Flag Surprise Cake

(Photo from 17 and baking.)

I found this fabulous cake here at 17 and baking and it has to be the coolest cake I have ever seen. Here are the instructions for making it:

1. You'll have 3 cakes - red, white and blue. Using a serrated knife or cake leveler (best bet to getting even layers!) cut both the white and the red cakes horizontally so that you now have two layers of each. Set aside one layer of both the red and the white - these will be the two bottom stripes of your flag.

2. Stack the remaining red and white layers and place the blue cake on top.

3. Place a bowl or any circular guide (approximately 3 or 4 inches in diameter depending on how big you want your blue square to be in each slice) in the center of the stacked cakes. Cut around your guide through all three cakes.

4. Discard (read: eat) the inner circle of blue and the outter rings of the red and white. You will then have an outter ring of blue cake along with two small, round red and white layers. Looks like this: (Photo and explaination from delectable delicousness.)

5. Frost your bottom two layers of cake (red and white) then place your blue ring on top of that; spread a thin layer of frosting on the inner circle of the blue ring. This will help stick the blue and the top two red and white layers together.

6. Frost the middle of the two small red and white layers; being careful to pay attention to the way you've already stacked/frosted the bottom two red/white layers, place the small red/white layers into the center of the blue ring.

7. Frost the outside of the cake. (You may want to use a crumb coat first, to keep your frosting white and crumb free).

(Photo by 17 and baking.)

Here is the recipe for the frosting:
Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes enough to frost a 4th of July Flag CakeFrom The Joy of Cooking

16 oz cream cheese

10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

4 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Beat the cream cheese, butter, and extract together until combined. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

And, lastly a video that shows step-by-step how this cake is made can be found here andeven better is this video in which Elissa, who designed this cake shows how to make it here.