It’s my birthday week!!!
So I made myself a cake.
Actually, I made this cake on the 4th of July… but I consider the whole month my birthday. Therefore, this was a marriage equality-4th of July-birthday cake.
Regardless of the occasion, there’s no better show-stopper than cutting into this Rainbow Layer Cake at a party and revealing the vivid layers of color.
Baking is relaxing to me. The more complicated, the more fun. I think it’s like playing music of painting for some people. if I can come home and bake after a long day, I’m a happy (birthday) girl.
This cake wasn’t super easy… but it wasn’t terrible either. It’s more time consuming than anything. I made a homemade cake, but you can make this even easier with a couple of boxes of white cake.
The layers
Here’s one thing that will make your life SO MUCH easier: weigh the batter.
- Using a kitchen scale, weigh your mixing bowl before you add anything. Write the number down.
- After the mixing the batter, weigh it again.
- Subtract the original number (the weight of the bowl) and divide it by 5.
- Use that number to evenly distribute the batter into smaller bowls before mixing in the food coloring.
I made the cake from scratch, but I cheated with the icing. I hate making icing.
I didn’t know Duff had canned icing, but was happy to see it at Target! It was delicious. Plus it doesn’t taste like Betty Crocker so people will still think you made it yourself. 😉
Crumb layer
Add a schemer of icing to the cake stand before adding the first layer to prevent sliding.
When you begin to compile the cake, add the first layer (the purple) top-down. By putting the bottom of the cake on top, you have a level surface to ice and it will have fewer crumbs to navigate. I added about 1/3 of a can of frosting to each layer.
That brings me to another tip for cake-making: do a crumb layer first. This way all your beautiful rainbow crumbles won’t shine through the white icing.
You can decorate your cake any way you like. I’m not skillful with making icing flowers or anything like that, so I went a bit abstract with some rainbow star sprinkles. Make sure you son’t add sprinkles until the day you’re serving the cake. They tend to meld and bleed all over your pretty white icing.
Then comes the terrifying fun part – cutting the cake and seeing the layers. I literally held my breath as I cut the first slice.
It worked!!! I laughed when I saw it. People oooooh-ed and ahhhhh-ed. The skies parted. A rainbow and unicorns appeared.
Maybe not… but that’s how it went in my head.
[Tweet “Check out this Rainbow Layer Cake’s vivid colors! #baking”]
Rainbow Layer Cake
Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Keywords: bake dessert birthday Pride cake
Ingredients (1 cake)
- 1 1/2 C (360 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 7 large egg whites (210 g), at room temperature
- 1 whole egg, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 T pure vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 C (420 g) cake flour, sifted
- 2 1/4 C (450 g) sugar
- 1 3/4 T baking powder
- 2 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
- 2 cans of icing
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease, then line with parchment and flour two round 8-inch pans (you will be using them multiple times), or five 8-inch pans (if you’re crazy enough to have that many on hand).
In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine and stir 1/2 cup of the milk, stir the egg whites, whole egg, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
Sift cake flour twice. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients, including the sugar, together on low-speed for 30 secs.
Add the butter, blending on low-speed for about 30 seconds.
Add remaining 1 cup of milk, and mix on low-speed until just combined. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1 1/2 mins.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition.
Pour 1/5 of your batter (for me a fifth was 384 grams, or about 1 1/2 C) into each prepared pan (if you have 2 pans, you will bake 2 layers first followed by the remaining), spreading it evenly. If possible, weigh the batter to ensure even layers.
Bake cake layers in center of oven for ~15 mins or until a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center. Be careful to not over-bake – these are thin layers. Check cake at 15 mins, but not before.
Let cool on racks for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a small spatula, and invert onto greased wire racks. Gently turn cakes back up, so the tops are up and cool completely.
Wash the 2 cake pans and line, grease and flour again and repeat.
Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.
Ice the cake in layers no more than one day before serving. Be sure to do a crumb coat first. Decorate as desired. I used star sprinkles.
