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Melting Candle Rainbow Cake

February 14, 2015 by Jenn
 This is such an amazing birthday cake idea . . . in my humble opinion!  Sometimes when it comes to decorating cake or cupcakes, you need to make sure that you are precise and perfect, but with an idea like this one, you can be as messy, aka artistic, as you want to be! 
 
I searched all over town for all of the candles that I ended up putting on this cake.  Whatever you can find, however crazy looking, buy them and put them on this cake!  It was tricky to find enough of the purple candles, as for some reason that colour isn’t included in some of the candle packs.  If you’re in Canada, I found the candles I used in the video at Bulk Barn and Target (RIP).

 
For this cake, besides the candles, the other aspect that you are working with, is a melted buttercream.  It’s just as it sounds- put the buttercream in the microwave for 30 seconds, and viola, pourable buttercream!  If you’re short on time, you can use store-bought icing, as that’s usually much thinner than buttercream anyway, so the melting time will be less.  I didn’t try that though, so you’ll have to let me know in the comments if you do.  To achieve a true melted look, once the buttercream has thickened slightly (cooled) drip more on top of the area that you’re working in and it will stick on top of the previous layer and look like wax building on top of each layer.
 
I liked the way that the black buttercream and the bright colours “popped” off of each other, but you can make the cake underneath the candles any colour you want– again, let the artistic juices flow!
 
Now, to light the cake.  Hmmm?  Good luck, a blow torch is in order!
 
 
Melting Candle Rainbow Cake
 
Ingredients:
  • 8″ cake, prepared and covered in buttercream
  • Assorted shapes and sizes of candles
  • 1/4-1/2 cup prepared buttercream  in each color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

Melting Candle Rainbow Cake

Procedure:

  1. Prepare cake and cover in black buttercream.

  2. Place each prepared buttercream into a small microwavable dish, and starting with one colour at a time, melt the buttercream for 30 seconds (or until the buttercream is pourable).

  3. Using a small spoon, pour about a tablespoon of the liquid buttercream along the edge of the cake, and gently push it over the side so that it drips down. Repeat using the same colour in two other locations (roughly equal distances apart from each other).

  4. Switch to a new colour of buttercream, and repeat steps starting with melting it, then pouring/dripping.  

  5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all colours of buttercream lining the colours up in rainbow “order” (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple).

  6. Once the initial “candle melt” of colours have been applied around the cake, the buttercream remaining in the bows will have thickened slightly (if too thick to drip, microwave for a few seconds).  Using this thickened buttercream, drip more on top of the initial layer, giving more of a true melted candle wax appearance.  

  7. Starting with the longest/tallest candles in the middle, place the candles in the corresponding colour area, and work the candles outwards towards the edge of the cake.  Space them evenly over the top of the cake.

  8. Keep cake refrigerated and remove from fridge 3-4 hours prior to serving. Cake is best consumed within 2-3 days.

 Rainbow Birthday Cake

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Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: 100th birthday, 50th Birthday, birthday, birthday cake, cake, candle cake, candles, celebration, melting cake, Melting Candle Rainbow Cake, melting rainbow cake, rainbow, Rainbow Birthday Cake, Rainbow cake

Comments

  1. Luisa says
    January 20, 2016 at 11:27 pm

    Hi Jenn,

    This cake it’s amazing and I am planning to make it, just a few questions. I saw you shared the recipe for the butter cream : http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?p=2696. My questions is, can I use this butter cream for the cake and also the colour ones? Because the frosting for the cake looks so hard, am I suppose to leave it out or how do I get that texture?

    Thank you!
    Luisa

    • Jenn says
      January 23, 2016 at 10:40 pm

      Buttercream hardens and forms a crust, unlike a frosting made with shortening.

  2. josiane frame says
    October 16, 2015 at 9:02 am

    hello please i was following you and i am wondering don’t we need melting wax for this melting candle cake ? can we do it with just melted buttercream?

  3. Priscila says
    June 9, 2015 at 5:19 am

    Hi, I loved this cake! but I can’t seem to find your recepie for the buttercream.. Where can I find it?

    • Jenn says
      June 18, 2015 at 6:04 am

      Here you go…http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?p=2696

  4. svetlana9797 says
    June 8, 2015 at 4:53 am

    hey i really like ths cake, but i have some questions
    how do you make the buttercream? doesn’t it melt if you leave it to room temperture for a longer period of time?

    • Jenn says
      June 18, 2015 at 6:05 am

      Recipe is here: http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?p=2696 and no, it doesn’t melt if you leave it out at room temperature. It only melts and becomes runny when heated at a high heat.

  5. Kim says
    April 11, 2015 at 3:29 pm

    My son and I are in the middle of making this cake. The cake recipe you have given is perfect and the icing is beyond delicious! Here is where I need some leadership. When I tried to get the base icing to the black color, it turned more gray. I used almost all the dye, and it never turned black. I am hoping the other colors don’t do the same thing. Is there another method, buttercream icing recipe, or dye brand I need to be using?

    We have enjoyed trying this. I look forward to doing more of your ideas.
    Kim

    • Jenn says
      April 12, 2015 at 4:46 pm

      I use Americolor gel paste as it’s stronger than some of the other gel pastes out there. Another way around it is to start with a chocolate buttercream, and add the black from there as you don’t need as much when you’ve started with a dark base. Good luck and thanks for watching!

  6. Haydee says
    March 20, 2015 at 2:55 am

    Is the color dye you use specific for cakes?

    • Jenn says
      March 22, 2015 at 6:46 pm

      Yes, it is a colouring gel paste for dying food.

  7. jane serrano says
    March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    Hi i like the candle birthday cake but i really want to do an ice cream cake and my daughter is turning 13 what do i do

    • Jenn says
      March 13, 2015 at 5:16 pm

      You might like this, http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?p=5379 or this, http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?p=4772

  8. Tasneem says
    March 5, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    Hi Jenn I love all of your videos! They all look so tasty! Especially this one!

  9. Saleha says
    February 16, 2015 at 7:23 pm

    Hey jenn could you do cat related cake

    • Jenn says
      February 19, 2015 at 3:52 am

      I’ll add it to my list. Thanks for watching!

  10. Ximena Palacios says
    February 15, 2015 at 10:01 pm

    I love the videos you post on the internet

    • Jenn says
      February 19, 2015 at 3:52 am

      Thanks so much for watching!

  11. rose says
    February 14, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    Excuse me. What recipe of yours would you recommend for a girl born in early June?

    🙂

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