Cake:.
- Pre heat oven to 350 deg (lower to 325 for dark/non stick pans).
- Spray two 8 inch round pans with baking spray or grease with butter.
- Combine dry ingredients (cake mix, cocoa powder and pudding mix) in a medium bowl until well blended.
- In a seperate bowl combine wet ingredients (butter, buttermilk, beaten eggs, vanilla, food coloring) and mix unitl well blended.
- Now slowly add your wet ingredients to you dry ingredients, mixing and scraping the side of the bowl as you go. Continue until all are well blended and beat for additional 2 minutes.
Note: Batter will be thick, if you think it is too thick for your mixer to handle you can add more buttermilk to thin it down, but don't add too much.
- Pour batter evenly split between the two baking pans.
- Bake according to package directions or until toothpick comes out center clean. Approx 30 minute.
- Cool.
Optional Homemade Frosting - Make while the cake is cooking:.
- Cream butter and cream cheese together until they are light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue beating until well blended.
- Add vanilla and heavy cream and beat until fluffy and spreadable.
Optional: For a thicker frosting you can add more powdered sugar until you get the consistency you are looking for.
- Split the frosting 2/3 into one bowl and 1/3 into another.
- Add blue food coloring into the 1/3 mixture until you get the color you like.
- Place both bowls of frosting into the refrigerator until you are ready to use.
Assembly:.
- Make sure cakes have cooled.
- Stir the frosting until it is spreadable again.
- Place first layer of cake on plate.
- Spread all of the blue frosting over this layer.
- Place the second layer (upside down) on top.
- Spread all of the white frosting over the entire cake.
- Decorate with with a toothpick flag.
- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
