• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

My Rainbow Cake Recipe

June 13, 2011 18 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Colourful crumbs…
Short stack!
Rainbow Cake
530g of sifted plain flour
1 tsp of salt
230g of unsalted butter (room temperature)
600g of caster sugar
4 large eggs
A few drops of vanilla extract
480ml of buttermilk or yoghurt mixed with a little creme fraiche
2 tspn white wine vinegar
2 tspn baking soda
Food colouring in various colours, preferably gel or powder
Icing:
450g of full fat cream cheese
500g of Mascarpone
A few drops of vanilla extract
240g of icing sugar
600ml of double cream, whipped
You need sponge cake tins for this recipe. I only have two so I baked two layers at a time but if you have more, even better!
Sift together flour and salt in a bowl.
In your mixer beat the butter until whipped. It should be spread fluffily around the sides of your mixing bowl.
Then add the sugar and beat for at least 2 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together and add in a slow trickle to the mixture while it is being whisked. Add a teaspoon or two of flour at the same time. You want to try to prevent curdling which makes a dent in your sponge.
Every so often, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. The mixture should look pale and airy.
Then take the flour and the buttermilk/yoghurt and add alternately to your mixture ending with the flour.
In another bowl mix the vinegar and baking soda together and add to the main mixture.
So now you have your sponge batter.
Take your buttered and floured sponge tins and some bowls.
Divide the mixture between the bowls. If you are really swotty you will do this evenly but I wanted thicker layers at the bottom of the cake, thinner at the top.
Stir your chosen food colouring into each bowl. To make more colours, mix your food colouring eg red and blue make violet, some yellow in the green gives you a different shade of green. Using powdered food colouring means that perhaps the sponge batter is more stable without the extra liquid. You can play with the colours like paint pots. Really fun to do with the kids!
You could also add food flavouring such as lemon essence for the yellow layer, orange essence for the orange layer, mint essence for the green, almond essence for a pale green, chocolate powder for the brown.
Pour the mixture into your cake tins and bake in a pre-heated medium oven, 180 C, until firm, about 15 minutes. In the Aga, I baked the sponges on the top shelf of the baking oven. (You could also use the bottom shelf of the roasting oven with a cold shelf if you have a 2 oven Aga). Put a skewer in the sponge and if it comes out clean, it’s cooked.
The layers are thinner than a normal sponge sandwich so use a fish slice or something to turn out the sponge tins onto a rack. Let cool for a couple of minutes then cover to prevent drying out.
While all your layers are cooling, make the icing. The Rainbow cake recipe from Whisk Kid uses a lemon meringue icing but every time I try this, it curdles! So I used a cream cheese icing instead.
Beat the cream cheese and the mascarpone together. Add the vanilla and the icing sugar. Add the whisked double cream.
Assemble the layers one by one in the order of your choice, spreading a layer of the cream cheese icing in between each layer. Then with a palette knife, spread the rest of the icing all around the cake, completely covering the top and sides with a thick layer. I sprinkled some ‘disco’ white glitter on top.
Fantastic for kid’s parties: you could even cover the top with Smarties. This blogger got her kid to doodle on the white surface with edible ink pens.
For a patriotic cake, see my Royal Wedding red, white and blue cake.

Recent posts

midsummer supper club June 17th 2023 Msmarmitelover

My next supper club: midsummer June 17th

May 28, 2023

I organised a street party for the Coronation

May 10, 2023

The Seafood Shack in Ullapool, Scotland.

May 4, 2023

Previous Post: « Clandestine Cake Club
Next Post: Royal Ascot Menu from the Waterside Inn »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. laundryetc

    June 13, 2011 at 8:09 am

    Tis a truly amazing sight to behold. Is the mixture the full amount to divide for all of the layers? And if you are baking just 2 layers at a time, will the mixture just wait in between times for it own curtain call? Really fabulous.

    Reply
  2. theundergroundrestaurant

    June 13, 2011 at 8:12 am

    Yes the mixture is the full amount. I found the batter waited between cooking each batch of layers with no problem!

    Reply
  3. Kate@katescakesandbakes

    June 13, 2011 at 8:21 am

    Brilliant- an absolutely gloriously, fun cake! The cakes (without icing) would freeze well? Although, to be fair, I doubt very much this cake stays around long enough to be frozen!

