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Easy Firecracker Cake for the 4th of July

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A colorful vanilla Bundt cake made with swirls of red, white, and blue batter, topped with a simple soda glaze and festive sprinkles. Perfect for Fourth of July celebrations, Memorial Day, or any patriotic gathering.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake

1 (15-ounce) box vanilla cake mix

1 (3.4-ounce box) instant vanilla pudding mix

4 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

8 ounces 7UP lemon-lime soda

Red food coloring

Blue food coloring

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons lemon-lime soda, plus more if needed

Red food coloring

Blue food coloring

Red, white, and blue sprinkles

Instructions

Prep

Make the Cake

  • Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl.
  • Mix until the ingredients begin to come together.
  • Slowly pour in the lemon-lime soda while mixing on low speed until the batter is smooth.
  • Divide the batter evenly among three bowls.
  • Leave one portion plain. Tint one portion red and the remaining portion blue, stirring each until evenly colored.
  • Spoon alternating portions of each batter into the prepared Bundt pan, placing different colors beside one another until all of the batter has been used.
  • Lightly tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter.

Bake

  • Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cake rest in the pan for 20 minutes.
  • Turn the cake onto a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before glazing.

Make the Glaze

  • Stir together the powdered sugar and lemon-lime soda until smooth.
  • Add additional soda, a small amount at a time, if a thinner consistency is desired.
  • Divide the glaze into three small bowls.
  • Tint one bowl red, one bowl blue, and leave the remaining glaze white.

Assemble

  • Drizzle the three glaze colors over the cooled cake, alternating colors as desired.
  • Immediately decorate with red, white, and blue sprinkles before the glaze begins to set.
  • Allow the glaze to firm before slicing and serving.

Equipment

Notes

Substitutions

  • White cake mix can be used in place of vanilla cake mix.
  • Any lemon-lime soft drink works well if Sprite is unavailable.
  • Gel food coloring provides more vibrant colors with less liquid than traditional food coloring.

Serving Suggestions

Storage

  • Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • Refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Freezing

  • Freeze the cooled cake without glaze for up to 3 months.
  • Wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil.
  • Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then glaze and decorate before serving.