This July 4th, celebrate Independence Day with a patriotic dessert that is cooked and ready to enjoy in just one minute! Eaten as a mug cake or turned out onto a plate, 3-2-1- Red, White, and Blueberry Microwave Mug Cake is an individual serving of patriotic funfetti cake bursting with sweet cherry and blueberry pie filling. An instant dose of Americana!
I believe in making a big deal about birthdays; human birthdays, dog birthdays, country birthdays. The USA will celebrate its 239th birthday this year. Certainly that deserves a celebration! Personally, I think cake and fireworks should be standard for any birthday.
I love fireworks. Not just like them. Really love them. St. Louis has some amazing fireworks downtown over the Mississippi. For many years our family shuffled along with thousands of others to watch those colorful explosions at Fair St. Louis. Now that we are a wee bit older and less inclined to deal with the heat, crowds and traffic, our family opts for a slightly less crowded pyrotechnics display over the Missouri River in St. Charles, Missouri.
In St. Charles, we set up our folding chairs on the cobble stoned streets by the river. A local radio station broadcasts the audio for the choreographed explosions. For almost an hour we sit mesmerized by the dancing lights in the sky. A beautiful way to gather in appreciation of our country!
Independence Day is yet another opportunity to pause and offer our thanks to those who serve in the military, past and present, and their families. It is through their sacrifices that we are able to celebrate independence and freedom. I have mentioned before that one of my favorite ways to say, “Thanks!” is with the Cup of Joe program. For only $2 (payable online) you can gift a cup of coffee to deployed military. There is even a place to write a 4th of July thank you note. A simple cup of coffee goes a long way in letting the troops know that their service is appreciated.
3-2-1 Red, White, and Blueberry Microwave Mug Cake is a celebration in a mug. Practically instant dessert! As with all Monday Box 3-2-1 cakes, all of the ingredients in Red, White, and Blueberry Cake are shelf stable. The ingredients are easily kept on hand at home for an instant Independence Day treat or safely packed into care packages to be savored across the world.
Some notes on ingredients: In order to end up with a white cake, the magic mix uses white cake mix. If vanilla cake mix is used, the cake will be yellow, which is still tasty, but won’t look like the colors of the American flag. In the trial runs for this recipe, I tried using various quantities of the add-ins with mixed results. Less fruit filling results in less fruit flavor. More fruit filling can result in anything from a cobbler-like creation (I am working on that for a future post) to a cup of fruit flavored mush. If you want a flavorful cake, stick close to the heaping teaspoon indicated in the recipe. Generally, I believe that the more sprinkles the merrier, but not with this cake. Too many sprinkles mixed into the batter will give you pockets of melted blue/red goo instead of funfetti. Stick with 1 teaspoon of jimmies (sprinkles) and barely fold them in. The patriotic funfetti effect will be just right.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Independence Day! Happy Birthday, USA!
You can read more about desert safe ingredients and find an index of all of the desert safe recipes on The Monday Box by clicking here.
3-2-1 Red, White, and Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Angel Food Cake mix
- 1 box white cake mix
- Non-stick spray if not using disposable cups
- Water
- 1 can of blueberry pie filling
- 1 can of cherry pie filling
- Sprinkles: red white, and blue stars and jimmies
Directions
- In a gallon sized ziplock bag, combine the two boxes of cake mix. Shake the bag to mix thoroughly.
- Lightly coat the inside of a microwaveable mug with non-stick spray or use a disposable microwave-safe paper cup. Without the spray the cake will not transfer out of the mug and the mug is harder to clean. If using a microwave-safe paper cup, no spray is needed.
- (Here comes the 3-2-1 part) Into the prepared mug/ paper cup, stir together 3 tablespoons of cake mix and 2 tablespoons of water. Fold in 1 teaspoon of jimmies sprinkles. Add (without mixing) a heaping teaspoon of blueberry filling and a heaping teaspoon of cherry filling.
- Microwave on high for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with additional cherry pie filling and star sprinkles, then eat it right out of the mug. If you want to transfer the cake onto a plate, run a knife around the edge between the cake and the mug to loosen, dump out onto a plate, then add the cherry filling and star sprinkles.
Packing Tips
Combine the two cake mixes into a gallon-size ziplock bag labeled with directions. Include a measuring spoon, canned fruit, and sprinkles. If the care package is international , include microwave safe paper cups. If the care package is domestic, add either a can of non-stick spray (for use with a ceramic mug) or microwave safe paper cups ( highly recommended for college students). Don’t forget to include the “recipe”.
shannon says
June 17, 2015 at 7:22 amnothing wrong with a little patriotic funfetti: i love those sprinkles! also would be happy with any dessert featuring funfetti cake and two pie fillings i’d eat right from the can (b/c i’m classy like that.) You’re right: St. Louis has some lovely fireworks, and i’d even add to that that i really like what some of the county parks do also (like Kirkwood) b/c you don’t have to fight to get there.
