Patriotic Quake Cake
One week from tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays of the year – July 4th! I love just enjoying the day with friends and family, being outside, having a beer, and of course grilling. I always try to make a festive dessert for the holiday as well. I got an idea for a Patriotic Quake Cake a couple weeks ago and decided to make it early to share with you guys.
You see, last November when Heather from SprinkleBakes posted this Quake Cake, I knew I’d have to try it. It just looks like so much fun and super chocolatey. I’ve been coming back to it multiple times when brainstorming dessert ideas but just never taken the leap to make the cake.
Then somehow, the idea popped into my head that you could make the shapes on the outside of the cake into anything you wanted. And really, you could apply the concept of a quake cake to any cake recipe as well. I decided that making a Patriotic Quake Cake would be my first adventure in sticking cake shapes on the outside of a frosted layer cake.
And the best part is that I’m always looking for an excuse to hide my poor cake-frosting skills! And I think this might be my favorite way to cover a frosted cake. Sure nuts and coconut work well, but just look at this guy!
I decided to use three of my go-to recipes to build this cake. You could use whatever recipe you love. This would even work for a box mix if you’re in to that sort of thing. I loved that the cake on the inside was chocolate. It’s like a fun little surprise when you cut in to the cake. But again, you could really use any recipes you want.
I used my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe to make two 9″ round cake layers, which were sliced in half horizontally to make four thin layers. Then I used my go-to white cupcake recipe to make three 6″ layers, one red, one white, and one blue for the decorating on the outside. Last, I made a triple batch of my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe to bind it all together.
Putting the cake pieces onto the outside of the frosted cake was like putting together an awesome jigsaw puzzle that you can snack on when you get stumped. This would be a great activity to do with kids too! I started by placing my blue stars randomly around the cake, then filled in with the red and white stripes. As needed, I cut pieces to size to fill in random gaps as well.
I took this cake to work with me yesterday and it got rave reviews from the coworkers. I got a lot of questions about how it was made. Putting this Patriotic Quake Cake together was easier than it looks. Take it to your 4th of July get-together and I promise it’ll be the hit of the party!
One Year Ago: White Bean and Avocado Sandwich
Two Years Ago: Chicken with Artichokes and Mushrooms in Wine Sauce and Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie bars
Four Years Ago: Inside Out Stuffed Peppers and Ropa Vieja
Patriotic Quake Cake
Yield: Serves 12-16
Ingredients:
For the Cake
Two 9-inch round layers of your favorite cake. I used this chocolate cupcake recipe
Your favorite white or yellow cake batter or mix, baked into 1 red 6" cake, 1 blue 6" cake, 1 white 6" cake, and 8 cupcakes out of the remaining batter (or adjust the recipe to make only the layers). I used this white cupcake recipe
Double batch of cream cheese frosting or other white frosting recipe. I used a double batch of this cream cheese frosting recipe
Special Equipment
6" cake pan
Star shaped cookie cutter
Directions:
A day or two in Advance
Bake the chocolate or other flavor 9" cake layers. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Bake the white cake 6" layers by making cake batter as stated in recipe. Portion out the batter. Note that a 6" cake layer requires 1/2 the amount of batter as a 9" cake layer. If your recipe makes two 9" layers, it will also produce three 6" layers and 6 cupcakes or four 6" layers.
In the batter for one layer, add enough red gel food coloring to turn the batter bright red. In another portion of the batter, add enough blue gel food coloring to turn the batter bright blue. Bake according to recipe instructions. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
On Assembly Day
Make a double batch of your favorite white colored frosting.
Torte the 9" layers by cutting them in half horizontally with a serrated knife. You will now have four thinner layers. Place the bottom layer on a cake round and top with 1/2 cup frosting. Spread to the edges. Repeat until all 4 layers have been stacked.
Apply a crumb coat to the cake and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
While the cake is chilling, cut out the shapes for the outside of the cake. Use a star cookie cutter to cut blue stars out. After each star is cut out, slice it in half so that you have two thinner stars.
Torte the red and white layers using a serrated knife. Cut strips of cake to use as the stripes.