***
I don’t care how old I am, the birthday week will always be marvelous.
What the most difficult thing you’ve ever made? Mine is still this Sweet Potato-Toasted Marshmallow Cake.
Do you celebrate your birthday all month long?
You are a genius, seriously 🙂
LOL! I dunno, but thank you!
Ahhh, this is so pretty! <3 I feel like I'd have to submit it to Pinterest Fail if I attempted this! 😡 I'm not good with making layered cakes!
Haha! I know what you mean – I was SO nervous. I swear it’s not as hard as it seems!
Happy almost birthday lady!! Funny, I just published a post on doing an early birthday celebration last weekend — even though my birthday isn’t for 3 weeks! Ha. I celebrated by myself with some fun “me” time, then I’m going to celebrate just with my hubby, then I’m going to celebrate with my family, and THEN my best friend’s wedding rehearsal dinner happens to be on my actual bday, so I think we shall be celebrating more then. Lots of birthday fun this year!! And I agree, baking is so fun and relaxing. Let’s bake some yummy sweet creations together sometime!
Don’t you love it when you can drag it out?! I hope you’re having a blast celebrating!
Once we finally get everything done in Vegas this week things will slow down a bit and we definitely have to get together! Hiking, baking, and wine? I’ll bring Carly too! 🙂
I’m super glad you added sprinkles! No celebration is complete without them 😉
BEST CAKE EVER!!! I don’t know if I’d have the patience to do all of that, but you’re a rockstar! A+++!
Thank you! You have to be in the right frame of mind… and I didn’t mention that I was blasting metal in the kitchen. Vegas was probably like “WTF?!”
I love this! July is my birthday month too, unfortunately birthday week begins on my birthday (July 26) which is two days before the NY Bar Exam 🙁 I will have to celebrate in style afterwards! I always make a confetti cake but this looks even more awesome of an explosion of colors!
Ohhhhh… you’ll have to have double the celebration after the bar! Good luck!!!!
What a pretty cake! Those layers. 🙂
Oh my gosh that’s SO cool!!! I can’t believe how well that worked!!! Happy Birthday Month 😉
I love this! It’s so beautiful for so many reasons! If I haven’t said it already, Happy Birthday! Gorgeous cake!!!
I am just SO impressed. Mine would look brown, cause all the colors would melt and merge, plus the shape would look extremely different too – so basically, I would create one bing fail. I let you do this and want it for my next bday.
LOL! There’s actually no way they can merge since you bake each layer separately… but I was still totally paranoid. But I’ll bake you one. Maybe for your bachelorette. 😉
It’s so pretty and perfect! There is no doubt that if I attempted this, it would end in a spectacular fail. I used to bake all the time but I can’t even remember the last time I made a cake…. Probably four years ago?
If I was in Italy I wouldn’t bother baking. Just go eat more gelato for me.
Looks so awesome girl! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you! One day! <3 xo
Thanks friend! You should totally come out here!!!
Such a beautiful cake! And perfect for celebrating not only your birthday but marriage equality!
The trickiest/most time consuming cake I’ve made was a Buche de Noel this past Christmas, but it was totally worth it 😉
Happy Birthday Month! (and yes I totally agree the entire month is necessary).
Thank you! And a Buche de Noel?! I am terrified of those. Way to go!
A work of art!!!
Happy birthday! 🙂 I, too, celebrate my birthday month.
Thanks friend! You need to come visit. I talk about you to much. Vegas thinks I made you up.
What is the what what?! A rainbow cake. I drool for this and wish my huge mouth could sink its fangs into it….. But of course, I need to ride a unicorn over to your place in order to grab 3 slices!
Yeah well… pack the unicorn full of some of the sushi heaven you’re eating right now and come on.
SO BEAUTIFUL! Yes, birthday months are totally appropriate here too! Hope JULY is wonderful for you!
Thank you so much!!! It has been wonderful so far. 🙂
I’ve always wanted to make one these. Yours looks perfect!
