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Rainbow Cake

Rainbow Cake

A bright and yummy layered cake for the true Rainbow lover! (photo by SweetCakes Denver http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetcakesdenver/)

Recipe by food4thawt

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(14)

Prep Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours

Servings: 16 Items

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Ingredients

2 boxes White Cake Mix
4 drops Food Coloring
4 packages Cream Cheese (8 oz)
1 cup Butter
5 cups Powdered Sugar (Confectioners Sugar)
1 tablespoon Vanilla

Directions

1For the cake, make one box cake mix according to the directions on the box. Separate batter into 3 bowls with roughly about 1 cup of cake mix per bowl. Add desired food coloring to each bowl (purple, blue, green).
2Bake cakes in round pans according to box instructions, but make sure you check the cake about 10 minutes before it’s supposed to be done. With less mix in each pan, they can cook faster.
3Repeat for the remaining colors (red, orange, yellow). You will now have six layers of different colors.
4For the frosting, mix together softened (room temperature) butter and softened (room temperature) cream cheese until well combined. Add vanilla. Combine. Slowly add in powder sugar.
5After the 5th cup of powdered sugar, taste the frosting and see if you would like it sweeter. I tend to use the full 6 cups, but some prefer the frosting less sweet.
6Try to level each layer of cake with a large bread knife. For the rainbow cake especially, if all the layers are level, then they will evenly display when you cut into it.
7Start with the PURPLE layer first. Put the purple layer on your cake stand or plate. Add enough frosting to cover the layer and some to spill over the edges, anywhere from 1/2 to one cup of frosting. Run the flat, straight side of a knife around the cake to smooth out the edges.
8Add the BLUE layer of the cake. Put frosting in the middle, start spreading out frosting with the flat, straight side of a knife so that it covers the cake and falls out over the edges. Then run your knife around the outside edge of the cake to smooth out the sides.
9Put the cake into the fridge for at least 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.
10Repeat with GREEN layer, then YELLOW layer.
11Put cake into fridge for at least 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.
12Repeat with ORANGE layer, then RED layer.
13Cover cake with frosting and run the flat, straight edge of a knife around the edges of the cake to smooth out the frosting.
14Once you have finished frosting the cake, add any decorative touches or words that fit your occasion! Good luck!

Categories: Desserts, Cakes

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Anonymous said:

Can I use frosting instead of cream cheese?

2/16/2013 9:01:49 PM

Anonymous said:

I think this cake looks great I'm really nervous about how it's gonna turn out because the colors may turn pastel and I'm having a party in 2 days

1/23/2013 7:29:21 PM

Anonymous said:

Yea it looks delicious I should try it, I love rainbows and always wanted to make a cake like that!

1/19/2013 8:44:03 AM

Anonymous said:

Looks delicious I soils try it!

1/19/2013 8:42:59 AM

Anonymous said:

Im making tHis for cake day at school tommorrow (im 12) and i dont want it to be as big... Any tips???

1/13/2013 6:46:03 AM

Anonymous said:

how many drops of each food color is needed? also is it gel colours or regular

1/12/2013 4:33:15 PM

Anonymous said:

I cant seem to get the colours vibrant :(

1/10/2013 9:15:23 PM

Anonymous said:

Yummy this woks great idea

12/14/2012 7:41:10 PM

TBSPAna said:

Hi! Using ice cream instead of frosting is definitely possible. However, the prep work for working with ice cream is different, so you’ll want to follow the instructions for an ice cream cake recipe like this one: http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/mint-chocolate-ice-cream-cake-recipe/1/. Good luck!

11/28/2012 12:58:53 PM

TBSPAna said:

Hi there! The freezer is needed in order to set the cake and ensure that the frosting holds the the cake layers firmly in place. This step is especially crucial to create a level cake and to avoid sliding when adding more layers.

11/28/2012 9:32:25 AM

Anonymous said:

Do you think if I put ice cream instead of.frosting in the middle it would hold up as nicely?

11/27/2012 10:37:08 PM

TBSPAna said:

Hi there! Using store bought frosting won’t ruin the recipe. Your cake will turn out just as colorful!

