Festive 4th of July Red, White, and Blue Swirl Cake Dessert

Sweeten up your 4^th of July picnic or bar-b-que this summer with this delicious and fun to make 4^th of July red, white, and blue swirl cake. This cake is a fun project for the kids with adult supervision.

Supplies Needed for 4^th of July cake:
1 white cake mix
1 can white frosting
Red food coloring
Blue food coloring
Flaked or shredded coconut
Decorative flag, optional

Steps to Make the 4^th of July Red, White, and Blue Swirl Cake Dessert
1. Mix the cake batter according to the directions on the box.

2. Reserve about ½ cup of the batter and pour the remaining batter into 2 cake pans.

3. Divide the reserved ½ cup of batter into 2 equal portions and place into separate bowls.

4. Add 4 or 5 drops of red food coloring to one of the reserved portions. You can add more red dye to make a darker red or fewer drops to make a lighter red.
Note: Food coloring will stain your clothing and skin so use care and help children with this step.

5. Add 4 or 5 drops of blue food coloring to the other reserved portion.

6. Add a large dollop of both the red and blue colored batter to each cake pan.
7. Use a butter knife to swirl the colors with the white batter. By swirling the colors together gently, you'll have a really fun 4^th of July patriotic colored cake to serve to your guests.

8. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.

9. Cool cake completely before frosting.

10. Frost the cake using white frosting, either cream cheese or vanilla flavored. Both flavors are delicious on this cake!

11. Measure out ½ cup of coconut into one bowl and another ½ cup of coconut into a second bowl.

12. Add 4 or 5 drops of red food coloring to one bowl of coconut and stir it well.

13. Add 4 or 5 drops of blue food coloring to the other bowl of coconut and stir well.

14. Sprinkle both the blue and red coconut on top of your frosted 4^th of July red, white, and blue swirl cake.

Note: If you do not like coconut or have allergies to it, you can use red and blue sprinkles instead.

15. Add the decorative flag to the middle of the 4^th of July red, white, and blue swirl cake dessert.

16. Serve to your guests with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.