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Scrumptious Fourth of July recipes can be put together
creatively from ingredients readily found in the grocery store, such as,
blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, cherries, white chocolate chips, or
even raspberry jam. Baked into cakes, cookies, pies, quick-breads and the like,
or topped with whipped cream and berry compotes after baking, it's easy to make
a festive and delicious red, white or blue dessert for your family and friends!
I have plenty of recipes for you below.
One of
my favorite cakes to make is the
Fourth of July Celebration
Flag Cake Recipe, which is always
popular and well-received! You can also make cupcakes from this recipe which
the kids always seem to love. For an easier time, decorate the cake with red
or blue colored berries (see left), instead of piping designs with
buttercream icing. (Buttercream does not hold up well in the heat.) |
Many desserts can sit out on a hot July day, while others need
to be stored and served frozen or chilled. Those that spoil easily are ones made
with perishable cream,
pastry cream or
custard.
Buttercream icings are not a good choice because they
easily melt in the hot heat. Berry pies, cobblers and crisps, plus fresh fruit
are good choices because they can sit outside in a forever without spoiling, as
are cakes, dessert-like quick breads and cookies.
 DESSERTS
THAT NEED TO BE SERVED FROZEN OR CHILLED AT ALL TIMES: Some desserts
require that they be served right from the refrigerator or freezer.
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Red, White
& Blueberry Trifle:
Trifle is an
easy-to-make English dessert, made with the layering of cake, custard,
whipped cream and fresh fruit in a trifle or large glass dish or bowl.
Garnish with a sprig of mint. Trifle is very forgiving and it takes no
effort to make it look great! Keep refrigerated. |
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My favorite and easy Fourth of July dessert is a
Red, White
and Blue Ice Cream Pie made with vanilla, blueberry and strawberry ice
cream in a store bought crust! My
Double
Berry Ice Box Pie Recipe is another easy recipe that always gets rave
reviews and is best served chilled.
An authentic American celebration, such as the Fourth of July,
would not be complete unless there were
Strawberry Shortcakes served for dessert. I like to serve mine piled
high with vanilla, blueberry and/or strawberry
ice cream,
topped with whipped cream. Serve with
a sprig of fresh mint and Viola!, you'll have yourself quite a wonderful and
delicious dessert.
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Red, White or Blue Pies |
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Pies are
great keepers. To make pie baking easier, don't forget to use ready-made
crusts from the grocery store. Shhh...I won't tell! |
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DESSERTS
THAT DO WELL IN THE HEAT OF A SUMMER DAY: When
choosing a red, white or blue celebration dessert for a hot summer Fourth of
July day, there are several to choose from. The dessert recipes I picked for you
won't melt, spoil or disintegrate and are all delicious. However, remember never
to place any outdoor dessert directly in the sun; rather keep it covered and in
the shade.
All types of cakes that can be topped and filled with of
icings and fruit sauces that can easily withstand the heat.
Italian Meringue,
Chocolate
Ganache, and
fruit compotes, purees and sauces are some examples. I have
paired them for you with some cake recipes, below.
 Cobblers
and Crisps are always all-American and easy to make, plus they can
sit out on an outdoor serving table without spoiling. First cousins of pies,
all have fruit fillings and are baked in either shallow or deep dishes with
top crusts only. Whatever recipe you choose, using the classic combination
of raspberries, cherries or strawberries and blueberries, will deck out your
dessert with the colors of the day.
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A
pound cake
served with a
boysenberry compote is always a crowd pleaser. Sneak in a scoop of
homemade ice cream,
and you have yourself a treat! But, eat fast, because ice cream melts quickly
when served on a hot day. I guess you'll have to eat this delicious combination
under the shade of a tree!
The
Red Velvet Cake
Recipe is delicious to serve and is a piece of authentic Americana. It
qualifies as a red-colored dessert, right ?!? My recipe has it iced iced with
Creamcheese Frosting, so it must be kept refrigerated, but if you use an
Italian Meringue
Recipe, it will hold up nicely in the heat.
How about a Star Spangled Angel Food Cake?
Bake
or purchase a plain Angel Food Cake and serve with
strawberry compote. If you feel industrious, before serving, sprinkle a
few
crystallized edible flowers on the plate, of course, in the color blue!
(Purple Johnny Jump-ups or pansies are close enough). For an easy way to add
color, blueberries always come in handy, too!
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Red, White or Blue Cakes |
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Whether or
not a cake can sit out on a hot July day has to do with
the type and what you fill and
frost it with. |
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There's nothing wrong with serving a dessert-like
Blueberry-Orange
Quick Bread Loaf slices with coffee and tea at any Fourth
of July event. Or, how about a
Chocolate Raspberry
Quick-Bread? Or, even a
White
Chocolate Cranberry Loaf? All are simple to make and are more
dessert-like than quick-bread-like.
Serving cookies and bar cookies at a Fourth of July
Celebration is the way that I like to go, especially when entertaining outside.
They are easy to serve and you don't have to worry about them spoiling unless
the cookie or bar contains cream cheese, pastry cream or any other perishable
item. Then, they have to be kept refrigerated.
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Red, White or Blue
Cookies |
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There's
nothing more inviting than a plateful of homemade cookies! |
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Sugar Cookies -
before baking,
decorate
with red, white or blue sanding sugar. They'll really sparkle from the
lights of the fireworks! |
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One of my family's favorite cookies are the
Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Bars. Everyone loves them, so you can't go
wrong. If you serve anything with chocolate in it, such as the chips in
Chocolate Chip Cookies,
they will soften in the heat and make a mess, but HEY, things could be worse.
Pinwheel Cookies
are classic to serve and
look pretty with their swirls of contrasting chocolate and vanilla dough.
One year, I made two batches of vanilla dough, and
tinted one
with red and created Fourth of July swirl cookies. Bake them on a stick and
sprinkle with untinted sanding sugar before baking, and the kids really go crazy
for them. You can do the same with a blue tinted dough. I have a whole section
here on
Decorating Cookies 101. (Note: When tinting dough, the baked cookie
turns out lighter shade than the dough's color).
Sugar Cookies
lend themselves well to being
decorated.
Sprinkle with red, white or blue sanding sugar before baking. After baking,
they'll sparkle plenty in the light of the Fourth of July fireworks and will
have an extra crunch! (Store bought cookie dough can also be decorated the same
way, as well!)
Fresh fruit always makes a welcome
and spectacular dessert. This year I am going to make a Red, White and Blue
Watermelon Basket.
For my Fourth of July Celebration, I'll fill it with fruits that display the
colors of the day: watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, boysenberries,
star fruit (Carambola)
slices, banana slices (soak in freshly squeezed lemon juice first so they won't
turn black), etc. Garnish the handle with star fruit slices held in place
with a toothpick and cherry on the end. Serve with toothpicks or a
large serving spoon.
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Star Fruit (Carambola)
is readily available from the grocery store,
and when sliced, look like stars. They make a great Fourth of July garnish. |
A Watermelon Basket is perfect for an outdoor
event. The fruit can sit out on the serving table and always looks so festive.
Besides, family and friends can nibble on it the whole time. My mother used to
make watermelon baskets for summer events and as a kid, I was always amazed at
how she could carve a basket out of an entire watermelon and fill it with fruit!
Let me know what you decide to
make or if you have any questions, go to
Ask (Me) Sarah.
Plus, there are
more dessert recipes
to choose from.
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