  18. The color might not be what you wanted but it looks yummy. Way to go! Love all the fruit topping too.

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  19. I think you just got your holiday's mixed up -it would totally work for Easter! Or maybe a baby shower?
    I love it when you share your fail's - reminds us we are all the same underneath!

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  20. lol! i love that you posted it! at least it tasted yummy! the kind of food coloring i use is wilton's icing colors.
    http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30B2D9-475A-BAC0-5D5C3DB846DFD354&fid=3E33265A-475A-BAC0-597A6ED538D55E2B
    its a concentrated paste, i LOVE it, and it has different shades of each color so you can truly get the color you need. :)

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  21. I saw the original, too:

    http://17andbaking.com/2009/07/01/a-little-taste-of-independence/

    I really don't think yours looks all that bad. I think anytime you make a layer cake with distinct layers you should get bonus points. Tell your hubs its the flag of the Southwestern US. :-)

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  22. HAHA this was too funny!! Maybe you will start a trend and we will all get away from the red, white, and blue, and instead we will have aqua, coral, and white! :) Love it! I'm sure it tasted great!

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  23. I think your cake still looks pretty cool & the trifle turned out great!! That's a great idea. Thanks for posting it!!

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  24. i love that you share your successes and fails with us! makes me feel like i'm not alone when things don't turn out like the picture! better luck next time... maybe try that massive rainbow cake everyone seems to have been blogging about lately! :)

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  25. I'm sorry, but it is completely posh to take the tried and true red, white, and blue....and tweak them a little. Raspberry and aqua, coral and teal. You are completely cutting edge. Right? Right?

    Oh gosh, I loved this post. People think that every craft we do comes out like the ones pictured on the blog. And then, when theirs takes a turn for the hilarious...that they are losers. I cannot even count the times that my "cake" turned out neon.

    The difference is: those who learn their lessons and are willing to try again. And only the truly talented people will share their mistakes...so that others don't have to repeat them.

    See? You're a genius.

    Thanks for this post.

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  26. What an awesome cake idea! If I were ANY sort of cook, I would attempt it! I just started following your blog and I love all the thrifty ideas!

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  27. I've been meaning to make the same cake. I say as long as it tastes good, it's a success!

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  28. Your cake really did look pretty cute. I think the best food coloring for red and blue would be from Wilton. I think you can get them at WalMart. That cake looked hard to make. What about doing three layers, one red, one white and one blue and stack them with the yummy white frosting and fruit?

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  29. Ok, that was a pretty funny post. I think the main thing is that it tasted great. It looked pretty good too, actually. I am going to make a Canada Day cake on July 1st....wish me luck!

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  30. Is it just me, or did it look/sound like 17 girl added food coloring AFTER she baked the white cake? That may have been where you went wrong...just a theory. I DON'T bake because despite my good intentions things never turn out...well, I mean, I can mix up a boxed cake and it's okay but I usually mess up icing it...and anything from a cookbook or magazine? HaHaHa! Don't even think about it!

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  31. Maybe it didn't look like a flab, but it was still a really cute cake! Even if it doesn't look like a flag.

    As for food coloring, you mentioned something about "tubes," and I'm wondering if you used tubes of gel color for decorating ON the cake. That's not exactly the same thing as gel food coloring/paste, which I always buy in those teeny jars with screw-on lids...I usually buy the Wilton brand (at Michaels or Walmart), but a lot of people like Americolor gel paste. That is what you want to use to get the right colors. Gel is usually more concentrated. It might take a little more gel to get the right color (depending on your brand of choice), but I've not had trouble getting true reds and blues.

    Icing....this may take a little more effort, but I highly recommend Seven Minute Icing. It's not as hard to make as it sounds, and it's excellent! Also, the coverage is really good. So, if you ever decide to attempt this beauty again, that is what I would recommend.

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  32. So I have the weekend off and plenty of time to try this...after I read all the comments (suggestions) and the other blog...I will try this!
    My daughters camera is nicer then mine so I will take a picture for you!
    Thanks for sharing...you didn't say which box mix you used since it was how you say... scrumptious!
    Thanks so much! muah....

