American Flag Cake

Preheat oven to 170 degrees ( 175 C ).Grease and line 10 centimetre round cake pans with parchment paper.

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

To make the red cakes, measure half the batter into a separate bowl and whisk in red food coloring.Evenly transfer the red batter into 5 of the centimetre prepared cake pans; smooth tops of batter with a spatula.Transfer half of the remaining uncolored batter into a 3rd prepared cake pan; smooth top as before.This will be the white cake portion.

Add blue food coloring to the remaining uncolored batter in the large mixing bowl; fold 1/4 liter white chocolate chips into blue batter until combined.Transfer batter to remaining prepared centimetre cake pan; smooth top of batter with a spatula.

Bake all 4 cakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.Remove the cakes from oven and place onto cooling racks until cooled completely.

Run a knife around edge of each cooled cake.Invert cakes, remove pans, and peel off parchment paper.Use a sharp knife to trim 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 centimetre round stencil on top of 2.5 thin red cake layer; cut out a centimetre red cake round.Repeat, placing stencil on 2.5 thin white cake layer to make 2.5 centimetre white cake round.Center the centimetre 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 5 thin centimetre red cake layers, 2.5 thin centimetre white cake layer, 2.5 centimetre thin red cake circle, 2.5 centimetre thin white cake circle, and 2.5 blue centimetre cake ring.Reserve the leftover thin red cake layer and other cake pieces for making crumbs for decorating.

To assemble cake, place 2.5 centimetre thin red cake layer on a cake pan and frost the top generously with white frosting.Place the thin centimetre white cake layer on top of the red one, and frost the top.Place remaining centimetre 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 centimetre white cake layer into the blue cake ring.Frost the top of the centimetre white center.Place the centimetre 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 the cake generously with the 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 on top of the cake.It should have a centimetre square at the upper left for blue field and white stars, and 18 thick horizontal stripes about 2.5 centimetre wide.

Fill the square field at the upper left with blue crumbs and 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.