Did Ina Garten invent the American flag cake? No. She all but ‘fessed up to Food52 about this last year, when our own Sarah Jampel dug into the bewilderingly complicated origins of this patriotic rectangular slab. (I neither love nor hate flag cake, though I know of some who harbor strong opinions about it.) But the Fourth of July dessert has come to be associated with Garten in the popular imaginary, largely because she’s been making and selling it for more than a decade now.
A post shared by Ina Garten (@inagarten) on Jun 29, 2017 at 9:41am PDT
Last Thursday, Garten posted a time-lapse video of her speedily adorning her flag cake with blueberries, raspberries, and icing. It appears as if she’s working from muscle memory; the practice is second nature to her, after all. “It’s a 4th of July tradition!” her caption reads. “I’ve made so many flag cakes over the years and I’ve gotten really fast at decorating them!!” She’s encouraging others to share their own photographs with the #bcflagcake trending topic; join in if you’d like.
The video’s collected just over 324,000 views and counting, and, folks, let me tell you: People are obsessed. Tasting Table tells me she decorates it “like a boss”; Delish cautions readers they “won’t be able to stop watching” it. “Downright mesmerizing,” chirps Food & Wine. Are they right? Decide for yourself.
(via Food52)