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  33. I think I'm going to try this one too. I love this cake and except for us bloggers, most people have never seen it.

    What color did you use? What brand? I think you could tell by the color of the batter that it wasn't going to come out right. You need to use A LOT of color to get a deep red.

    I still think if it taste good and looks pretty it was a WIN for you. Who else but you would have known it was meant to look like a flag?

    Hugs,
    Joanne

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  34. Was the gel in a tube or in a little pot? You want gel paste in a pot...Wilton is the brand I use...found at hobby lobby and walmart, but not my local grocery.

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  35. I just had a great idea!!!!!
    What if you started with a red velvet cake mix!! Then you'd only have to supplement the batter with some extra gel color paste (NOT gel icing in a tube). You know to get it extra red without becoming bitter.
    Too much red leaves a horrible aftertaste. They make "no taste" red but it is still bitter IMO.

    One time I made a red frosted cake for my nephew. I had to keep adding red gel paste until I was sure it was red enough. THOSE POOR CHILDREN. Their fingers, mouths, tongues, lips...red. Dyed them red. Wouldn't wash off...red.

    Before I left the party, I said, "hey btw your kids don't have a strange disease, it's food coloring."...

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  36. Yes- the Wilton coloring in the little jars is much better!

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  37. It's 1:41 in the morning and I am quietly laughing reading your blog. I have enjoyed others things you have written about but this is the best so far! Keep blogging!

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  38. Okay I am honestly impressed by this cake. Seriously I can see the flag and am impressed by the multiple layers. I think it looks great, ha!

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  39. Perhaps this is the original recipe... hard to tell in blog world.

    http://delectabledeliciousness.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html

    Also I think blogmom might be onto something on adding color at the end... either way looks scrumptious!!

    Glad to hear it was it was tasty, it looks pretty sweet! <aybe you can stick to sangria yes? White wine, blueberries and strawberries/raspberries?! Use some brandy or orange liquer and sprite to sweeten up some white wine... cheers!

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  40. I HIGHLY recommend Americolor. The Wilton colors are what my mother used for our cakes growing up, but they have an off-putting smell and taste. The Americolor brand has no smell or taste at all, and it lasts longer, because you don't have to use nearly as much.

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  41. Cute idea! I see you have alot of comments already so maybe someone already suggested this (I didnt have time read them all). Have you thought about using red velvet cake batter for the red? I dont know how to make the blue and any bluer. O

    Another idea, and I want to preface this with the fact that I am not an experienced baker, but have you seen those star shaped sprinkles? Maybe you could mix those in the blue cake batter like they use in rainbow chip/funfetti cakes.

    PS: I'm hosting my very first giveaway over at Finding My Aloha. You should enter if you get the chance! :)

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  42. How about skipping food color and go with just fresh fruit? If you must have color, how about pureed raspberries for the red, and blueberries for the blue? Add taste and color and none of the harmful and disgusting chemicals (red is made of dried and reconstituted bugs - yuck) of food coloring.

    There is one vegetable based food coloring available, but the colors are pale.

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  43. About the comment of using a Red velvet cake mix. Red Velvet is just a chocolate cake with an enormous amount of red food coloring (usually about 1/4 cup!). Google carmine red or red #40 - it's disgusting and not good for you)

    MSN provided the following info:
    http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100204508&imageindex=8&q=8.+Food+colorings%3a+Blue+1%2c+2%3b+Red+3%3b+Green+3%3b+and+Yellow+6

    Avoid Food colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; and Yellow 6
    You may think that all dangerous artificial food colorings were banned by the FDA long ago, but there are five still on the market that are linked with cancer in animal testing. "Always opt for the product without the color, if you have a choice," says Gerbstadt. "I'm not saying to avoid all coloring. Many are made from natural sources. But some specific dye colors do promote tumor formation, in the right combination and conditions." Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, are considered low risk but have been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, added to candy and beverages, though rarely used, has been linked to bladder cancer. Studies have linked the widely used yellow 6—added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy—to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.

