Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a large bowl, Measure flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, 2/3 cup of milk and the vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Beat 2 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Add remaining milk and the egg whites; beat 2 minutes high speed scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter into pan, Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Frosting:
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
confectioners sugar, if required

Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan; stir until well blended. Boil slowly without stirring until mixture will spin a long thread when a little is dropped from a spoon (hold the spoon high above saucepan). In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer until they are stiff, but still moist. Pour hot syrup slowly over egg whites while beating. Continue until mixture is very fluffy, and will hold its shape. Add vanilla, and beat until blended. If icing does not seem stiff enough, beat in 2 or 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff enough to hold its shape. Spread on cake.

Decorating:
Spread the icing generously over the completely cooled cake. In the top left hand corner of the frosted cake, arrange the blueberries into an outline of a rectangle that is 5 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Press the berries down into the frosting. Fill the blueberry outline in with the remaining blueberries. The blueberries will look best if placed in rows, the icing between them will resemble stars. Place strawberry halves cut side down in rows going across the cake horizontally. The bottom stripe of the flag is red, so start the first row at the bottom. Be sure to press the berries down into the frosting so the stripes will not be raised above the fluffy frosting. Serve any leftover berries with the sliced cake and ice cream.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.