How to make a Rainbow Cake
This stunning rainbow cake would be a very impressive birthday or celebration cake. It takes a little time but is definitely worth it, wow your friends and family with this show stopper!
Method
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 4). Grease and base line 2 20cm/8” round sandwich tins.
Step 2:
To make the sponge layers you need to split the ingredients into three. Put 125g butter, 225g flour, 150g caster sugar, 3 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, 1tsp vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Next you need to split this mixture evenly into 2. It’s best to do this on the scales so you know it’s evenly split.
Step 3:
Put the 2 halves of batter into separate bowls then add your chosen colour and mix. Keep adding the colour until you are happy you have the right shade.
Step 4:
The pour the batter into the prepared tin and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Step 5:
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a while then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. If you leave the sponges to cool upside down they should flatten out into even layers.
Step 6:
Then repeat from step two twice for the remaining four layers, using the remaining colours.
Step 7:
To make the buttercream, beat together the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy then add the vanilla extract.
Step 8:
To construct the cake take a cake stand or cake board and smear a little of the buttercream onto it and carefully place the first layer centrally.
Step 9:
Spread a thin, even layer of buttercream onto the sponge and then carefully place the next layer centrally on top. Repeat this with the rest of the layers. We started with red, then orange, yellow, green, blue and finally purple.
Step 10:
Finally cover the top and sides of the cake with a thick layer of buttercream using a palette knife, being careful not to get any crumbs in the buttercream. Keep aside some buttercream to pipe on top should you wish.
Step 11:
Cover your cake with sprinkles then leave the cake to set for about 1 hour before presenting or serving
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 375g Butter (unsalted)
- 675g Allinson's Plain White Flour
- 450g Silver Spoon Caster Sugar
- 9 Egg(s) (free range)
- 3 tsp Baking powder
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
- Food colouring (selection of 6 colours, gels or pastes are more likely to provide vivid colours.)
For the Buttercream
- 350g Butter (unsalted)
- 700g Silver Spoon Icing Sugar
- 2 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
Recipe Reviews
How can you flatten the cake once it comes out of the oven so each layer is the same size?
We would recommend using a wire cake cutter/leveler or a sharp bread knife to slice off a bit of the top of the sponge to make all the layers even.
How long can you keep the cake once made? Should it be kept in the fridge or room temperature?
Hello,
Because of the buttercream we would recommend to keep this cake in the fridge, cake with buttercream or ganache topping will last for 3-4 days, allow to come up to room temperature before serving.
Hope this helps
Happy Baking!
The cake in the photo itself is super dense! Word of warning to those wanting to attempt this recipe!!!
In the ingredients, it says to use caster sugar. However, in the recipe instructions, it says golden caster sugar. Which one should we use?
Hello,
Either one would work fine,
Thanks, Happy Baking!
Hiya I'm about to try make this cake recipe is there to much icing sugar started in the recipe if so how much should I use
Hello,
That is the correct amount of icing sugar, it is a 9 layer cake so a lot of cake to ice.
The ratio between icing sugar and butter for buttercream is usually 2:1.
Hope this helps,
Happy Baking!
Many thanks x
This recipe looks ace, nice and simple but do you know roughly how tall it will be?
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 375g Butter (unsalted)
- 675g Allinson's Plain White Flour
- 450g Silver Spoon Caster Sugar
- 9 Egg(s) (free range)
- 3 tsp Baking powder
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
- Food colouring (selection of 6 colours, gels or pastes are more likely to provide vivid colours.)
For the Buttercream
- 350g Butter (unsalted)
- 700g Silver Spoon Icing Sugar
- 2 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract