Freedom Cake

It's the 4th of July, and it's time to celebrate your freedom.  Grill out some burgers & brats, stuff down some watermelon, and prepare for the most intense cake you've ever eaten!

Yield: 30 servings

Ingredients

• 8" ready to bake frozen blueberry pie
• 9" ready to bake frozen raspberry pie
• 9" ready to bake frozen apple pie
• 5 boxes (16.25 oz each) white cake mix with ingredients to prepare
• Red food coloring
• Blue food coloring
• 6 containers (16 oz. each) cream cheese frosting.
• Red & blue gel or other decorations
• Sparklers

Directions

1. Prepare the pies according to package instructions.  Cool completely.
2. Line the bottom of two 10" and one 9" springform pans with parchment paper.  Wrap the bottom in aluminum foil.  Grease and flour the sides of the springform pans.
3. Prepare the first two cake mixes according to package instructions.
4. Pour a small amount of cake mix into the bottom of the first 10" springform pan.  It should be just enough to cover the bottom completely.
5. Lay the apple pie on top of the cake batter, upside down.  Pour additional batter on top to cover completely.  This should use about 1.5 of the 2 boxes you prepared.
6. Bake the cake at 350°F for 65-70 minutes.
7. Prepare the next box of cake mix and include the leftover 0.5 boxes from the apple pie layer.  You should now have 1.5 boxes of mix ready.  Add red food coloring.
8. Repeat steps 4-6, this time with the red cake batter and the raspberry pie.
9. Prepare two remaining cake mixes.  Add blue food coloring.
10. Repeat steps 4-6, this time with the blue cake batter, the blueberry pie, and the 9" springform pan.  Because it is smaller, you will only need to bake 60-65 minutes.
11. Cool all three cakes completely on a wire rack.  Refrigerate to get them cool and easy to handle.
12. Remove the red cake from the springform pan and trim to be flat.  Place on your serving plate and apply a layer of cream cheese frosting.
13. Remove the white cake from the springform pan and trim to be flat.  Place on top of the red cake and apply a layer of cream cheese frosting.
14. Remove the blue cake from the springform pan and trim to be flat.  Place on top of the white cake.
15. Using six bamboo kabobs, insert into the cake straight down from the top.  This will provide strength once you start slicing later and prvent the cake from collapsing.
16. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
17. Decorate the sides & top of the cake as you see fit.
18. If you want to take the fire risk of sparklers indoors, insert six sparklers around the top of the cake.  Light them and celebrate your freedom before serving.

Adapted from Charles Phoenix.