Star-Spangled Bundt Cake

If you’re looking for the world’s simplest 4th of July cake, this is the recipe for you! I’m going to show you how to make a simple patriotic cake with ingredients you likely have on hand! 

Celebrating the U.S.A! 

That’s the theme of today’s post! We’re coming up on the 4th of July and I was looking for a new recipe to share. I’ve already got a handful of patriot recipes, but wanted something new. Something different. Something simple. 

I stumbled across a picture on Pinterest of a simple white cake, decorated in red, white, and blue, and thought to myself: “That’s so simple! Even I can do it!’ 

We’ll call this a “beginner” recipe because it’s really just a white cake mix, made the usual way, but with a few added colors and sprinkles. And because I’m feeling patriotic I’m calling this my Star Spangled Bundt Cake. 

You’re going to love sharing this with your family and friends! 

Let’s dive right in, folks. 

Star-Spangled Bundt Cake Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a Quick Look at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you probably have on hand. 

• 1 box white cake mix (any brand)
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
• 1 cup water (or milk)

Along with this you’ll also need: 

• Red food coloring gel
• Blue food coloring gel
• Patriotic star sprinkles

Frosting of your choice (you can use my Creamy Dreamy buttercream or even canned white frosting)

How to Make this Star-Spangled Bundt Cake

This comes together so easily, friends!

Prep a bundt pan with Baker’s Joy or other non-stick spray of your choice. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Place cake mix in mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. 

Add eggs, oil, and water. 

Mix until it comes together. 

Leave half in the bowl. Divide the other half in two separate small bowls. 

Color one blue. 

Color the other one red. 

(You’ll notice I over-did it on the food dye. Oops.) 

Now it’s time to add the batter to your prepared pan. 

I started with blue, but wish I had done it the other way around. So, I’m going to suggest you start with red. Spread it as best you can.

Add a few star sprinkles. 

Add the white. Smooth it out.

Add a few star sprinkles. 

Now add your final color. (In your case, blue. In my case, red.) 

Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until it springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove and place on a wire rack to cool. 

After about 10 - 15 minutes turn the cake out directly onto the rack to continue cooling. 

Once the cake has cooled, spread on a (loose) white frosting. It doesn’t need to be perfect. 

Now, have fun with those star sprinkles! They will definitely have you feeling patriotic! 

Time to slice it up!

Look how pretty it is, with all of those colors! 

Serve and enjoy. 

You can leave this cake at room temperature (in an airtight container) for a couple of days. After that, you might want to refrigerate or freeze it. 

Variations on this Recipe

You can always change up the flavor without changing the color of the white cake. Add lemon juice (or zest) if you want a lemon cake. Almond, if you want an almond flavor. You can even add white chocolate chips, if you prefer. 

Add more color on top by drizzling on some red and blue frosting over the white. 

Bake in a sheet cake pan, starting with the white batter, then swirling in the red and blue. 

Do the zebra effect in a layer cake (as you see in the photo below). 

The possibilities are endless! 

Other Patriotic Offerings

We love the red, white, and blue here at Out of the Box Baking! Here are some favorites from past holidays. 

• Patriotic Oreos: Look how colorful and fun these are!
• Patriotic Dessert Pizza: Easy and Delicious
• Patriotic Cupcakes: So simple, the kids can help!
• Patriotic Sugar Cookies: You'll love my delicious no-spread recipe.
• Gorgeous Flag Cakes: These are so fun!

That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.