Do you have a Fourth of July potluck or party coming up?
A Fourth of July potluck is one of the best ways to celebrate the holiday. However, deciding what to bring to a July 4th potluck or party can be tough.
You want to bring something that everyone can enjoy on a hot summer day. What should you bring?
Read on to learn what to bring to a July 4th potluck or party.
Related: Easy Red, White, and Blue Drinks for Fourth of July
Flag Cake
If you’re looking to bring something super patriotic to the party, we suggest baking a flag cake. While flag cakes look really fancy, they’re easy to make. All you need is some cream cheese frosting and berries to turn an ordinary vanilla cake into a flag cake.
Here’s how you make a flag cake:
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cups of flour
- ⅓ cup of cornstarch
- 1 cup of room-temperature sour cream
- 6 extra-large eggs
- 3 cups of sugar
- 18 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1.5 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of blueberries
- 1.5 cups of raspberries
To make the icing, you’ll need:
- 4 sticks of room-temperature unsalted butter
- 1.5 pounds of room-temperature cream cheese
- 1 pound of confectioner’s sugar
- 1.5 tsp of pure vanilla extract
Here’s how to make a flag cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sprinkle some butter and flour onto a cake sheet pan
- Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar in a bowl with the paddle attachment at high speed. Keep mixing until it’s light and fluffy.
- Add two eggs and turn the mixer to medium speed. Add the eggs two at a time, and then add the vanilla and sour cream. Stir until smooth.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl. Turn the mixer to low speed and add in the flour mixture.
- Pour the cake mix into a pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. To tell if the cake is done, stick a toothpick in it. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready to go.
- Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
- Spread three-quarters of the icing on top of the cooled cake.
- Use a toothpick to outline the flag on the top of the cake.
- Place the blueberries on the upper left corner of the cake, and line the raspberries to make the red stripes.
- Alternate raspberry rows with icing until the flag stripes are complete.
It’s best to serve the cake straight out of the pan.
Related: Margarita Recipes
Margaritas
When most of us think of margaritas, they think of Mexico. However, margaritas still make a great treat for a Fourth of July party.
While it can be fun to make your own margaritas, it’s not always easy to make margaritas from scratch at a Fourth of July party. Luckily, there are many different ready-to-drink margaritas that you can buy that take the hassle out of making your own.
These include:
Bottled Margaritas: With bottled margaritas, all you need to do is pour the drink over ice and serve.
Canned Cocktails: Canned cocktails are a great option for those who don’t want to deal with a lot of clean-up. They’re refreshing, light, and make for the perfect summer drink.
Margarita Popsicles: Popsicles are a must at any Fourth of July party. Why not combine the refreshing taste of popsicles with one of the most popular alcoholic beverages? Just like canned cocktails, margarita popsicles make for very easy clean-up.
Related: Rancho Gloria: Our Story
Chips and Dip
At Fourth of July parties, most people prefer to snack as opposed to eating one big meal. For this reason, chips and dip make for the perfect item to bring to a Fourth of July party.
Here are some chip and dip flavors to bring to the party:
- Tortilla chips and salsa
- Tortilla chips and guacamole
- Ruffle chips and French onion dip
- Chips and spinach artichoke dip
- Chips and queso
- Chips and bean dip
- Pita chips and hummus
- Tortilla chips and seven-layer dip
As you can see, there are many great chip and dip combos to choose from.
Are you wondering what the most popular margarita flavors are? Click here to find out!
Games
If the food menu has already been taken care of, backyard games are a great item to bring to contribute to the celebration.
Most Fourth of July parties are held outdoors, so here are a few easy games you can consider bringing:
- Badminton set
- Croquet set
- Whiffle ball set
- Tag football supplies
- Pool toys
- Cornhole set
- Norwegian golf set
- Bocce ball set
All of these game sets will help bring a new level of fun to your Fourth of July party!
Party Supplies
Party supplies are another great option for those going to parties where the drink and food menu has already been taken care of. The right party supplies can help take your Fourth of July party to the next level and get everyone in the patriotic spirit.
Here are some party supply ideas:
- Mini American flags
- Red, white, and blue beaded necklaces
- Sparklers
- Noisemakers
- Fourth of July party hats
Conclusion: Time to Celebrate the Fourth of July
As you can see, there are many different things you can bring to a Fourth of July party. Now, you just need to figure out what everyone else is bringing to decide what is most needed to have a great celebration.
Are you looking to take your margarita to the next level? Click here to learn how it’s done.