This is one of my most favourite cakes that I have made to date. I’ve seen dozens of different versions of this prior to making it, so I wanted to make sure that I put my own spin on the outside of the cake in order to set it apart from the others! To do this, I used the “petal” technique and I hope you love it as much as I do!
Rainbow Cake
This is a large 8 inch (20 centimeter) round and 8 inch (20 centimeter) high cake. It will serve around 16-20 people.
Ingredients:
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2 batches vanilla cake
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2-3 batches of vanilla buttercream
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Gel Paste: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple
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Six 12 inch piping bags
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large round tip (Ateco 809 or Wilton 1A or equivalent)
Procedure:
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Preheat your oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Grease and prepare six 8 inch (20 centimeter) cake pans.
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Prepare the vanilla cake batter. Divide the batter into 6 bowls, and colour each one a separate colour using ¼- ½ teaspoon (1-3 milliliters) of gel paste for each colour.
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Bake each coloured cake in the oven for 15-20 minutes and allow to cool completely before levelling.
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Prepare the buttercream. Leave some of it white for the layers between the cakes, approximately 2-3 cups (240 milliliters- 720 milliliters) and divide the remaining buttercream into 6 bowls, and colour each separately.
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The order of colours from bottom to top goes purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red. Starting with the base of the cake, place the purple cake layer onto a plate or cake board and use a swipe of buttercream to “glue” the cake to the base. Add white buttercream on top of the cake layer using a metal spatula and smooth it out evenly.
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On top of the buttercream layer, place the blue cake layer, top with white buttercream and smooth. Repeat, alternating between cake layers and buttercream until the final red layer is at the top. Once you reach the top of the cake, cover the entire cake in white buttercream. Ensure that the cake is straight up and down (not leaning), and place into freezer to solidify the layers of buttercream. This will make it easier to decorate without causing the cake to lean.
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Petal technique: Place purple buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, such as Ateco 806, or Wilton 1A. To make the petal shape, place the tip about an ⅛ inch (½ centimeter) away from the side of the cake, squeeze the piping bag, allow the buttercream to “grow” into a mound, and then pull the bag away from the mound, along the side of the cake, slowly stop squeezing the further away from the mound you get. Line the tip up again where you left off, and repeat the process. I started at the base of the cake with the purple buttercream, went around the cake entirely, and then moved up to blue, then green, yellow, orange, and finally red. Repeat as many times as necessary to cover the entire cake. The same technique is used to cover the top as well.
- Slice and serve immediately. The cake can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
The dirty dishes are worth it for this beautiful cake!
Americolor can be found in other countries such as Canada, Australia, etc. I think you can find them anywhere.
To Rosie
Oh well thank you for letting me know Rosie
I Have one more question!!
I am making he came tomorrow morning so what should I do to avoid the batter getting stuck in the pan?
should I do the parchment paper trick Tyra you did in the homemade vanilla cake batter video?
I did use Pam spray but I don’t think i put enough please help me! Thank you
Still waiting for an answer 🙁
I am going to make this cake this Friday so I would really appreciate if you answered my questions 🙂
Thank you!!
Dear Jenn,
I tried to make this cake but I felt sick while I was making the buttercream 🙁
I actually made the blue ombre cake yesterday but I failed because when I baked the cakes it was very hard to get it out of the pan. But I used the pan cooking spray. Is it possible that I didn’t put enough spray?
Also when I was making the vanilla cake batter and I mixed the dyes in it, and I poured it into the pan I still had some small white balls 🙁
I also used a kitchen-aid like yours. But do you think I should mix it a little longer?
I am planning on making this cake again next week.
Thank you!
If you still had chunks of butter (small white balls), you didn’t mix it enough.
I can’t find the answer to this question, but you didn’t show doing the top of the cake…did you have 6 bags and 6 tips so that after you finished the red on the top layer you went back to the purple for the top? Or did you do the top at the same time? I’m not sure you can understand my question…. hope so!
Thanks
You can do it if you have 6 tips, but I don’t and had to change the bag for each colour. I just followed the exact same procedure as I did with the sides.