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  44. You need icing food coloring which is much more pigmented for cakes with color. I didn't read all the comments to see if someone else already said this. I made a Rainbow cake once & was told that is what to use. It worked perfectly! I found mine in the cake section at Wal*Mart.

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  45. First rule when a cake does not turn out as expected,tell everyone that's how it's supposed to look! lol

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  46. I have said it before, and I will say it again - "You are the world's best storyteller ever!" After having a horrible week myself, your post cracked me up and put everything in perspective. BUT, I have to say that your cake would match the colors in my new tablecloth exactly, so I hope mine turns out like yours did. I will really be ticked if my cake turns out red, white and blue!! HA HA, Hugs, Carole

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  47. I Love your blog and come often for the DIY & home decorating inspiration. Todays's post is HILARIOUS!!!!!! I was LOL!!!!! thanks for making me laugh :) you are funny!!! and that neon cake is something to talk abt!!!
    take care & keep writing!!!
    Nish

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  48. I use Wilton Icing Colors, they are awesome. I saw that same tutorial and wanted to try it. I've made a rainbow cake, have you tried that and my kids think I'm totally awesome. You use 6 diff. colors for that one. At least it was still good and edible...good effort!

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  49. You totally crack me up. HA HA... bet it tasted good and guys just really don't give a hoot do they? LOL

    Di
    (better luck next time.. LOL) sorry, could not resist.

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  50. As long as it's edible it's a success to me! : )

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  51. Here is a video tutorial of the original young lady making the cake, on the news, very cool!!

    http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/Get-Patriotic-with-17-and-Baking--97089114.html

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  52. Oh and thanks for sharing your experience, my daughter is going to make this for the 4th of July party we are attending!

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  53. you ROCK!! it isn't that bad at all!!! i've seen this on other blogs and red velvet mix was used and the blue was aqua too.
    i think yours was a TOTAL success - especially if it tasted good :O)

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  54. I was going to suggest the Make It and Love It link that the first commenter suggested! Good attempt - I *hate* it when cooking mistakes look awful, but taste so yummy! ;-)

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  55. 1. You have no idea how much I respect you b/c you are so real!! Thanks for sharing your projects that don't always turn out the way you'd like.

    2. Mini trifle bowls??!! Which section were they in???

    3. I think the cake looks delicious, if a bit neon. ;)

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  56. Didn't take time to read all the comments so you may have already heard this, but the gel in the tubes is completely different from the Wilton gel. You can usually get the Wilton at Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby or a local beking supply shop. It comes in a small jar and is VERY concentrated. You still have to use a lot to get a true blue, red or black, but it will work.

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  57. Oh my goodness, that made me laugh so hard I snorted! You made my day!!

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  58. Good for you for trying!! Definitely looks time consuming. I do have to tell ya, I've had numerous cakes at functions in the past that look fab, but tasted AWFUL...in the end...it's gotta taste good!!

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  59. That was exactly what I needed to start my day, I laughed too hard! Thanks for sharing. ROFLOL!
    Tracy D. In TX

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  60. I have the same mini trifle bowls!! they are adorable. I will give you props just for trying to make an american flag cake. Mine would have lookes like a tie die job

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  61. In my opinion, if cake is tasty, it's a success!

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  62. Here we are, again, Ladies and Gentlemen, at our annual Science Fair! (Remember me: 7th, 8th & 9th grade....in tears each year. One time on the phone with Mr. Science Teacher, sobbing! Married a (PhD) physicist anyway.)

    I say it's like my take on the standard X-mas colors. I do deep raspberry, gold and silver. Your cake is, just.....well.....a symbol of the freedom our countries allows and signifies. Yeah. That's it.

    (And I SAW that original post. NUTS. I would have gone NUTS putzing around with something like that.)

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  63. LOVE posts like these! Makes me love you even more. I think it still looks good~I would grab a hunk for breakfast right now if I could :)

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  64. Hilarious, but I don't consider it a fail unless it's unedible. It's still a pretty, yummy cake, just don't tell people it's supposed to be red, white, and blue. Say it's "modern patriotic", ya know, like when people manage to decorate for Christmas never using red or green?

