On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Although yearly celebrations began almost immediately around the country to honor the event, it wasn’t until 1941 that “Independence Day” became an official federal holiday.

Baltimore’s prominent place in the holiday arose from the War of 1812. British warships had entered the Patapsco River in hopes of capturing the city. Between the fleet and city lay Fort McHenry, built in 1798 on the Locust Point peninsula and named after James McHenry, Secretary of War under George Washington.

A lawyer and amateur poet named Francis Scott Key was being held on a British truce ship. From the ship he spied an American flag, sewn by Baltimore’s Mary Pickersgill, flying over the fort.

When Key saw the flag emerge intact in the dawn after a night of British bombardment, he was so moved that he composed the poem, “Defence of Fort McHenry,” with the opening line, “O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light.”

Set to the tune of “Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular British drinking song, the poem eventually became the national anthem as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Ever since, Fort McHenry, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the U.S. flag and the Fourth of July have become intertwined in American patriotic lore. Not surprisingly, Fort McHenry is one of the few designated historic places in the United States where the flag flies 24/7.

Every summer different versions of the Flag Cake are presented at Fourth of July celebrations. What’s unique about this recipe is the surprise of the chocolate buttermilk cake base.

As an aside: at any time of the year, the cake and frosting below can be a blank canvas for your imagination. For example, toasted coconut mixed with chopped toasted walnuts is a delicious replacement for the berries when they are out of season.

(For details about the Fourth of July celebrations at Fort McHenry, see: http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm For information about the fireworks on Monday night at the Inner Harbor, see: http://www.bop.org/index.cfm?page=events&id=42.)

CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK AMERICAN FLAG CAKE

Cake

ingredients:

½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
½ cup sweet butter, sliced and softened
½ cup canola or safflower oil
¼ cup fine cocoa, unsweetened
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2½ cups flour
2 cups sugar

method:

Pre-heat oven to 350º. Lightly butter and dust with flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan that the cake can be served from. In a small bowl, mix together buttermilk and baking soda. Reserve. In medium saucepan over medium heat, stir water, butter and oil. Stir in the cocoa and cinnamon. Stir continuously and bring just to the boiling point. Remove from heat and stir in buttermilk mixture and vanilla. Reserve and let cool.

In a bowl large enough to hold all cake ingredients, blend sugar and flour. Beat in eggs. Beat in flour and sugar until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan. When completely cool, frost and decorate.

(NOTE: When the cake is completely cool, it can be covered with plastic wrap in its pan and refrigerated for up to 2 days before frosting and decorating.)

Frosting

ingredients:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3 teaspoons  heavy cream
8 ounces marshmallow cream or fluff

method:

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cream and sugar, mix in the marshmallow cream and beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate 1½ hours before decorating.

Decorating

ingredients:

1 cup fresh blueberries
3 cups fresh raspberries (strawberry halves and quarters may be substituted)
2  tablespoons superfine sugar

method:

Rinse berries and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with superfine sugar and let dry further on paper towels. In upper left corner, arrange blueberries in 5-inch (approximately) square to make blue field of flag. Arrange 6 or 7 horizontal rows of raspberries, depending on berry size, leaving white stripes between the red stripes.