Dear Jenn,
I was wondering did you use a coupler for the piping bag you filled in the frosting ?
Thanks,
Johnathan
Hi there…the tip I used is a large one, so it doesn’t need a coupler. Couplers are available for larger tips, but I choose not to use them.
I just made this cake for my daughter’s 4th birthday party. Thank you so much for creating and sharing such a beautiful cake and for the time and effort it took to do the step by step instructions!
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for watching.
Hi, I was wondering how long could we keep the cake in the fridge without it going bad and/or dry. I would like to make this cake for the New Year’s party I will be holding but I’m afraid of trying to do it and going wrong, and then not having enough time to try again. Could you help me please?
Cakes and cupcakes are best consumed within 2-3 days.
Jenn
I don’t understand the people ask the very same question. If they had of listen to you and watched the video they would know exactly what to do.
I am making this cake for my Red Hat birthday in September. ( Ya I know it is a while yet). One year I made individual
doll cakes for every one. Each year I do some thing different ( i.e. small craft idea and they are always so surprised that I would go to all that trouble) But just wait until they see me bring out this cake. I may win an award for this one,ha ha. Thanks you for what you do, your making me famous.
Hahaha…thanks for the support! I wish you all the luck with your new cake creation! Have fun!
I absolutely love this recipe! I am planning on cooking this for Food Tech and feeding it to the entire class!! Wish me luck, Jenn!! – Cassie
I hope you do well!!
This Is Great Jenn and Because you have inspired me , Hopefully I will on a tv show called The Munch Box xx
You gurI do a great great job!! Patience is not my virtue however I am guessing around 1/2 to 3/4 C of batter?
Hi Jenn,
this cake is really marvellous!!!
I want to make it next week for my sons’s confirmation.
You’ve mentionend that you’ve used a lot of buttercream for the decoration. Was it double the quantity of your receipe or even more?
I wish I could help you with a more specific answer, but I can’t! I always make a ton of icing at a time…double and triples of the recipe.
Thanks Jenn, then I will do so as well. Enjoy the weekend.
Jenn, I am so excited to make this cake for my daughters birthday this Friday. She LOVES rainbows! I’m going to use your vanilla cake and vanilla butter cream frosting recipes. How much of those recipes do I need to make for this cake? Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us and giving us a great resource!
As I suggest in the blog post/recipe notes, you’ll want to use at least 1.5-2x the amount of batter from my regular vanilla cake mix (or 2 boxes of cake mix). Buttercream amounts depend on how much you like…I used a lot in this video!
Hello!
What a vibrant cake. I would really like to make it and owndered what were the exact Americolors you used for this. Did you use Regal Purple or Violet, which blue, etc?
Thank you so much,
Simone
Violet
Royal Blue
Leaf Green
Lemon Yellow
Orange
Super Red
Did you need a lot of food coloring to make this cake. I just want to make sure I have enough.
I used gel paste to get the colours that I did. If you are trying it with food coloring, I would imagine you would need a lot.
I do have the same gel you use. I just didn’t know if it took a lot to color the cake mix and frosting. I have the small bottles.
Amazing cake, but I am a bit confused with the colours.
Can you please give the names of the colour pastes for Americolor. They have many different kinds of each colour?
Thanks.
Violet Royal Blue Leaf Green Lemon Yellow Orange Super Red
Do you know what size the tip is that you used I have been looking around to find one the biggest I have found is 2a found 1a online but need it sooner then that
It’s an Ateco 809.
Hello Jenn,
I would like to do the rainbow cake but I don’t like butter Creme. What can I use instead of butter cream?
Please help me.
Maria
Hi there, You can use any frosting that you prefer more than buttercream.
I think the cake looks absolutely beautiful, but I do not like butter cream what can I take instead?
You can use whatever ever type of icing you would like to.
Love this cake! Wanted to make it for my sons birthday! How many will it serve?
It’s really big so between 12-15 people.
Hello Jen,
Loved the tutorial, I’m so looking forward to making the Rainbow Cake. You simplify the process that prior to watching the tutorial I would only expect an expert to make. Fingers crossed I hope it turns out well.
I’m slightly confused about the quantity needed for the batter. I followed the link on how to prepare the batter but it doesn’t provide the actual measurements..
I will gladly appreciate the actual ingredients & measurements.
Many thanks
Marylou
Here’s the link…you’ll want 2 batches of this one. http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?p=2687
Love this cake!
Could I use ganache frosting instead of buttercream?
Hi there, you can use whatever you’d like of course.
hello jenn
Today, I’m going to do your cake for my goddaughter.
But the surprise wiil be tomorrow, so I would like to know if i can put the cake on the “réfrigérateur”(not the freezer) to keep it until tomorrow ?
and how many time must I exit it before serving it
does the buttercream find original texture?
I’m sorry for my english,I hope you understood me
cordialy
elodie
Yes, you can make it ahead of time and put it in the fridge. Take the cake out a couple of hours before you serve it and the buttercream will be soft. Enjoy the cake!
I just looove this cake!im doing it today,since my b day is tomorrow 🙂 but i have a 9.4inch pan,hope its going to be ok 🙂 im doing double batter instead of 1.5
I’ve never heard of that cake size, but it should work out. If it’s looking like you’re not going to have enough batter, you can just make more. Good luck!
Its a 24cm round cake pan 🙂 i made it yesterday,now i have to wait the bday party so i can cut it 🙂
Where do I find the recipe for both the cake and icing?
Everything is linked in the blog post for you as are the URL’s for the videos.
Jenn, would you still get the vibrant colors using a yellow cake instead of vanilla?
The concentrated gel’s are pretty strong so I don’t think that it would be a problem.
Hi Jenn!
This ia one of the most beautiful cake I have ever seen! Absolutely gorgeous 🙂
I am from Norway, so there’s a few things I need to ask. First of all, which size was the cake pan you used in cm? 20?
I also wonder which amount of frosting you used? I have your frosting recipe, so shoud i double it, triple it, etc. And do you know how much frosting it makes in grams?
My final question is how long each cake should be in the oven at 170*c? Is 170*c correct?
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you! I used a 8″ cake pan and the frosting amount depends on how much you put on the cake…I used at least double. Yes, 170C is 350F.
This is so beautiful. I am wanting to offer this as an option to my clients. Would you mind if I use your photo as an example since I have not yet made one? I would keep your watermark on the photo and state that it was used with permission.
Thanks for asking. Where are you located?
Jenn, again, your cake is the most beautiful hands down! I was wondering why so many rainbow cakes on the web look sloppy when they are cut. The crumb on the cakes don’t stay in place and neither does the frosting. Yours is crisp and clean looking. Why do the others look so messy do you think? Is it because they are using too much filling? Also, do you think the cake they make is too moist? Since you have experience at this, I thought maybe you could throw your two cents in.
Also, I think I detect a bit of a Canadian accent. I was wondering what province you live in. My grandfather was from St. Jovite in Quebec. I am from Michigan in the US.
Yes, I’m Canadian. I live on the West coast though. Using stiff buttercream and cutting the cake when it’s cold, with a hot knife helps.
Thank you, Jenn. Your information is tremendously helpful to those of us who do not know how to do things. Do you remember where you got the cake stand? It’s perfect!
Hi, the cake is really BEAUTIFUL, and this is useless to say.
I would like to know, approx, how much colouring paste you use for each lot….
I want to try it for my birthday in a few weeks, so I am planning to purchase the colours online…
bye
MARCO
I’m making this cake for my daughters birthday in a few days. I’m confused as to how much buttercream I should make? Approx how much of each color did you end up with? From the video, it looks to be about a cup and a half? Thanks so much.
This is the most beautiful cake on the web!! One question, I only have two-8″ cake pans. Is it possible to bake two at a time? If so, what do we do with the rest of the batter in the meantime? Refrig or no? Cover or no?
Thank-you for your time!
Glad you like the cake. I only had two 8″ pans as well, and I just wrapped the batter that was waiting for the oven in syran wrap.
How hot do you bake it in Celcius?
170C is the common conversion for 350F.
Bonsoir
très beau gâteau !!
je voulais juste savoir quel est le diamètre de votre moule ?
et pour ce gâteau cest bien la recette Vanilla Cake Recipe ?
merci beaucoup et bonne continuation à vous
I used an eight inch diameter cake pan, and approximately one and a half batches of my vanilla cake recipe. Thanks!
Hi! I really want to make this cake but I was wondering how long you put the cake in the freezer? Also, did you do the crum coat right when you took it out of the freezer?
Thanks!
Hi there…I put the cake in the freezer for an hour or so…until it is solid and won’t move when I ice it. Yes, I crumb coat it immediately.
Hello Jenn! Love your videos, was wondering if you could list the exact names of the americolour gel dyes you used in this recipe? I found that your cake has the most vibrant colours of all the recipes I’ve seen! Thanks in advance
They’re just the standard Americolor colors….the ones that come in their starter pack. Putting lots of paste in makes the color more vibrant. Glad you like the cake!
I’m going to do this cake for my birthday next Sunday! 🙂 Gonna bake it with my friends! :))
Hi,
You say you’ll need a lot of butter cream. How much does that mean? I have your recipe, should I double it? Or triple it?
Hi, I would love to make this cake for my son’s birthday but I need to order the food colours since here we only get basic red, blue, green and yellow. Please could you tell me the exact colours you used. Thanks.
I loved your video. I made a rainbow cake and your video really helped. You make it so easy to bake things.
For the cake batter and butter cream you used salted butter for both??
I always use salted butter.
what’s the size of this cake? if i’d like to bake a 7inch cake, is this the same measurement I used or I have to divide it to smaller quantity?
You’ll probably be fine with the amounts, but I’m not 100% sure as I haven’t made it with a 7″…the pan I used was 8″.
Hi Im just wanting to know what do I set my gas oven to an how long do I bake eack cake?
hi, i love this cake, thanks
i want to try to bake tomorrow, but i watch the video and i want to know how you did the bisucuit is it regular biscuit or u used different recipe?
thanks
The recipes that I used are linked in the description box in the show notes of the video….I used my vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream recipes.. good luck!
I made this for my granddaughters 9th birthday gathering. It turned out great until the morning of the party and saw that a section of frosting fell (slid) off. It was just family so we presented the cake anyways. What would have made that happen? Would love to make it again. It tasted great and she was very surprised when she cut the first piece out of it and saw all the colors
Did you keep the cake in the fridge? If it was cold, it shouldn’t have moved at all…that’s really weird!
Does your buttercream frosting need salted or in salted butter?
Thank you!
I use salted.
Hello..what tip did you use?
I see large round….but what’s the tip #?
Ateco 809
Hi!
I made this cake for my daughter’s 8th birthday. It came out great and I got so many compliments! Thanks so much for posting!
I’m so happy to hear that! Happy belated birthday to your daughter 🙂
Her party was yesterday, actual birthday today, so you were right on time! I will try to post some photos to your Facebook page.
Hello where us the recipe for this?
It is in the video 🙂
hello jenn,
im confued about how many boxes of vanilla cake mix and butter cream where can i purchase the b.c?
also how long does it take to thaw when out of freezer?
Thank You!
I haven’t used box mixes to make this cake before so my guess is that you will need 1.5 boxes of cake mix. I also make my own buttercream. If you have frozen the cake, it will take a couple of hours to thaw.
so sorry but how much is 1.5 is it as much as the one thats shown on the cake batter video?
It’s one and a half times the amount that is in the video…one full batch plus half more.
I used 1 box cake mix and I had plenty. (:
First off this cake is beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous! Can you please tell me the exact names of the color paste of the Americolor you used for this cake. As you probably know they have several different versions of the same color, just want to make sure I select the right one to make my cake as vibrant and true to a rainbow as yours.