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  65. TDC - you might want to try and use Red Velvet cake mix for the red? Looks yummy so it's the best kind of cake!

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  66. I work in a bakery of a grocery store, and we sell our whipped topping by the pound. Maybe if you ask at your local bakery, they can sell it to you, too. It has a thicker consistency and it would probably give you better coverage. Good Luck! :)

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  67. Thank you for posting this. I love to see that sometimes other people's crafty adventures don't work out either. Sometimes I think that I'm the only one who has massive fails where nothing turns out, it's nice to see the reality of others as well.

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  68. This post is hilarious! Goof for you for trying. I wouldn't even atempt it... cause there are too manu steps and icing and food colouring don't mix for me. Happy 4th of July!

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  69. I saw this cake too and wanted to try it out this weekend. I bought a white cake mix and a red velvet cake mix. I've heard it takes a ton of red food coloring to make anything red.

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  70. I think it looks so yummy and if it tastes yummy then it's a success regardless of how it looks.
    When I do flag cakes I use red velvet cake to get more of a red color and for food coloring, the best that there is by Americolor, it gets the color bright, dark, whatever you need without adding the bitter taste like Wilton. You can get it in any baking specialty store or online. I swear by them!

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  71. I love that you turned your cake fail into a cute trifle dessert! And my husband would say the same thing just to make sure he got a piece of whatever it was I was baking up, no matter how it looked. As long as it tastes good, right?!?!

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  72. i like this one better. red velvet cake mix herro. looks easier. maybe...maybe not..idk still looks epic and im am not 100% i could pull it off either. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/06/make-cake-series-flag-cake.html

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  73. I love this post. Hilarious. I think it looks beautiful and all that matters is that it tasted great. Advice from my mom... those who love you won't care about our mistakes. For those who care, pretend it's intentional. After all, turquoise is the color of 2010. You were simply being "in"!:)

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  74. Thanks for sharing your mishap with us. It truly made my morning of mishaps a little more joyful!
    Live and Learn Sweetie...at least it TASTED good!

    Alyssa
    http://lifeoflyssie.com
    alyssalb@gmail.com

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  75. wilton makes the best, truest color, food colorings. you can get them at hobby lobby or select colors even at wal mart. they come in a tiny jar with screw on lid. the tubes of gel (that look like baby ora-gel) are not very accurate with colors. i want to try this cake, but i am scared now. :)

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  76. LOL,you are the coolest person! I always LOVE your writing style, it is too funny. I actually think your cake turned out well! It looks like a difficult cake. <3 Modern spin off of traditional colors...right? It was intentional? ;)

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  77. MAYBE, if you used red velvet cake mix for the red it would look a little more.. flag-ish? :)

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  78. Here's another tutorial using red velvet-

    http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/06/make-cake-series-flag-cake.html

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  79. OMG girl, you are too funny!I love the part when you asked your hubby if he saw the flag...crickets...lol! I also love that you are so honest and down to earth and tell us when things didn't work out as planned. Eventhough your cake didn't come out the perfect red and blue, it still looks yummy =)

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  80. Glad you shared, even if it didn't turn out exactly as you hoped. I think it's cute, and I'm sure it tasted great. And you still got more desserts out of it. I want to try one to, your tips are very helpful.
    Midge

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  81. Ok I'm only going to say this because it might make you laugh and feel better about it! The one picture of the green and orange pieces on the plate kiiiinda look like torn up dish sponges. Ha! I bet it tasted great though!!

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  82. That is such a cute idea! I've seen rainbow cakes but never a flag cake! I have to give you props for trying to make it! Even if it didn't turn out right, I still wanted a piece:)

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  83. Anytime I make anything with food coloring, it goes crazy wrong.

    You could tell people it's for the World Cup. Surely there's a country that has those colors in their flag! :)

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  84. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/06/make-cake-series-flag-cake.html

    This version is MUCH easier! (And there are pictures to follow along) You bake it all together so you don't have to do any cutting rings or anything..that seems way complicated in your version.