    Reply
  4. theundergroundrestaurant

    June 13, 2011 at 8:30 am

    I've never frozen a cake, Kate. But if others freeze ok, I guess this will too.

    Reply
  5. Campari & Soda 楊靜安

    June 13, 2011 at 9:23 am

    incredible! will have to go out and get some sponge cake tins now! ITs so pretty 🙂

    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    June 13, 2011 at 9:59 am

    Wow really fab!!

    Reply
  7. Gin and Crumpets

    June 13, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Brilliant – I love it!

    Reply
  8. london bakes

    June 13, 2011 at 11:04 am

    I love this cake! The colours are amazing and I love the surprise you get when you cut into it. I'm just trying to think of an excuse now to bake it…does the fact that it's Monday count?!

    Reply
  9. Daily Morning Coffee

    June 13, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    Wow!!! It looks so nice. Also sounds yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will surely try this out.

    Take the Cake Personality Test and find out which cake are you like. I have taken the test and have enjoyed a lot. Hope you too will enjoy it. Have Fun!!

    Reply
  10. The Curious Cat

    June 13, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    I love it! So inventive! xxx

    Reply
  11. rachelle

    June 13, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    this is soo fabulous can't wait to bake my own

    Reply
  12. Shaheen

    June 14, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    Absolutely fabulous!

    I've been wanting to make rainbow cake for a long, long time. I am due to be moving to family in the next two months, so will have the perfect excuse.

    Reply
  13. aoife@myhome

    June 14, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    this is amazing. I'm off to the Edinburgh cake club on the 19 July… you've inspired me. A x

    Reply
  14. Chiswick Dinners

    June 20, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    Hi Kirsten, if your meringue buttercream curdles try chilling it briefly and then beating it for another few minutes. I underestimated how much beating it takes for it to come together at first, but it has a gorgeous silky consistency so is worth persevering with.

    Reply
  15. nickieb

    August 23, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    fab cake got kids to help and they thought it was magic, looks very special for not too much effort

    Reply
  16. Anonymous

    September 5, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    Amazing! It tastes great and looks really cool. Thank you!

    Reply
  17. An Open Book

    February 8, 2013 at 11:32 am

    hi kristen,..thanks for that comment on my blog, but i have credited (and always will) the source. I followed bakerellas recipe n the link leads to her site.

    Cheers
    Nisha

    Reply
  18. Anonymous

    October 14, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    Looks horrible, sorry..

