summer fun and treat tuesday #3: 4th of july cake

we've been happily enjoying our summer. no school, nice weather, swimming, and delicious food. we LOVE eating!

i've been sort of bad at organizing crafts. i had one all lined up two weeks ago, but i was mad at the kids for being totally rotten in the store, so we didn't craft. then last week... well, i don't know what my excuse is. we were recovering from a fun 4th? i honestly don't remember last thursday!

i have been making treats though. so today i will post about that, even though it's not a tuesday (although i did make this treat on a tuesday!) i made this treat for america's and my mom's birthday. it's a festive 4th of july cake. i've been really making a strong effort to eat clean this summer, so this cake is (mostly) clean. it would be completely clean if i hadn't added the food dyes to it.

it was scrumptious.

i found the recipe at one of my favorite sites for clean eating recipes, the gracious pantry. seriously, this is my go-to site. this gal has taken tried and true food staples and transformed them into healthier, clean versions. i love it, because it takes all the guesswork out of trying to come up with your own clean version of a family favorite. and the best part--everything is yummy. i have yet to try a recipe i didn't like. so check out thegraciouspantry.com for some clean eating tips and recipe ideas, just like the 4th of july cake i made below (it's listed under canada day cake on her website).


between each layer there was whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries


since i made the cake the day before, i used bamboo skewers to keep the layers from sliding. anyone remember my new year's cake fiasco?!


help is easy to come by when you are frosting a cake and need to clean the spatula


fresh strawberries and blueberries not only tasted great, but they helped make this cake look patriotic, too


the finished cake... the star deco was pinterest inspired, of course


guests enjoyed the surprise of the red, white, and blue layers... although taylor insisted they were red, yellow, and blue

visit the gracious pantry for this recipe and many more!