Red, White, and Blue Velvet Cake

Makes 1 layer cake

• 1 box red velvet cake mix

• 1 box blue velvet cake mix

• 6 eggs

• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup cherry cola

• 1 cup lemon-lime soda

• 4 sticks (1 pound) butter, at room temperature

• 2 boxes (16 ounces each) powdered sugar 6 tablespoons milk

• Red and blue food coloring

• Blue star sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and two 8-inch square cake pans.
2. Place a cake mix in each of 2 large bowls. Add 3 eggs and 1⁄4 cup oil to each bowl. Add cherry cola to red velvet mix and lemon-lime soda to blue velvet mix. Beat each batter until smooth.
3. Divide batter among pans, 1 square and 1 round for each type of cake batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 20 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Add milk and beat until frosting is light and fluffy.
5. Level tops of cakes with a serrated knife, if necessary. Set a round blue layer on a cake pedestal and frost top. Set a round red layer, bottom side up, over frosting. Frost top and sides of cake.
6. Using a 4-inch round and a 21⁄2-inch round cutter, cut a medium and small round from each of the square layers. Set a blue 4-inch round on cake and frost top. Set a red 4-inch round over frosting and frost top and sides of tier. Repeat with 21⁄2-inch rounds.
7. Transfer half of remaining frosting to a piping bag. Divide remaining frosting between 2 bowls and tint 1 red and 1 blue with food coloring. Transfer each to a separate piping bag. Pipe frosting in long looping drizzles of red, white, and blue over cake and down sides, rotating colors. Lightly press blue sprinkles into cake.
8. Increase size of tip or hole in bag of white frosting and pipe a small bead border around bottom edge.