Gesine celebrates the American flag with this festive striped cake that is a true crowd pleaser. Follow the recipe below and browse this gallery to get her top tips for creating this stunning dessert.

"Get your [mise en place] ready. Get all of your ingredients measured out before you even start anything. Make sure you’ve got your pan prepped already," she says.

This is really, really important Gesine tells us. "If there’s any fat present [on the bowl or whisk], the egg whites won’t inflate because fat impedes the protein structure of the egg whites from forming those bonds that create the stable foam. If they don’t get to that really particular thickness, your cake batter won’t be spongy and it won’t rise. You’ll have a flat, gummy, weird cake."

Rolling the cake while warm will help it hold its shape of the cylinder and prevent cracking. If your cake does experience a little cracking, don’t fret. "It’s really no big deal. No one will see it because you’re covering frosting around it," Gesine explains.