11/26/2012 2:03:10 PM

Anonymous said:

Any reason to not use store bought frosting?

11/23/2012 11:46:39 AM

Anonymous said:

im makin this cake for thanksgiving hope it turns out rite

11/22/2012 9:43:04 AM

Anonymous said:

I love instant gratification.....so my obvious question is: why the freezer?!?!

11/18/2012 4:59:18 PM

Anonymous said:

The cake turns out wonderful, it's just very time consuming with the 1hr freeze time in between. It was well worth it though, everyone loved the cake!!

11/16/2012 2:41:20 PM

Brittev! said:

Hey hey hey that cake looks AH-MAZIMG!

11/4/2012 2:40:10 PM

TBSPAna said:

HI @Moloyaldan! For the Rainbow Cake In A Jar, we used liquid food coloring and mixed neon and regular colors. Check out the recipe here for more tips: http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/rainbow-cake-in-a-jar-recipe/2/

10/1/2012 1:44:26 PM

moloyaldan said:

Which one would be the best for the cake gel or regular food coloring !!! Im dying to try this cake and I want it to be perfect !

9/29/2012 9:59:38 AM

TBSPAna said:

Hi! To achieve the bright colors in this cake, add more coloring. It’s all about experimentation with this cake. :)

9/21/2012 1:25:32 PM

Anonymous said:

I just finished baking the different layers , however I didn't get the intensity in the colors, I used gel color, does this have anything to do with it or is it that I had to add more color?? Thanks

9/20/2012 10:59:44 PM

TBSPAna said:

Hi Anon - The cake uses two boxes of cake mix, which means it will be as tall as an 4 layer cake. You can definitely make it the afternoon before, if that works best with your schedule.

9/17/2012 1:42:44 PM

Anonymous said:

I'm making this cake for my daughter's birthday party Saturday (it'll be 2 hours away). Do you kno how tall was the cake after it was all put together? I just hope my cake serving tupperware is tall enough. Also could I make it the afternoon before or wait as late as possible to make it or try to hold off until morning of? The party is at 1 on Saturday but we will be leaving the house at 9 that morning so it will also be in the car until we get to NC. Hope to hear from you in time! Thanks inadvance!

9/12/2012 3:43:21 PM

TBSPAna said:

Hi Anon - That should be four 8 oz packages of cream cheese. There is no difference between refrigerating or freezing the cake, except the time needed.

9/5/2012 6:51:34 PM

Anonymous said:

Will there be a difference if you put it in the fridge or the freezer?

9/2/2012 7:29:15 AM

Anonymous said:

With the four packages of cream cheese, is that 4 8oz packages? Or 4 packages tht add up to 8oz?

9/1/2012 3:34:13 PM

Anonymous said:

I made this cake today for my daughters birthday and she had a ton of fun mixing colors but colors didn't come out as dark as shown in pics but still looked ok.

8/16/2012 12:13:57 PM

Anonymous said:

My mom's birthday is tomorrow and I'll be making this all day for her. Instead of food coloring I'm using the Wilton food gels for better coloring. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thank you for the easy recipe though ;)

8/16/2012 12:53:13 AM

Anonymous said:

I will using this to make my partner and I a wedding cake here in a few months but I'm going to do a test run first amd see if she likes it. Thank you for sharing!

8/15/2012 6:06:26 PM

Anonymous said:

How do I adjust for high altitude? Thanks!

8/12/2012 8:40:40 PM

Anonymous said:

had a few issues with making it even.but other thanside that it turned out great

8/1/2012 8:22:13 PM

TBSPAna said:

So glad to hear that!

7/26/2012 4:40:35 PM

Anonymous said:

I just finished making this cake, with an altered frosting recipe. The cake was SOOO SIMPLE to make, and turned out AMAZING! My girls LOVE all the colors! However, with using 2 boxes for the cake, it turned out huge!!! In the future, I will use smaller round pans (this time I used 9") and only use 1 box. Due to its size, we decided to not frost the top, and just left it purple, and did not frost the sides. The frosting was just in between each layer, and honestly, I think that was the perfect amount of frosting. All in all, I would have to say it was probably one of the most successful and delicious cakes I've made! THANKS!

