Firecracker Cake Roll on a platter surrounded by various fruits and red, white, and blue decorations.

Firecracker Cake Roll

Add a little red, white, and blue to your holiday spread and effortlessly impress your guests with a Firecracker Cake Roll. Exploding with colors and great flavor, this dessert is a salute to deliciousness. Simple to decorate and exciting to look at, it’s a 4th of July treat that is sure to make you ooohh and aaahh with every bite.


There’s something about summertime that brings out my love for all things bold and bright. And, when it comes to the 4th of July, you better believe I’m pulling out all the stops for an epic Independence Day celebration. One thing I’ll definitely be making for this year’s cookout is this Firecracker Cake Roll.

This dessert is fun, festive, and surprisingly easy to make thanks to the use of a pre-made cake roll from Dutch Apron® Bakery. The recipe starts with a Red Velvet Cake Roll which is covered in red, white, and blue buttercream and topped with a sparkling cake topper. I guarantee you this cake will outshine any fireworks show and turn your backyard barbeque into a star-spangled occasion.

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What You’ll Need

  • Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Mixing bowls, multiple
  • Serving platter
  • 3 piping bags fitted with 1M tips
  • Mylar spray ribbon cake topper

Storage Information

To store your Firecracker Cake Roll, cover the cut sides with plastic wrap then place the cake in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Before serving, let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes; this guarantees the best texture for consumption.

Tips for Making a Firecracker Cake Roll

  • You can make this buttercream the day before you assemble your cake roll and refrigerate it overnight. Then, when you’re ready to start decorating your cake, take it out and let it come back up to room temperature. You may need to mix again for a few minutes before applying.
  • Don’t take your cake roll out of the freezer or refrigerator until you are ready to start putting on the frosting. A cold cake is easier to decorate as it is less delicate. A room temperature cake is tender and fragile which means it is more likely to fall apart.
  • For more tips on how to achieve the perfect “crisscrossed” piping pattern on your cake, check out this video from the Topless Baker! His tutorial for this piping style starts at about 7:00.

How to Make a Firecracker Cake Roll

Firecracker Cake Roll

Recipe by Amber BreitiganCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Moderate
Servings

8

servings
Ingredients

8

Add a little red, white, and blue to your holiday spread and effortlessly impress your guests with a Firecracker Cake Roll. Exploding with colors and great flavor, this dessert is a salute to deliciousness. Simple to decorate and exciting to look at, it’s a 4th of July treat that is sure to make you ooohh and aaahh with every bite.

Ingredients

  • Cake:
  • 1 Dutch Apron® Bakery Red Velvet Cake Roll

  • White Buttercream Frosting:
  • 2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 7 c. powdered sugar, sifted

  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream

  • 1 tsp. salt

  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

  • Red and blue gel food coloring

Directions

  • Prepare the Buttercream Frosting
  • In a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth and light in color, about 2 minutes.
  • Turn mixer to low and slowly add powdered sugar. Once fully incorporated, add heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract.
  • Mix ingredients until well combined then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Beat an additional 1-2 minutes until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
  • Separate the buttercream into 3 different bowls. Color one bowl red, one blue, and leave the last one white.
  • Take your three piping bags and place a 1M tip in each one. Cut off the tips of the piping bags. Fill one bag with red buttercream, one bag with blue buttercream, and one bag with white buttercream.

  • Decorate the Cake Roll
  • Remove your cake roll from its packaging. Place the cake roll on a serving platter.
  • When you’re ready to begin piping, start in the middle of the cake roll with the blue buttercream. Hold the bag at a slight angle to the cake. Apply even pressure and squeeze down on the piping bag. Then, flick it diagonally in one direction.
  • Now, starting at the thin end of the last piped shape, repeat the same action while angling the bag in the opposite direction. You’ll change the direction of the icing every time in order to create a crisscross pattern.
  • Repeat steps 8-9 with the white buttercream frosting. Pipe one crisscrossed line on either side of the blue line.
  • Repeat steps 8-9 with the red buttercream frosting. Pipe one crisscrossed line on the outside of each white line. You should end up with two lines of red buttercream.
  • Once again, repeat steps 8-9 with the white buttercream frosting. Pipe one crisscrossed line on the outside of each red line. You should end up with four lines of white buttercream.
  • Repeat steps 8-9 with the blue buttercream frosting. Pipe one crisscrossed line on the outside of each of the outermost lines of white buttercream. These last two lines should frame both of the swirl ends of your cake roll. You should end up with three lines of blue buttercream.
  • Finally, place the cake topper in the center of the cake roll to give it that perfect finishing touch.

Did you give this a try? We want to see! Tag @dutch.apron on Instagram or @dutchapron on Facebook.

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Homemade Whipped Topping Recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Whip heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.