Rainbow Cake

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My two children’s birthdays are in October. And this is when I will come up with a crazy cake which I will not make normally. Would you normally have a monkey cake, Elmo cake or Cookie Monster cake for dessert on a regular day?

This year my kids are lucky enough to have two birthday parties, because I couldn’t wait until the one with all family members, and we just had a little one with their grandparents first. This rainbow cake was their first cake.

All efforts were paid off when these moments came:

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Ingredients (8-inch 7-layer cake):
Vanilla Cake Layers
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a few drops of each food colouring paste (I used red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink)
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
10 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat over to 375F. Grease how many cake pans you have, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. (I have four and I just reused them)
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add eggs until just blended.
With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk and vanilla extract, mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
Divide batter evenly into seven small bowls. Add food colouring paste to each bowl and mix thoroughly.
Pour into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Place the cakes (in the pans) on a wire rack to cool. Then invert the cakes onto a greased rack. Cool completely before frosting.
To prepare the buttercream, put egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water. Use an electric hand mixer to beat constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot. Remove from heat.
With whisk attachment, continue whipping the mixture in a standing mixer until thick, glossy, and cool.
Switch over to paddle attachment. While mixing on medium speed, continuously add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture. If curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth. Add vanilla and salt, mix well.
To assemble the cake, place one cake layer (according to your preference order) on your serving plate and spread with 1/4 cup of the buttercream. Repeat this process until all cake layers are placed. Smear buttercream on top and sides of the cake.
Garnish with colour sprinkles.
Cover and refrigerate the cake. Leave out in room temperature for at least an hour prior to serving.

8 comments

  1. Thanks for the good writeup. It in fact used to be a
    entertainment account it. Look complex to far added agreeable from you!
    However, how can we keep up a correspondence?

  2. Hi Yaya, I use a piece of plastic bowl scraper/icing smoother. My work is not perfect, and it still takes me quite some time when it comes to frosting. But practice does help. Cheers.

  3. I just came across your blog via TastyKitchen and boy am I NOT disappointed. Your son’s expression just makes my day. :-) Beautiful cake and beautiful blog!

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