Fourth of July Flag Cake

3 White Cake Mixes
Ingredients called for in cake mixes
Red Food Coloring
Blue Food Coloring
Red Jam (strawberry, cherry, raspberry, etc.)
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, enough for a 3-layer cake, plus extra for filling
Red and Blue Sparkles Gel Writers (Wilton Cake Products)
Sparklers or Candles

Mix cakes per box instructions, add red food coloring to 1 cake mix and add blue food coloring to another cake mix, leave 3rd cake mix white. Use 8-inch cake pans and bake cakes per box instructions. Cool completely on wire racks. Place cakes in refrigerator or freezer for 6-10 hours to firm up cakes. Once cakes are firm slice red cake and white cake layers in half, use a long serrated bread knife to reach across layer. Set one red 'layer' and one white 'layer' aside. Stack the remaining red and white 'layers'; start with a white 'layer', frost this layer with buttercream and then place red 'layer' on top, place this 'layer' in refrigerator. Take blue cake and cut out center 6-inches, this piece is yours to eat. Take red and white 'layers' that you set aside and trim outer 2-inches away, the cut away pieces are also yours to eat. Heat approx. 1 cup of red jam and heat on the stove top or in the microwave until thinned and spreadable. Take cake from refrigerator, take approx. 1/2 cup of red jam and coat the top of the red 'layer'. Place the blue cake 'ring' on top of red/white 'layer'. Next, place white cutout 'layer' inside blue 'ring', frost this 'layer' with buttercream, then place remaining 'layer' of red cake inside blue 'ring' on top of white 'layer'. Frost entire cake with remaining buttercream. Decorate as desired using sparklers or other candles, also as desired. When you slice cake it should look like the US flag! Happy 4th!

Serving Size: makes 8-10 servings