So beautiful! And quite the labor of love! Happy Burthday month!!
i have been waiting for this cake..looks heavenly. i dont have patience or a talent for baking 🙁
Baking is relaxing for me too until I eat it 🙂 That is an adorable cake
Ha! Eating it is relaxing too… especially with wine. 😉
SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Jody! I’ll make you a rainbow cookie one day. 😉
happy almost bday! You did a fab job! and i would totally cheat on the icing too. Damn, once you get past 30 you really don’t want to spend the extra time on that anyway! haha. Love you!
Right?! I have better things to do. Like wine. 😉
Seriously this is genius. I need to start weighing for some of my more complicated recipes.
It makes it SO much easier! Plus fewer dishes. All around win!
Your cake is awesome! I made rainbow cupcakes once, as a block party dessert. It was somewhat tedious, but not nearly as time consuming as your cake. I separated the batter in 6 bowls and died it red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. But with cupcakes, you just pour the batter in layers into each cup (without mixing) in a ROYGBIV sequence. I didn’t measure anything, I just scooped batter into bowls and eyeballed for even-ness. They turned out great! I just iced them with fluffy white icing and topped them with colorful sprinkles. Honestly, if you give me a recipe, I can make anything. My OCD works well with cooking and baking—I follow ALL directions. I pair cooking/baking with wine, so I’m rarely feeling any pressure anyway. But I will say this: if there are too many ingredients, I don’t care to attempt a recipe like that. Or if there are multiple parts—like the pie and the topping, or the casserole and the special sauce. No. If I can’t do it in half an hour, I probably won’t entertain it.
My birthday is October 3rd! I just celebrate my birth week. I love October in Charleston, the weather is amazing. But I HATE Halloween and anything associated with that holiday. So I definitely do NOT celebrate all month long because Halloween rears its ugly head. I focus more on astrology than holidays. I’m a Libra, balanced, chill. Since I’m early October, I don’t stretch it out. too far All I need is a day, and that day…I’d prefer to do my own thing and reflect. 🙂
Dude. Your blog comments are my favorite. And now I want cupcakes.
How do you hate Halloween though?!
Haha good. I’ll continue to share my epic deep thoughts…and Halloween…I just never cared for the ghosts, cemeteries, witches, orange and black color combinations…and candy corn…. And, at risk of sounding like a brat, when I had birthday parties as tiny child, the presents were often times Halloween themed. I do NOT want a pair of jack o lantern socks. I don’t want a pumpkin necklace. Just because I’m born in October doesn’t mean I love Halloween themed everything. I actually (strategically, as an 8 year old), managed to do joint birthday parties with my friend Jeanne who’s birthday was September 27. If we partied before October 1, we were golden.
I get it. My summer birthday always meant pool parties as a kid. I hate the pool, swimming, and anything where I have to stick my head under water.
I would’ve LOVED a pool party! The grass is always greener…
I’m oohing and ahhing and I see unicorns and magic fairies on the inside of that glorious cake. Well done!
Also, I love the tip about weighing the batter. Genius idea. I’ve got an icing trick for you, taught to me by one of the high school lunch ladies. Keep a warm glass of warm handy and dip your icing knife in it before dipping it in the icing and then apply to the cake. Repeat as necessary. It makes the icing go on smooth and you avoid the entire crumb layer altogether. Then again, a second layer of icing sounds pretty good to me. It’s usually my favorite part. I’ve never had a rainbow cake though.
How did you know I served it with a side of unicorn glitter piss?!
How about you come back for a visit and we make a cake. I’ll let you ice it. But I swear I’ll watch and learn…
That cake is freaking amazing. I saw your Instagram pictures and was jealous… then hungry!
Wow! That’s seriously a work of art! BEAUTIFUL! I bought a kitchen scale recently and I’m so excited to be able to use it for recipes!
Thank you! Enjoy that scale – it changed my baking life. 🙂