This delightful six-layer rainbow cake is a treat for the eyes and the taste buds! Crafted with easily accessible pantry ingredients and adorned with creamy vanilla frosting, this cake boasts fluffy and flavorful vanilla cake layers in a spectacular array of colors.
Impressive desserts come in all sizes and styles. For instance, consider the dainty keto pavlova, which is petite compared to the indulgent cheesecake-stuffed chocolate cake. However, both share the ability to astonish those you serve and bring smiles to their faces.
That’s precisely what sets this rainbow layer cake apart. While it may appear to be an ordinary vanilla cake on the surface, slicing into it reveals the wonder of six vividly hued layers. Rainbow cake isn’t just a showstopper; it’s the ultimate birthday surprise. Here’s why you’ll adore this effortless rainbow cake:
- Pure Fun: Rainbow cake radiates joy. It’s a cake that appeals to both adults and kids, thanks to its vibrant, cheerful, and all-around feel-good vibes.
- Simplicity Reigns: Despite resembling the complexity of petit fours or an opera cake, making the batter and baking the six rainbow layers is a straightforward and foolproof process.
- Birthday Bliss: It’s the ideal birthday cake surprise. While it may look like a classic vanilla cake from the outside, it harbors a delightful colorful secret within, making the birthday boy or girl feel truly special.
If you’re in search of more impressive treats to delight partygoers, consider options like cake batter dip or no-bake funfetti bars.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Making rainbow cake is a breeze when you have basic baking staples and an array of food coloring. Here’s your shopping list:
- All-purpose flour: This choice ensures a light and airy texture for the cake.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar is ideal, but you can substitute with cane or coconut sugar, though it may affect the vibrancy of the rainbow colors.
- Baking soda: It reacts with vinegar, creating air bubbles that help the layers rise and turn fluffy.
- Salt: Adds essential flavor.
- Vinegar: White or apple cider vinegar works perfectly.
- Vegetable oil: Cakes made with vegetable oil are wonderfully moist and tender. You can use safflower or avocado oil as substitutes.
- Vanilla extract: Infuses delightful flavor into every bite.
- Water: Helps bring all the ingredients together.
- Food coloring: You’ll need six colors to create the rainbow effect – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Gel food coloring is preferable for its concentrated pigment and minimal liquid addition to the batter.
- Vanilla frosting: Select your favorite white or vanilla frosting to adorn the cake.
How to Assemble the Rainbow Cake:
Creating this six-layer cake involves various tools and ample space. You’ll need six small mixing bowls and six 8-inch cake pans. While it may seem like a lot, you can conveniently prepare the layers in batches in advance. To ensure your cake layers don’t stick, lightly grease the pans and line the bottoms with circular parchment paper. Then, follow these steps:
Step 1: Combine the Dry Ingredients Begin by whisking together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Incorporate the Wet Ingredients Pour vinegar, oil, vanilla extract, and water over the dry ingredients, mixing until a smooth batter forms.
Here’s how to proceed with the rainbow cake preparation:
Step 3: Incorporate the Food Coloring
Divide the cake batter into six separate bowls. To each bowl, add a few drops of the desired food coloring, stirring until you achieve the desired hue. Adjust the color intensity as needed.
Step 4: Baking Process
Transfer the colored cake batters into six individual baking pans. Depending on your oven’s size, you may need to bake the layers in two batches.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer emerges clean.
Step 5: Cooling and Assembly
Allow the freshly baked cake layers to cool in their pans for approximately 10 minutes. Afterward, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble the cake, start by placing the purple (or your chosen bottom) layer on a flat cake plate. Spread a layer of vanilla frosting evenly on top. Continue this process, layer by layer, following the rainbow sequence (from top to bottom: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) or any order you prefer.
For the finishing touch, decorate the cake’s exterior with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate the assembled cake for approximately 30 minutes to allow it to set. Once chilled, slice and serve to savor the delightful creation.
Tips for the Perfect Rainbow Cake:
- If you lack six cake pans, consider baking the layers in batches. This can be done either in a single day or spaced out over time. The baked cake layers store well in the fridge and freezer.
- To ensure uniform cake layers, use a kitchen scale to measure the batter into each of the six small bowls.
- In case the cake layers develop rounded, dome-like tops during baking, you can trim them using a sharp serrated knife.
- When it comes to decorating, you have options: opt for vanilla icing alone, or enhance it with funfetti sprinkles, additional piped icing, or colorful vanilla icing on the top and sides.
Storage Instructions:
- To preserve freshness, keep the frosted rainbow cake covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- For longer storage, place leftover cake slices in airtight containers and freeze for up to 6 months. The baked cake layers can also be wrapped in plastic and frozen for future use.
