Red White and Blue Marble Cake

Swirled patriotic cake batter topped with fresh berries and whipped cream, this red white and blue marble cake is super simple to make with a boxed cake mix and a tub of Cool Whip!

  • Total 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Serves 12 servings
  • Dessert
  • American
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Close up photo of a square piece of Red White and Blue Marble Cake

Swirled patriotic cake batter topped with fresh berries and whipped cream, this red white and blue marble cake is super simple to make with a boxed cake mix and a tub of Cool Whip!

Piece of Red White and Blue Marble Cake being lifted out of the pan more

Why this recipe works

This patriotic red white and blue marble cake is a fun one to bring along to your 4th of July parties. It keeps it nice and simple with a white cake mix with a few drops of red and blue gel food coloring. Swirl them together in a pan, bake, then top with berries and airy Cool Whip frosting.

You can also decorate the top as we did in our red white and blue poke cake by lining your berries in the shape of a flag. Whichever way you do it, this marble cake is a stunner for potlucks and patriotic get-togethers.

Piece of Red White and Blue Marble Cake on a plate with a bite taken out

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredients for Red White and Blue Marble Cake

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CAKE – A white cake mix is your best bet for the white portion of this cake. To keep the white cake as white as possible, be sure to use egg whites and not whole eggs in your cake batter. For the colored layers, use gel-based food coloring to get the most vibrant color with the least amount of food coloring. We used Americolor Super Red and Americolor Sky Blue for this cake.

TOPPING – You can use homemade stabilized whipped cream or a tub of Cool Whip. Regular homemade whipped cream will also work but does not hold up as well on top of cake. Buttercream frosting is another choice if you aren’t a fan of whipped cream, which you can easily tint with gel food coloring if desired.

GARNISH – We used sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. You can use any red or blue fruits you prefer to keep with the patriotic theme or alternatively top the cake with sprinkles.

How to Make Red White and Blue Marble Cake

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
  2. Beat together cake mix, egg whites, oil, and water until fully combined.cake mix, oil, and egg whites in a bowlhand mixer combining cake batter ingredients
  3. Divide the cake batter evenly into three bowls.
  4. Tint one bowl of cake batter with the red food coloring and one bowl with the blue food coloring. Leave the third bowl white.tinting cake batter with gel food coloringRed, white, and blue cake batter in bowls
  5. Drop large dollops of the cake batter throughout the prepared baking dish, rotating the colors. Use a knife to swirl the colors slightly – do not over swirl or the colors will become muddy and mixed.dollops of red white and blue cake batter in a baking dishusing an icing spatula to swirl cake batter colors togetherswirled red white and blue cake batter
  6. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, until the cake is set and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs when poked in the center.baked patriotic swirled cake
  7. Allow the cake to cool completely.
  8. Top the cake with the thawed Cool Whip and spread evenly.red white and blue cake topping with Cool Whip frosting
  9. Sprinkle berries over the top of the cake.berries on top of red white and blue marble cake
  10. Slice and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

How do you store this cake?

Cover your cake with plastic wrap or an air-tight lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If storing without the cool whip and berries, you can keep the cake covered at room temperature.

Can I make this marble cake in advance?

Yes, you can prepare, bake, and frost this cake a day in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator. If you plan on topping with berries I would suggest waiting until just before serving to add them as they can bleed their color into the Cool Whip topping after sitting for a while.

Can I freeze red white and blue marble cake?

You can easily freeze this cake by wrapping it a few times in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Hold off on the berry topping if you plan on freezing.

Photo of a pan of Red White and Blue Marble Cake with a few square pieces removed

Serving Suggestions

Top your red white and blue marble cake with corresponding colored berries like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries. You can also top it with patriotic sprinkles in place of the berries. As mentioned above, you can also line your berries into the shape of a flag like we did in our red white and blue poke cake!

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