Celebrate Independence Day in *delicious* style with these 25+ 4th of July desserts. Try easy handheld cookies and bars, or impress with this American flag pie or cake (see end of this post for cake decorating instructions). Whichever recipe you choose, the crowd will appreciate your sweet homemade addition to the Fourth of July festivities.
Favorite 4th of July Dessert Ideas
Be the star of your summer holiday gathering! Today I’m sharing 4th of July dessert inspiration—berry-laden pies, s’mores-inspired cookies, ice cream treats, and more—in one spot. However you choose to celebrate, any of these dessert recipes are sure to dazzle brighter than the fireworks and sparklers.
Lucky for us, the holiday falls in the middle of peak berry season. Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries make for simple, yet tasty options for decorating desserts in blue and red. I use a combination of blueberries and strawberries to decorate this fresh fruit tart, plus some blackberries when assembling fresh berry cream cake.
Or skip the decorating completely and make a berry cobbler! 😉
If you’re up for a baking project, try your hand at an American flag pie using my homemade pie crust. I have a detailed recipe, video tutorial, and lots of helpful photos for you in that post. Complete the celebration with homemade whipped cream and/or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you’re craving something handheld for ease of serving, I have you covered there, too. Everyone adores these rice krispie treats (or festive s’mores rice krispie treats!) and M&M cookie bars (use red, white, and blue M&Ms if you have them available to you). And party-goers will love these fireworks cookies or watermelon sugar cookies.
Success Tip: Traveling With Your 4th of July Desserts
If you’re bringing along sheet cakes or bars, bake and transport them in a 9×13-inch pan with a lid. Transport layer cakes in a cake carrier; and a cupcake carrier works great for transporting not only cupcakes, but also cookies and pies.
25+ 4th of July Desserts
Fruit Pizza
Fruit pizza is a classic summertime dessert. The combination of a soft, buttery sugar cookie crust with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting and colorful fresh fruit is irresistible, not to mention beautiful.
Berry Cobbler Recipe
Carefree summer dessert at its finest! Seasonal berries are nestled below a lightly sweetened biscuit crust and finished off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Prepare this easy dessert in a casserole dish, or try small ramekins for individual servings.
4th of July Tie-Dye Cake (and Cupcakes)
Here’s everything you need to know about how to make festive, colorful tie-dyed vanilla cakes and cupcakes. These are always a huge hit with kids!
Toasted S’more Chocolate Chip Cookies
This toasty take on my favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies includes extra chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. The cookies are easy to make and you don’t need a mixer for the cookie dough—or a campfire!
Drop Sugar Cookies With Sprinkles
These are soft, chewy, sprinkle-loaded drop sugar cookies made from only 8 ingredients, with no rolling pin or cookie cutters required. Use red, white, and blue sprinkles to mark the occasion!
Easy Berry Icebox Cake
If there was one summer recipe that checked all the boxes, this would be it. My easy berry icebox cake is simple to prepare, feeds a crowd, totally no-bake, and is made with fresh whipped cream and seasonal berries.
Fresh Berry Cream Cake
This minimally decorated naked-style cake is layered between fluffy whipped cream and piled high with juicy seasonal berries. I typically make this with a vanilla cake, but feel free to use your favorite flavor.
Lemon Berry Trifle
This show-stopping lemon berry trifle recipe includes lemon pound cake, fresh berries, a lemon cheesecake filling, plus fresh whipped cream on top. Everyone will love digging into this freeform dessert!
Fireworks Cookies
I created these fun fireworks cookies using my base sugar cookie and royal icing recipes. I add a little lemon extract and zest for flavor, and you can use all sorts of colors for the icing. Pretty easy to decorate, too!
Mini Fruit Galettes
These mini fruit galettes are everything you love about fruit-filled pies, but require half the work and a fraction of the time. Grab your favorite summer fruits, and have fun preparing (and eating!) these kid-friendly mini desserts.
Easy Cheesecake Pie
This easy cheesecake pie is smooth, creamy and perfect for cheesecake lovers who want a quicker, easier alternative to a classic cheesecake. It sits in a crunchy, crisp graham cracker crust and you can top it with raspberry sauce and whipped cream for serving.
No-Bake Cheesecake Jars
My no-bake cheesecake jars are fun to make because you can customize them with your favorite toppings and add-ins. Made with just a few ingredients in only 30 minutes, this is a fabulously easy summer dessert!
Blueberry Pie Bars Recipe
This is blueberry pie without the hassle of making a homemade pie crust—win! A layer of buttery brown sugar crust, jammy blueberry filling, and crumbly oat topping come together for an easy bar version of a favorite summer pie.
Fresh Fruit Tart With Vanilla Mascarpone Cream
Homemade fresh fruit tart features a buttery pastry crust, mascarpone cream filling, and your favorite seasonal berries—I like to use blueberries and strawberries when serving for the 4th of July. Save time and prepare the crust and cream ahead of time.
Soft-Baked M&M Cookie Bars
These extra soft and chewy M&M cookie bars are so easy to make—no mixer, no dough chilling, no individual dough rolling required. Use red, white, and blue M&Ms for the 4th of July!
Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Make your own cookie ice cream sandwiches at home using my quick no-chill cookie recipe and your favorite ice cream. Dip the edges in even more mini chocolate chips for a classic look, or for a colorful variation, try rainbow sprinkles.
Angel Food Cupcakes
This recipe for light-as-air angel food cupcakes is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a delightful summer dessert. Top with my homemade whipped cream and an assortment of summer berries.
American Flag Pie
The most festive summer pie! A stars-and-stripes pie crust sits on a fruity filling of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and cherries. Tackle this impressive pie with help from step-by-step photos and a video tutorial in the post.
Easy Key Lime Pie Bars
You’re going to love these key lime pie bars, a square version of my favorite key lime pie recipe. Cream cheese adds the most delightful cheesecake flavor (and helps the bars set!), and a buttery graham cracker crust is a wonderful base for the tangy filling.
Our Favorite Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
For extra gooey and buttery rice krispie treats, use this recipe. Adding a little extra butter and marshmallow, plus a splash of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt makes all the difference!
Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
Fresh summer strawberries take center stage in this simple homemade strawberry shortcake recipe. The lightly sweetened, slightly crumbly biscuits pair perfectly with the soft whipped cream and juicy strawberries.
Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Homemade brownie ice cream sandwiches are fun, kid-friendly frozen treats that are perfect when the weather heats up. Use your favorite ice cream flavor sandwiched between two dense and deeply rich brownies.
No-Bake S’mores Icebox Cake
This 7-ingredient no-bake s’mores cake has 14 delicious layers of marshmallow meringue, chocolate ganache, and graham crackers. It needs to chill overnight, so it’s a perfect make-ahead dessert option.
Blueberry Yogurt Swirl Popsicles
These super simple, protein-packed 3-ingredient blueberry yogurt swirl popsicles are naturally gluten free and hit the spot when the weather heats up. Kids love them!
Ice Cream Cake
This make-ahead summertime treat combines two of your favorite ice cream flavors, homemade hot fudge, crunchy Oreo cookies, homemade whipped cream, and sprinkles. The ultimate celebratory treat!
How to Decorate an American Flag Cake (Vanilla Sheet Cake)
Before I finish up, let me show you how to turn a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake into a Fourth of July cake. Have you tried my vanilla sheet cake recipe before? That’s the cake you see pictured here. It uses the reverse creaming method for a pristinely soft and springy crumb, and the whipped frosting is out of this world. (Truly, taste testers go crazy for it! So much so that I decided to use it in my cream-filled chocolate cupcakes recipe, too.)
Make the cake: Follow my vanilla sheet cake recipe for the cake, or use your favorite 9×13-inch sheet cake recipe.
Make the frosting & decorate: Using the directions in the recipe card below, make the whipped frosting. Spread 2/3 of the frosting all over the cake, saving the remaining 1/3 for piping detail. Grab some fresh blueberries and halved strawberries and line them up to (mostly) mimic the stars and stripes on an American flag. I used Ateco 32 piping tip for the piping between the “stars” and Ateco 844 piping tip for the piping between the “stripes.”
This American flag cake would also make a lovely addition to your menu of Memorial Day recipes.
Print
4th of July Desserts: Decorate an American Flag Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 9×13 inch cake
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Decorate a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake with homemade whipped frosting, blueberries, and strawberries to resemble an American flag.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 baked and cooled quarter sheet cake (such as vanilla sheet cake)
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Topping
- 1/2 cup (70g) fresh blueberries
- 2–3 cups (380–560g) halved fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Cake: Bake and cool any 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake, whatever flavor you enjoy with vanilla frosting and berries. You can follow steps 1–4 for making my vanilla sheet cake, which is the cake pictured. Cool cake completely before decorating.
- Make the buttercream: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 4 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I add 1/8 teaspoon salt.) Frosting should be extra fluffy.
- Spread 2/3 of the frosting all over the cake (I use and recommend an offset spatula), reserving the remaining 1/3 for piping detail. Place whole fresh blueberries and halved fresh strawberries to mimic the stars and stripes on an American flag. Using a piping bag (disposable or reusable) and piping tips, fill in the space between the stars and stripes. I used Ateco 32 piping tip for the piping between the blueberry “stars” and Ateco 844 piping tip for the piping between the strawberry “stripes.”
- Slice and serve. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The frosting can be prepared and then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the refrigerated frosting sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then beat with a mixer for 1 minute to bring it back to a spreadable consistency. Add a splash of heavy cream if needed to thin out. Frosted cake (without berries) can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating with berries and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 32 Piping Tip | Ateco 844 Piping Tip
This was a huge hit at our picnic! The cake is such a great texture and flavor and everyone loved the icing! Such a pretty presentation as well. Thank you!
I made this for the 4th of July! There wasn’t a slice leftover! So good!
Adorable cake! The frosting was a little sweet, but if you serve it with extra berries, it’s delicious!
Sally,
I wanted to thank you for the easy to follow baking recipes, videos and baking tips. I barely started cooking from scratch in my 40s and recently started baking with little success and have always known baking to be unforgiving. I’ve been going through your recipes and watched the videos and because of you, I now find baking less intimidating. I plan to start with the 4-ingredient bread recipe and go from there. With your instructions and easy to follow recipes, I’m sure I’ll be sending you my baking success stories. Again, thank you for taking the time to create a baking website that any person no matter what their baking skills are can find success and enjoyment in doing so.
We’re so happy to read this, David!
David, thank you so much for this thoughtful comment. I really appreciate it and I’m so glad that you’ve learned from my posts, recipes, and videos!
I can’t wait to make this! Is a quarter sheet cake pan the same as a 9×13 pan?
Hi Lily, correct! A 9×13-inch sheet pan is also known as a quarter sheet pan.
I loved this recipe so much!
For travel purposes, how long does the piped whipped cream hold up? The potluck I’m attending is about an hour away.
Hi Joanna, that will be just fine!
I make this sheet cake every year since the recipe went up! And I decorated it like this last summer for the Fourth. Everyone loves it.