American Flag Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and line four 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.

Combine white cake mix, milk, egg whites, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat for 30 seconds using an electric mixer on low speed. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes. Batter will still be slightly lumpy.

To make the red cakes: Measure ½ of the cake batter into a separate bowl and whisk in red food coloring until well combined. Evenly transfer red cake batter into 2 of the prepared pans; smooth the tops with a spatula.

To make the white cake: Transfer ½ of the remaining uncolored batter into another prepared pan; smooth the top as before.

To make the blue cake: Add blue food coloring to remaining uncolored batter in the large bowl and mix until well combined; fold in 1 cup white chocolate chips until incorporated. Transfer batter to the remaining prepared pan; smooth the top.

Bake cakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place onto wire racks to cool completely.

Run a knife around the edges of each cooled cake. Invert cakes, remove the pans, and peel off the parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to trim the tops of cakes flat and even.

Cut both of the red cake layers and the white cake layer in half horizontally. You will have 4 thin red cake layers and 2 thin white cake layers.

Place a 4-inch round stencil on top of 1 thin red cake layer; cut out a 4-inch red cake round. Repeat, placing the stencil on 1 thin white cake layer to make one 4-inch white cake round. Center the 4-inch round stencil on the blue cake; cut out and remove center portion covered by the stencil to make a blue cake ring.

To assemble the cake, you will need two thin 8-inch red cake layers, one thin 8-inch white cake layer, one 4-inch thin red cake circle, one 4-inch thin white cake circle, and one blue 8-inch cake ring. Reserve the leftover thin red cake layer and other cake pieces for making crumbs for decorating.

Place one 8-inch thin red cake layer on a cake pan and frost the top generously with white frosting. Place the thin 8-inch white cake layer on top of the red one and frost the top. Place remaining 8-inch thin red cake layer atop the white one. Frost the red layer.

Place the blue ring cake on top of the 2nd red cake layer and carefully frost the inside of the blue cake ring. Gently fit the 4-inch white cake layer into the blue cake ring. Frost the top of the 4-inch white center. Place the 4-inch red cake layer on top of the white one. Gently press small cake circles flush with the top of the blue ring.

Frost the entire outside of cake generously with remaining frosting.

Crumble red and blue pieces of leftover cake into 2 separate bowls. Score lines into the top of the cake's frosting with a kitchen knife to make a flag design. It should have a 2-inch square at the upper left for blue field and white stars and 7 thick horizontal stripes, about 1-inch wide.

Fill the square field at the upper left with blue crumbs, then press 1 tablespoon white chocolate chips upside-down into the blue crumbs to make "stars." Fill the bottom stripe and every other stripe with red crumbs to make red stripes. Sprinkle white sugar generously into the white stripes to make them stand out.

To serve, cut cake into wedges. The inside of the cake will reveal its layers of red and white stripes and blue field with white chocolate chip stars in every slice.