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  85. Here is a link to a similar cake that you may like.

    http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/06/make-cake-series-flag-cake.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MakeItAndLoveIt+%28Make+It+and+Love+It%29&utm_content=FaceBook

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  86. I saw this cake demonstrated on Utah channel 5's Studio 5. I thought I'd give it a try but am stumped at how they got the actual red. They addressed it, but I can't remember. Yours' looks yummy!

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  87. Someone might have posted this already, but gel colors are the best. If you can find Americolor food color, it is great. Bakeries use it a lot and it has a true, intense red. It also has a flavorless red. Powdered food colors work well too, but I'd still go for gels. NOT the stuff you buy from Wilton or from the aisles at most grocery stores. When I made red velvet cake at the barkey I worked at, we had this super intense red liquid food color but I have yet to ever find that available resale. It looks really good though for the first time! :)

    Just FYI.. there is also a cake pan that has little things you can put in your cake to help with making the same layer differnt colors. Wilton, and others, sell it. It would help with the blue, corner. Or you could make it all checkerboard.

    Good luck in future endeavors!

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  88. I love you for sharing your cake fail. It's great to know that I'm not the only one! I have a great trifle recipe (no food coloring required!) ;)

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  89. Kudos for giving it a try! :-) It looks really yummy though! I was told by my cake decorating instructor that it is very hard to get red icing, so I presume that is the same when dying cake batter!? I have tried to get red icing by using Wilton's red icing gel, but it still turns out pink!

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  90. I use Wilton colorings... I don't even know if they're gel or not... but they work. I get them at Michael's or at Walmart, with the cake decorating stuff (like fondant, etc., not the cake mixes and sprinkles). For red, use the one called "Red Red". It's truly red. They call it that because red is seriously the hardest color to come up with. They also have tons of other colors - like black and brown for when you want to tint the colors you already have (you could add black to your blue to get a darker blue, for example.) Anyway, they come in little tubs and cost a couple of dollars a piece. Good luck next year!

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  91. Red food coloring can be tricky to say the least. One year for my son's second birthday, I decided to be all creative and make a barn cake. A friend suggested a trial run, and I'm glad I did that since the first barn cake was PINK. I needed to use LOTS of food coloring to get a true red color. Lesson learned. :-)

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  92. Just know your creative attempt at the "flag" cake gave many a much needed laugh -- and affirmation that I'm not the only one that has tried to be Martha Stewart. Happy 4th of July -- with our without your flag cake.

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  93. Maybe subconsciously you were trying to make a Mexico flag, and why not? Well, lots of reasons, but that's not the point. The only thing that makes my marriage work is that my mother-in-law is a worse cook than I am. Who knew?

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  94. Your post cracked me up! I am surprised that the use of gel colors did not give you the correct color tones. It is still cute and it did look good. Love the little trifles.

    ~ Tracy

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  95. What a great idea - thanks for sharing! My only advice would be too use egg whites only (no yolks) I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I think any party would be thrilled with the treat

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  96. Some of our best creations and ideas come from "fails"! Your cake looked yummy to me...made my mouth water. I just got a new Bertazzoni stove and I'm expecting a few fails myself. I always hope that they are at least edible! Tonyad

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  97. You had perfectly good cake scraps and you didn't make cake balls? mmmm....cake balls. You could've saved the day by making the cake ball, dipping them in white chocolate and putting tropical sprinkles on them or even more bright colors...then saved them for a rainy day...or a not so rainy day party. Cake balls keep in the freezer for awhile...and would've been totally fun at the luau that you could've thrown since you had awesome cake balls.

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  98. Oh my gosh.......You have made me laugh so hard and I am still laughing.........you have made my day. Glad to see you went ahead with a plan for the cake....this I admire. I will remember this for a long time

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  99. As long as it tastes good, it isn't a complete "fail!" For food coloring you need the kind that Wilton makes that comes in a little jar. It is a gel/paste and not as liquid as the gel that comes in a tube. Around here they don't sell it at the grocery store, but they sell it at Walmart in the craft section where the wedding cake stuff is - also at JoAnn and Michaels.
    I just started reading your blog recently. I found it through Infarrantly Creative and the CSI project. It has been fun to read about your kitchen redo!

