Dessert: July 4th Flag Cake

Recipe by Kelly Senyei No Fourth of July celebration is complete without a traditional flag cake studded with sweet summer berries. But slice into our Stars and Stripes creation and you'll quickly discover this isn't your everyday vanilla sheet cake with

Ingredients

1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for dusting pan
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional butter for greasing pan
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs

Instructions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 °F.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan and line the bottom with wax or parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pan with flour, knocking out any excess.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the boiling water, cocoa powder, and instant coffee granules until smooth. Whisk in the milk and vanilla.
In a second medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium until fully incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour and cocoa powder mixtures in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. (The batter may look curdled.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top, and bake the cake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the wax or parchment paper, and let it cool completely. DO AHEAD: The unfrosted cake, can be cooled, wrapped securely in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature up to 24 hours, before assembling and serving.