Remove cake from fridge and apply a healthy layer of frosting to the cake. Place the blue stars in the frosting, staggering them around the cake. Press gently into the frosting so the cake sticks to the frosting.
Arrange the red and white striped pieces around the stars until the cake is covered entirely. Keep a knife nearby to cut pieces to fit as needed.
Refrigerate to set the icing and the cake.
Inspired by Spinkle Bakes
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Dark chocolate truffles in cookie form? Um, YES!!! I’ll take a dozen for myself and another dozen for later, please.
Wow – these sound good! and I truly do not understand how people can just “not be into chocolate!” It is my favorite!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:26 pm
Yea, I really don’t get it either. Oh well, more for me!
Oh wow, chocolate truffle cookies sound divine! These look ridiculously good! Love that they’re salted too!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:27 pm
I have been sprinkling salt on all of my cookies recently. It makes them much more adult and less super-sweet.
Yum these look divine!
I’m always in need of a chocolate fix! I have several friends that claim they are not chocolate people, yet I find whenever I make something chocolate + salt, they are all over it!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:28 pm
I definitely find that people who claim they aren’t chocolate people rarely say no to any homemade baked goods. Chocolate or otherwise.
Oh my! These look divine 🙂 I’d love to make these babies soon!
these look amazing!! and how thick that batter is 🙂 love the sea salt!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:29 pm
The batter was basically ganache. You could have just made truffles from it directly.
I love any and all things dark chocolate. These look so decadent!
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you’re working with?
I’m having some minor security problems with my latest blog and I’d like to find something
more safeguarded. Do you have any suggestions?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:56 pm
I use WordPress
Wow! Those look so perfectly decadent! I’m practically drooling on my screen 😉
Just made these. Worried I didn’t bake them long enough… however they still tasted divine. Waiting to get the verdict from my husband on them.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
I think underbaking these sounds like a great idea. I might have to do that next time.
Since I’m trying this recipe for the first time, can I halve the entire recipe?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I didn’t see this comment until now! I don’t see why you couldn’t make a half batch of these cookies. Did you try it? How did they turn out?
These are the most amazing chocolate cookies I have ever made. Everyone with whom I have shared them have gone absolutly nuts and want the recipe. I do not wet my hands when rolling the cookies into balls—too messy. I just let my hands get sticky and rinse and dry them after making several balls. This is one of the best recipes on Pinterest.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
Thanks for the kind words! So glad you enjoy these cookies. I was wondering if getting my hands wet actually helped with the messiness very much. Next time I’ll be sure to just go at it without dealing with the water.
Hey! I tried halving the recipe…but it melted while in the oven. Became runny & all of them just stuck together 🙁
I tried just one batch. Anything I can do to fix the remaining batter?
beantownbaker — June 18th, 2013 @ 4:01 pm
Interesting… How did you account for half of an egg? And is your baking powder past it’s expiration date?
Ohh! Looks like I’ve added a lil too much egg. Damn! Any way I can fix the batter? Add more flour perhaps? Plz help!
beantownbaker — June 19th, 2013 @ 7:12 am
I’d add a little more flour to see if you can balance out the extra amount of egg in there.
I added 1/4 cup more flour & a teensy bit of baking powder to my messed up batter & they came out wonderfully! They’re so gooey & yumm that my husband & son (who never eats chocolate!) finished six cookies at one go!
Amazing recipe!! Thank you so much for your help, I appreciate it !
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:00 am
Oh GOOD! So glad you were able to make them work. Aren’t they divine?
U bet! They are sinfully delicious! Sent some in my son’s snack pack & I have mommies calling for these cookies!
I’m officially ur No.1 fan now! 🙂
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:18 am
Aww Thanks! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I could put them in the freezer instead of the fridge for a shorter period of time? If so, how long should I put them in the freezer for instead of the fridge?
beantownbaker — June 27th, 2013 @ 8:06 am
Hm. You could definitely try it. I would think it’s still going to need an hour or so in the freezer since you want it to set up pretty well. Let me know how it turns out if you do.