7/25/2012 6:38:09 PM

TBSPAna said:

Good luck making this for your mom's bday! Send us a pic of your fab cake creation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tablespoon

7/25/2012 3:37:18 PM

Anonymous said:

Beautiful!! Am only 12 but I'm gonna make it for my mom's surprise birthday! Fingers crossed!

7/25/2012 7:45:13 AM

no1sistah said:

ok, made the cake and the darn thing fell to the side. I am guessing the layers wasn't even. I now have a rainbow cake MESS in my kitchen. I'm not gonna go back in there for a little bit. I am so upset. Not the recipe's fault, but mine for not making sure...absolute sure the layers were even. Everything else looked good, the colors and mixing and separating (don't claim to spell very good) of the batter. Just my very poor judgement. I will try it again at a later date. hahaha.

7/6/2012 3:30:32 PM

no1sistah said:

in the process of making it now. Glad to see so many positive posts. lol. I will post again when it gets done. Its late in the day, so might post tomorrow...Sure hope it looks somewhat like the picture. haha

7/6/2012 1:48:41 PM

Anonymous said:

i love this cake ... gel food coloring is best and this is probably the easiest way to make it

7/1/2012 10:09:43 PM

TBSPAna said:

Hi Anon - Use your favored tin suggested on the cake mix box and bake accordingly.

6/20/2012 4:15:16 PM

Anonymous said:

what size cake tins should be used?

6/19/2012 11:35:07 PM

Anonymous said:

in process of making this right now, I am having a lot of fun with the colors. u can use liquid food coloring but use a lot to get the nice colors!

5/12/2012 5:17:25 PM

SwathiBhat098 said:

This is goin on 9gag!

4/26/2012 12:59:53 AM

Anonymous said:

???? You cook it! Its in step #2 of the directions ????

3/3/2012 5:44:27 PM

Anonymous said:

U DONT EVEN COOK IT? JUST FREEZE??!?!?

2/25/2012 12:40:45 PM

Anonymous said:

i didn't realize that i needed 3 pans to make this cake so it took me all day. however, it turned out AH-MAZING!!! Everyone loved it and looked oh so pretty!!!

2/6/2012 2:56:51 PM

Anonymous said:

i cant wait to make this cake for my daughter b-day

10/28/2011 7:14:31 PM

Anonymous said:

Just made this cake for my daughters birthday. (I used the gel coloring). It looks fantastic. Thank you for this amazing recipe! :D

10/8/2011 4:56:27 PM

CupcakeKiller702 said:

Has anyone ever had an adverse reaction to consuming all this food coloring in one sitting? I am serious. It's pretty and all, but I wonder if it caused anyone a stomach upset from all this dye.

9/20/2011 10:16:35 PM

Anonymous said:

i finally made 1 & everyone liked it at my family reuion my cousin ate the whole thing ! lol

9/12/2011 9:13:27 PM

Anonymous said:

SO I JUST MADE THIS CAKE AND IT WAS SO GREAT NO MISTAKES LOOKS SOO PRETTY :)

9/9/2011 4:33:08 PM

Anonymous said:

You have to add allot of dye for the colors to show up once the cake is baked. Or like another poster stated use gel colorings. My cakes came out pastel too.

8/28/2011 12:48:34 AM

Anonymous said:

I just made one yesterday, and my colors are almost pastel. I guess I got the wrong food coloring..

8/15/2011 3:36:14 PM

Anonymous said:

Can anyone tell me if this is really just a few drops of regular food coloring? It looks like you might need gel or entire bottles to get the depth of color shown.

8/12/2011 6:49:26 AM

Anonymous said:

SOUNDS EASY!!!!!!

8/10/2011 12:51:06 PM

dancingmomma said:

i so cantwait to make this cake it looks yummy!!!!!!!!

5/14/2011 5:12:07 PM

Candice0602 said:

I am so excited to make this cake for my lil mans 2nd birthday...hes a summer baby so it will go great with the season. :)

4/21/2011 8:05:38 PM