Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom and sides. Cream together your softened butter and sugar for about 3 minutes until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. I usually watch the stand mixer and feel the bowl—when it stops feeling warm to the touch, I know I'm there.

Add your eggs one at a time, beating for 20 seconds between each one. In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. This dry-mixture step prevents lumps from hiding in your batter, because flour pockets will bake into hard spots you'll notice in the final slice.

Alternate adding your dry mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Three additions of each keeps your batter smooth without overdoing it. Stir in your vanilla extract—this is your base for all three color layers of the 4th of july red white blue cake cozy.

Divide your batter into three equal portions. Add red gel coloring to one bowl (about 1/2 teaspoon for a bold patriotic red), blue gel to another, and leave the third white. Stir each until the color is even throughout. I divide my batter by spooning it into measuring cups first, which eliminates the guessing game.

Pour the red layer into your prepared pan first, spreading it into an even layer about 1/2 inch thick across the bottom. This goes on the bottom because red is slightly heavier and holds its structure best. Top that with your white layer, then finish with blue on top—this stacking order keeps each color visible instead of bleeding together during baking.

Bake for 48-52 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The cake will pull slightly away from the sides when it's done, which is your signal to pull it out. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes—this prevents the layers from shifting when you remove it.

Run a thin knife around the edges and flip the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely. Jake always wants to frost it warm, but waiting for complete cooldown (about 2 hours) prevents your frosting from melting into a puddle. This patience is the difference between frosting that sets and frosting that slides off your slice.

Make your frosting by beating cream cheese and powdered sugar together for 2 minutes until combined. Add heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency. For heartwarming summer baking that holds up in heat, this frosting stays stable longer than pure buttercream does.