Made with Love, Every Fourth
Kenny Hebert’s red, white, and blue celebration cake has become a neighborhood tradition.
Every Fourth of July, neighbor Kenny Hebert received the same request from Mary Taylor, mom of neighbor Doug Taylor: make the cake. His showstopping red, white, and blue layer cake has become a tradition, and one bite of the moist, fruit-packed layers makes it easy to see why.
INGREDIENTS
White Layer (Original Hawaiian Cake)
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 (3 oz) box orange-pineapple Jello (you may need to buy 1 box of each and use half)
- 1 cup cooking oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup crushed pineapple
- 3 bananas, chopped
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup milk
Red Layer
- Same as white layer, substituting strawberry Jello for orange-pineapple Jello
- Replace pineapple and bananas with 2 cups of fresh strawberries, chopped
Blue Layer
- Same as white layer, substituting blueberry Jello for orange-pineapple Jello
- Replace pineapple and bananas with 2 cups of fresh blueberries
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 (1 lb) box confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup crushed pineapple, drained
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup coconut
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bake the Layers: Prepare each layer separately using the same method. Combine all ingredients for each layer in a large mixing bowl and stir with a spoon, not an electric mixer, until all dry ingredients are fully moistened. Pour each batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and allow each layer to cool completely before assembling.
- Make the Frosting: Cream butter and cream cheese together with confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
- Assemble: Stack the layers with frosting spread generously between each one. Frost the outside of the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. This cake needs to be kept in the refrigerator.