4th of July Cakes and Desserts

Creative desserts are a great way to make the holiday more festive. We've all seen the typical flag cake, and while this traditional dessert is always a good idea, this year it may be time to try something new.

In order to make a fruit flag minus the cake you will need a few simple ingredients. This fruit flag is also a healthy dessert alternative. Simply take 29 large strawberries, rinse them, cut off the stems, and halve the strawberries lengthwise.

Next, arrange 30 large blueberries in the upper left corner of a serving tray or cutting board.

Then, take 7 or so large bananas and slice them into small wedges. Arrange the banana slices in rows and top each slice with a strawberry half.

Once the flag is officially arranged, you will want to spear each fruit piece with a decorative toothpick. It is easy to find red, white and blue toothpicks as well for the occasion. Serve the fruit with a yogurt/cool whip dip if desired. This healthy treat is a great appetizer or dessert for the holiday meal.

Another dessert suited for the 4th of July is a Strawberry-Blueberry Shortcake. You will need shortcakes, 5 cups of flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 C sugar, 1/2 cup margarine or shortening, and 2 cups of milk. You will also need 2 qts of strawberries sliced and tossed with a half cup of sugar. Also, to make whipping cream, take 1pt of whipping cream combined with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Be sure to pick up fresh blueberries for garnish.

To make the shortcakes, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Stir the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and sugar together in a large bowl. Next, slice the margarine sticks into pats and add to the dry mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, mix in the margarine until it is a course mixture. Make a small well in the center of the mixture and pour in the 2 cups of milk. Stir the mixture together just until it sticks together. If the dough seems very sticky, add a little bit of flour.

Turn the shortcake dough onto a lightly floured countertop or pastry cloth. Pat the dough into a 1inch thick circle, handling it as little as possible. Do not knead the dough.

Use a biscuit cutter or inverted cup to cut out the shortcakes. Arrange the cakes about 1 and 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake the cakes for about 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the strawberries in syrup and refrigerate until ready to serve. Be sure to stir the berries in the sugar again before serving.

To make the whipping cream, be sure to set the stainless steel bowl in the freezer a while to chill. Then, pour the whipping cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Add maple syrup or a teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip until stiff. Keep the whip refrigerated until the dessert is ready to be served.

To serve the shortcakes, slice the biscuits in half. Next, spoon over some strawberries and cover with a dollop of cream. Set the top half of the biscuit over the strawberries and pour on another dollop of berries, cream and garnish with the fresh blueberries.

This delicious and seasonal dessert is great for any 4th of July get together.

Another wonderful 4^th of July dessert perfect for any family get together are Uncle Sam Ice Cream Cones.

This dessert requires cake cones, white frosting, red and blue decorating gels, red and blue M&Ms and a canister of ready made whipped cream. You will also need a scoop of vanilla ice cream for each dessert.

Simply drop a scoop of ice cream on each plate and return to the freezer to harden. Next, construct an Uncle Sam hat out of a cake cone.

Use frosting and gels to decorate the cones with stripes and stars so that they resemble a patriotic top hat. Star tips work great with the white frosting to create star buttons and decorations around the base of the cone.

When the hat is complete, remove the ice cream scoop or Uncle Sam's Head from the freezer. Top the head quickly and add red and blue M&Ms for the face and nose. Add a whipped cream beard using the ready whip and serve Uncle Sam immediately.