Happy Fourth of July Weekend!  What are your plans?  Are you headed out to a bar-b-que or hosting one?  If you’re like me, you probably want to keep it simple. Here’s my shortcut to a festive Fourth of July dessert if you don’t have time to bake.

               -Red and Blue Berries

                           (boysenberries, blueberries/strawberries or raspberries)

               -Any cake

                           (Pound cake, Angel Food Cake, Cheesecake)

               -Whipcream/Frosting or Sourcream (if you’re using cheesecake)

Here are some examples of flag cakes.  The first one is more professional looking.  Use pound cake/angel food cake slices, put them in the pan, then spread a thin layer of whip cream/frosting.  Lay out the blueberries in a square in the left corner.  Then put on the red berries in stripes (raspberries shown in 2 rows, but you can also use strawberries in one row). Then use whipcream in a can for the stripe design in between the berries and the stars.

If you want to make it even easier you can try this design. Just spread the whip cream and lay out the blueberries in the corner and use sliced strawberries for stripes.

If you like the red and white theme for Fourth of July, but think a flag cake is a little too much, then you can go for this design! I like using a frozen cheesecake covering it with a layer of sourcream, then topping it with fresh berries in this circular design.  If you are using angel food cake you can also cut it in half and put a layer of whip cream in the middle, then put the top back on, spread more whip cream on top and then cover with berries.

Low fat/Gluten free option-Don’t use cake at all.   Follow the first or second design.  Substitute the cake with banana slices.

Tips-If your using whip cream make sure you don’t leave it out too long before you serve it or it may melt.

Happy Weekend!