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Shaheen Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 BYO book here: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th #london #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer
For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries. Here is how to prepare goose neck barnacles or percebes which are a very expensive and rare delicacy, hunted down from cliffs. It’s quite dangerous to forage them. #canapes #eventcatering #satanicfood #percebes #grossfood #seafood #devilsfood
Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here h Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th at London’s pioneering supper club. Tickets £50 BYO. Scandinavian inspired summery food. #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer #northwestlondon #londonevents #popups
Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy cir Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy circa 1987 pic: kerstin Rodgers #rip #tinaturner #rockphotographer #kerstinrodgers #teenagephotographer
Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on war photography in the Ukraine . Go to the exhibition @thebppa @thebargehouse in SE1 last few days 
Had to stop filming cos I was told off. The photographers would be less forthcoming if they were filmed I was told. 
Anyway @frenchpete_1 should be followed by a camera crew cos he’s a star.
For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pas For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pastry quiche and a little one with less blue cheese & no salt for my 7 month old granddaughter. She absolutely loved it. I’m enjoying seeing her experience and explore new foods with baby led weaning. Avocado, strawberries, kiwi & buttered crumpets are a hit. Pasta less so. Who is this child? Are we even related? #babyledweaning #quiche #homemadepuffpastry
Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The natio Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The national newspaper again. These are the stories I love to do: I go off on an adventure, take my time, interview people (especially women), photograph them in their environment and create recipes on site. This story cost me a lot more than I made as I had an accident and lost my excess. My own damn fault though! Loved loved loved having a campervan. Thanks for lending me it @camperdays.international and sorry about the hole in the side.  https://www.thenational.scot/news/23505593.foraging-seaweed-western-isles/
My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @l My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @lk.general.building left yesterday. They’ve been working since January. I had the awning installed, the encaustic Minton tiles removed and put back with green grout. The terrace was causing damp so this had to be done. My calamondin plant is looking lovely. The benches which I repaired with hard wood & I repainted using a mix of 2 colours. The marble table I bought in Suffolk at a car boot. Everything is still dusty & I’m waiting for the window cleaner to arrive.
Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine f Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine for their contribution of these beautiful dry ciders for the coronation street lunch. Gorgeously illustrated labels. #stcuthbertsrd #kilburn #london #cider #artisanaldrinks
When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. It’s smoother. Artisanal distillery @devoncovevodka contributed some bottles to my coronation lunch which gave everyone a feeling of being at a classy party. Thanks so much. And also @rawfoodanddrink for arranging. If you want to read my blog post about how and why I organised this event, copy and paste this link: https://t.co/GWNNW2XKba #coronationstreetparty #biglunch #community #kilburn #london #forthepeoplebythepeople
I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now. They sent a selection: elderflower bubbly, st. Clements orange 🍊 Sicilian lemonade, @belvoirfarm_uk lemonade, which were all delicious and just the tickets for the fortuitous mini-heatwave that occurred on the Sunday coronation lunch. #thankyou #community #coronation #streetparty #biglunch
Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! T Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! Tiny bit in the guardian. Decent pic in the Mail and The Star credit @asproider #coronationlunch #kilburn #stcuthbertsrd #kingscroftrd #fordwychrd #templarhouse
My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, s My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, spinach, cheddar. I used crème fraiche and blind baked puff pastry shells. I was up at 11 last night making these for todays street party, which featured in the mail, telegraph, mirror, metro courtesy of photographer Gavin Rodgers @asproider
Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebr Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebrides with @outerhebrideanforager Fi bird. She’s cutting sea spaghetti. I drove my campervan @camperdays.international from london to the Hebrides- using my gas stove to cook foraged and local ingredients. A real food safari. With the sea spaghetti I made a sea spag vongole with giant parlourdes picked up from the sand at the same time. Great fun, beautiful weather and, the day of the full moon, a wonderfully low tide. This was on south Uist.
More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-ba More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-based version of the original. Beautifully constructed, designed and written by @nikisegnit it’s vegetarian rather than vegan but recommended for both. She widens the sensory vocabulary around plant flavours in this book- encouraging new delicious sounding combinations. Now she includes new categories such as flower & meadow, caramel roasted, zesty roost- just the words make me salivate. #foodbooks #bookstagram #newbooks
Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainman Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainmansion I found out so much about marmalade. I’m going to make it this winter. I found out the worlds best maker is Japanese, in fact I was most impressed by the Japanese marmalades in general. Everyone wore orange. I must have tasted 50 marmalades. I met Paddington’s sister, karen jankel who is michael bond’s daughter, born in the same year as Paddington. She gave a charming talk on Paddington, mentioning how the queen insisted on having real marmalade sandwiches in her @launerlondonofficial handbag during the shoot. The house itself is Tudor and Georgian. I stayed in my campervan from @camperdays.international in the car park, cosy in the rain. Another freewheeling adventure. #yorkshire #marmalade #travel #food #ontheroad #campervan
I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a vegetarian rather than a vegan. How I still need butter. And how restaurants & plane meals are now vegan rather than vegetarian. But, there are still more the double amount of vegetarians as vegans in the UK. I’ve written a vegan cookbook V is for vegan (link in bio) and am a big fan of vegan foods. I’ve not eaten meat for over 40 years. This is a sustainable diet, in terms of longevity. Vegans that I knew from the early noughties have reverted to meat eating. #newpuritanism? #vegetarian #vegan #foodwriter
Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a seaweed that tastes just like truffle. Just done a little kelp foraging at low tide with @thetempleharris’ Amanda Saurin. Isle of Harris. Turquoise sea, white sand, cloud hovering just above. @camperdays.international @roosterpr
I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to Sophie of @tobia.teff she uses the iron-rich, gluten free teff grain from her homeland Ethiopia. She showed me how to make injera, the Ethiopian flatbread which is fermented. She also talked about the coffee ceremony, 3 cups, which they pair with toasted barley or, currently, popcorn! I’d love to visit Ethiopia and find out more about their ancient food culture, history, 3.5k year old monarchy and religions.
Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @bre Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @brentcouncil Willesden library. I’ve been doing this a few times a year for the last few years. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a kitchen set up permanently. Libraries are community centres and could be used to teach how to cook from scratch.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover