Sep 20, 2023

Fourth of July Dessert Ideas

The exciting season of red, white and blue is finally here, and to celebrate this year’s Fourth of July festivities, we have put together a recipe guide which includes some delicious desserts that will be enjoyed for their fun aesthetics just as much as their taste. These can all be easily prepared in advance, which will help you focus on the BBQ and spend more time with your guests on the big day.

PINWHEEL COOKIES

Let’s start with a classic, the red, white and blue pinwheel cookies. The dough for these cookies can be prepared in advance and then baked on the day, but if you wish to bake them in advance they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This recipe makes around 45 cookies.

You will need:

All-Purpose Flour, 3 cups
Baking Powder, 1/2 teaspoon
Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
Unsalted Butter, 1 cup
Sugar, 1 1/3 cups
Eggs, 2
Vanilla Extract, 2 teaspoons
Vibgyor red and blue Gel Food Colors
Sprinkles, red, white and blue

Preparation steps:

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
Using a standing mixer, add the butter to the mixer’s bowl and beat at medium speed until its texture is smooth, then add the sugar and beat at high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the rest of the ingredients in the following order, making sure you mix well after each addition: The eggs one at a time, the vanilla extract, half of the flour mixture, and then the other half.
Divide the final mixture into 3 exact portions. Set one of them aside, then place one portion back into the mixer bowl with a few drops of Vibgyor Gel blue food coloring and mix on low speed until well combined. Clean the bowl then repeat with the third portion and red food coloring.
Roll out each portion separately into a square of about 9 inches per side, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for about half an hour.
Now that the dough sheets are chilled, remove them from the fridge and place them one on top of the other on top of a baking sheet, starting with the red dough at the bottom, followed by the white one, then the blue one on top.
Using the baking sheet, lift the dough stack from one side and start rolling it into the shape of a log ensuring there are no gaps, then wrap the resulting cookie dough log tightly in baking paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and take the dough out of the fridge.
Place the sprinkles on a tray and roll the dough until it is well coated.
Cut the roll into slices with thickness of about 1/4 inch, then place on a cookie baking sheet ensuring you leave about 2 inches between each cookie.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden.
Transfer to a cooling rack and ensure they cool down completely before storing in an airtight container.

SURPRISE AMERICAN FLAG CAKE

This cake is surprisingly easy to prepare and decorate and the big wow effect as you cut it will make it the star of the night. For the cake layers we chose a classic sponge cake recipe, but you can choose any recipe of your choice.

You will need:

For the sponge cake batter

Butter, 32oz
Caster Sugar, 32oz
Eggs, 16
Self-Raising Flour, 32oz
Vibgyor Gel Food Coloring, red and blue

For the buttercream

Butter, 3 cups at room temperature
Vanilla Extract, 1 teaspoon
Icing Sugar, 7 cups

Preparation steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 9 inch tins for baking.
To prepare the cake layers, we will start by mixing the batter for all layers in one big batch, then we will divide and color them accordingly. As a first step, cream the butter and sugar together using a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, beating until the mixture is creamy and pale in color. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Finally, add the flour and fold it in the mixture by hand using a spatula.
Prepare another 2 large bowls to divide the mixture. Pour 1/4 of the total mixture in one of them, this is the batter that will be colored in blue. To do this, add one or two drops of Vibgyor Blue Gel Food color and mix until well combined. If you want a stronger color, add more coloring one drop at a time and mix, until you reach the desired shade.
Divide the rest of the batter in half and color one of the batches in red using the method above.
Bake the different cake layers as follows: The red and the white batter will be divided into 3 cakes each resulting in thin layers, while the blue batter will be baked as one cake and will be double the height of all other layers. The cakes will take about 20 to 25 minutes to bake.
Once all the cakes are baked, allow them to cool down completely before decorating. In the meantime, prepare the buttercream. Start by beating the butter with the electric mixer until it is fluffy and pale in color, then add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Finally, add the sugar one or two cups at a time and beat well until the mixture is fluffy.
Before assembling the cake, we need to do a bit of prep work. Take one of the red layers and one of the white layers, and for each of those layers cut a circle of 6 inches in the center of the cake. Keep the circle and discard the outer layer.
Take the blue layer and cut a circle of 6 inches in the center of the cake. Discard the circle and keep the outer layer.
To assemble the cake, start by placing the uncut cake layers, alternating between red and white and separating them with buttercream, starting with a red layer at the bottom. Cover the fourth layer with buttercream and place the blue outer layer cake, then in the center place the red 6-inch cake circle that you have previously cut. Cover with buttercream then place the white 6-inch cake circle that you have previously cut. Your cake is now ready to be coated with buttercream on the outside.
Refrigerate the cake before serving.

POPSICLES

For something cool and refreshing, why not make these red, white and blue popsicles. They are fun, extremely easy to prepare, and are guaranteed to be a popular dessert option on a hot summer day. This recipe will make 10 popsicles.

You will need:

For the red layer

Watermelon, 1 cup, seedless and chopped
Honey, 1 tablespoon
Water, 2 tablespoons
Vibgyor Gel Food Coloring, red

For the white layer

Coconut Milk, 1 cup
Honey, 2 tablespoons

For the blue layer

Blueberries, 1 cup
Honey, 1 tablespoon
Water, 1/2 cup
Vibgyor Gel Food Coloring, Blue

You will also need

10 Popsicle Molds
10 Popsicle Sticks

Preparation steps:

Blend the ingredients for the red layer and add 1 or 2 drops of Vibgyor Gel red food coloring, then divide the mixture equally between the popsicle molds. Place a popsicle stick in the middle of each mold, and place in the freezer for about 3 hours or until the layer is completely frozen.
Mix the ingredients for the white layer and pour into the molds in equal proportions, then place back into the freezer for about 3 hours or until it is completely set.
Blend the ingredients for the blue layer and add 1 or 2 drops of Vibgyor Gel blue food coloring, divide equally between the molds and place in the freezer for about 3 hours or until it is completely set.
Your popsicles are now ready, to release them from the molds run them under warm water for a few seconds.

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