This year i get to watch fireworks beachside in Florida: i’m not complaining. I have a family who loves funfetti, and a me who loves easy desserts when i’m on vacation, which means i suspect we’ll try these. 🙂
The Monday Box says
June 17, 2015 at 9:34 pmNo question. 3-2-1 cakes are lazy days of summer vacation perfect. However, I imagine your vacation cooking to involve fantastic recipes found in your library of cookbooks and lovingly prepared for your family. Lucky Shannon’s family! I do suggest adding funfetti in there somewhere. Its patriotic and festive! 🙂 Have a wonderful Florida 4th!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
June 17, 2015 at 10:39 amAnother fantastic microwave cake! I love the patriotic colors 🙂 Celebrating all birthdays is a great thing indeed! Have a wonderful week.
The Monday Box says
June 17, 2015 at 9:37 pmThanks, Tricia! 3-2-1 cakes are easy to dress up for any holiday. The funfetti
PLUS the pie fillings might be overkill…but I think funfetti turns a cake into a party! 🙂
Ashley says
June 18, 2015 at 3:43 pmI’ve never been a big fireworks person! Then again, my sister was terrified of them growing up so we didn’t go that often 🙂 Love this cake – it’s so fun and festive!
The Monday Box says
June 23, 2015 at 8:21 amThanks, Ashley! The noise of fireworks can be a problem for humans and pets, which is too bad because they sure are beautiful! I never understood firecrackers, because all they are is noise without any of the beauty!
Chris @ The Café Sucré Farine says
June 19, 2015 at 8:14 pmYou make the most fun 3-2-1 cakes Wendy. I can’t imagine anything easier. Maybe a little dangerously easy?
The Monday Box says
June 23, 2015 at 8:23 amThanks, Chris! You are quite right. 3-2-1 cakes are dangerously easy, which makes them “just right” for college students or military with little time or baking inclination. 🙂 For the rest of us….perhaps instant gratification should come with a warning label! 😉
Monica says
June 22, 2015 at 10:55 amLove these easy to make cakes and these are absolutely festive and scream “Happy Birthday, USA!” Love that, Wendy. : ) We are planning to head into our town to watch the fireworks on the 4th. There is something totally mesmerizing and magical about fireworks. I can do without the heat and crowds but it’s very manageable in our town with our chairs in tow. Hope you are enjoying summer so far!
The Monday Box says
June 23, 2015 at 8:28 amThanks, Monica! I think these little cakes are just about as red, white, and blue as they can get! 🙂 Mesmerizing is the perfect word to describe the magic of fireworks! I wonder why there aren’t winter(or at least cooler weather) fireworks? That would take care of the heat, but we would still have to deal with the crowds! 🙂
Mir says
June 24, 2015 at 9:18 amThese are so beautiful, Wendy! And such a perfect July 4th dessert. I can’t believe how gorgeous they turned out!
It’s so great of you to constantly support sending treats and other important morale-boosters to people in service to our country. It’s an amazing thing to do.
The Monday Box says
June 24, 2015 at 3:47 pmThanks, Mir! These funny little cakes are so much fun to play with! I think this one came out looking like fireworks! (Which is better than acting like fireworks. I have had that happen while recipe developing, ending up with 3-2-1 microwave!) The military care packages are truly my honor to send. I am in awe of the dedication and sacrifices of our troops and their families. This is just my tiny way of saying thanks! 🙂
Kat says
June 24, 2015 at 3:05 pmLove the 3-2-1 recipes!!!! Have tried a few different ones so far and love every one of them. Keep up the great work on variations!!! Got any suggestions on one with peaches or peach preserves that would be comparable to a peach cobble?
The Monday Box says
June 24, 2015 at 3:43 pmThanks, Kat! I am so glad you are enjoying the 3-2-1 cakes! I have been working on a peach cobbler type 3-2-1 cake! Cobbler traditionally has more fruit than cake, so I am playing with the amounts. Stay tuned!
Kat says
June 24, 2015 at 3:56 pmWonderful!!!! I have had so many wonderful comments on the cakes that I have tried already and I can’t wait to try more of the recipes and i look forward to hopefully a cobble type cake as well!!!
THE HUNGRY MUM says
June 25, 2015 at 7:56 pmwow – those colours! So patriotic and delish.
The Monday Box says
June 25, 2015 at 8:42 pmThanks! Being that the colors work for either country, you could use these for Australia Day! 🙂
Emily @DomesticDeadline.com says
June 16, 2017 at 8:14 pmThis sounds awesome. I need to start having some 3-2-1 cake mix on hand, I can actually see using my homemade blueberry and cherry jams on this instead of pie filling. Thanks for linking up with #HomeMattersParty
The Monday Box says
June 19, 2017 at 10:48 pmThank you, Emily! I think homemade jams would be amazing in a 3-2-1 cake! So many flavor possibilities! Thanks for hosting #HomeMattersParty!
Miz Helen says
June 18, 2017 at 10:58 amWhat a very special treat! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great weekend and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
The Monday Box says
June 21, 2017 at 10:43 pmThank you, Miz Helen! Thanks for hosting Full Plate Thursday. I hope you have a great weekend as well!