Red White & Bluenana Cake

Are you still looking for a last minute dessert idea for the Fourth?  I have the PERFECT one for you!  

First, here is the backstory on this recipe's birth...  

I have been admiring the 100 Bundt Cake recipes over at Mix and Match Mama and decided to take a cue from her philosophy and "mix up" my own recipe.  I used the original Bundt cake recipe base and tweaked it.  I thought it would be fun to incorporate blueberries and strawberries (of course!) as festive fruit, and then I realized I could make it a strawberry-banana cake too!  A classic flavor combo in yogurt, ice cream sundaes, smoothies- so why not Bundt cake?!

Red, White, and Bluenana Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

2 small boxes (3.4 oz each) of banana instant pudding mix

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup veg. oil

1 can cream cheese frosting (room temp)

1 jar sugar-free strawberry preserves

Blue food coloring

Fresh strawberries & blueberries for garnish

Preheat your oven to 350.  Spray/grease a large bundt cake pan.  Mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and oil in a large bowl until your batter is smooth.  Now, pour half the batter (just estimate) into your greased cake pan and smooth if needed.  This is your "white" layer.  Spoon your strawberry preserves on top of the white batter, as evenly as possible, leaving only 2 tablespoons reserved for icing.  

Next, add blue food coloring to the remaining batter in your bowl.  Mix to make the color evenly distributed and continue adding coloring until you get your desired shade of blue (I probably used about 15 drops).  Pour the blue batter on top of the preserve layer, again as evenly as possible (but don't drive yourself crazy!).  

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before flipping it out of the pan and onto your cake plate.  

For the icing, scoop about 2/3 of a container of cream cheese frosting into a small bowl.  Add the reserved 2 tbsp. strawberry preserve and mix together.  If your icing is room temperature you can spoon it over the Bundt cake and it will drizzle over the edges for a pretty homemade look.  Continue until you have the desired amount of icing.  Garnish with blueberries and strawberries.  I chose to fill the center hole with blueberries and line the cake with sliced strawberries- do whatever you like! 

I am DYING to cut into the cake to see the festive colored inside, but we are bringing this to a party.  Will be sure to snap a pic there so you can see! 

Thanks again to Shay over at Mix  and Match Mama for the inspiration!  You can check out all of her Bundt cake recipes Here.