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  100. Your cake looks beautiful!! I love the fruit. Check out what I did with my lovely summer fruit on my cake.

    PS. Love your site!!!

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  101. They say to get red you have to start with pink & then add red coloring. When I've done this I just get a deep electrifying shocking hot pink lol But now I've switched to Americolor food color & maybe that will work better for me when I have to make red.

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  102. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! THANK YOU for this post. You made me laugh and put the biggest smile on my face. Your sense of humor and the way you poke fun at yourself is so refreshing. I've come across some pretty interesting people in blog-land ;-) But, you seem like a genuine, sweet, and funny person. That's probably why you have so many followers!

    I love cake...I'm like addicted to it. Weeell, not quite addicted, but if there is ANY around you know I'm having me a piece! So with that said, I would have happily ate some of your "neon" cake! LOL.

    It still turned out really cute though, if you ask me. Don't be too hard on yourself : )

    Bloggy-love and blessings to you, miss thrifty chick!
    Love, Laura

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  103. I'm a lurker who's laughing with you, not at you. I took all three Wilton cake decorating classes and can assure you that you want Wilton's "No Taste Red" gel food coloring. Don't even bother with the liquid dropper stuff. You'll never get the intense color that you want, and the cake flavor will be horrible. Hobby Lobby and Michaels both have the food coloring. Normally you use a toothpick to scrape a bit of gel out of the container and then drag it through icing, but for a small layer cake you'll need the whole container. Blue - same concept: you'll most likely need the entire container.

    I didn't read others' comments, so if I'm repeating what they've said, I apologize. Good luck with your cake project!

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  105. At least your failure still tastes delicious! that's a big bonus! My blog is primarily cooking and I think the biggest failure I shared was the blackened tofu incident. I'm lucky I didn't catch the house on fire. Now I'm really hungry for cake and an episode of Miami Vice :-

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  106. What a great story! I made a red velvet cake yesterday and I used 2 ounces of red food coloring (from WalMart). However, I have used the Wilton gels before too.

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  107. Look at this tutorial...http://www.sowonderfulsomarvelous.com/2010/06/fourth-of-july-let-them-eat-flag-cake.html

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  108. Well it may not be an american flag but I love those colors better!!!

    So good job!

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  109. Cracking me up. Hands down the best 4th post to date!

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  110. Followed a link here from Jezebel today and read a little, really enjoy your "voice." Wanted to give you a couple more tips. I made this cake today, and it came out great, but... I used fully 1/2 of the container of Wilton gel food coloring for the red stripes. You really have to commit to this cake. I probably used 1/4 of the tub of blue.

    Also, you don't need to bake 5 layers. Just bake three and then split the red and white in half horizontally. Also, it looks best if you only use a tiny bit of icing between the layers.

    Pictures (I tried to open up the privacy on this album, I hope you can see) - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4754229&id=660904155

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  111. 17 and Baking made this cake on a Seattle TV show...see the demo of how to assemble it here

    http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=17andbaking.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.king5.com%2Fnew-day-northwest%2FGet-Patriotic-with-17-and-Baking--97089114.html&sref=http%3A%2F%2F17andbaking.com%2Ffeatured-on%2F

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  112. It had to have been 17 & Baking! She rocks.

    I posted about it on my blog. http://www.sowonderfulsomarvelous.com/2010/06/fourth-of-july-let-them-eat-flag-cake.html

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  113. OMG I almost snorted coffee out of my nose reading this! Personally I have the opposite problem, I was trying to make some soft pastel coloured icing recently and it came out exactly like that neon aqua and coral look of yours!

    Thanks for sharing the good AND the bad.

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  114. heres the original post i think you werfe talking about

    http://17andbaking.com/2009/07/01/a-little-taste-of-independence/

    good try ! i want to see next years too

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