Adventures in Baking #7: Rainbow Cake, 2.0

I had to make something for a shindig I was attending, and I decided to go all out and make a 6-layer rainbow cake.

Last year, I made a pretty rainbow cake for my dad's birthday:

I think that the new version is much better.

I got tons of compliments and praise, so I decided to share the recipe. It's much, much easier to make than it looks. I'm also in love with the cake I used so much that it's my new go-to cake recipe.

Rainbow Cake

(recipe adapted from here)

Makes: 48 small servings (as pictured above) or 24 large servings (pictured below)

Ingredients:

• 9 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. baking powder
• 2 c. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 c. white granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3-4 c. milk (as needed)
• Food coloring

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2.In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, and combine completely.

5. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

6. Divide the batter evenly into 6 containers.

7. Add food coloring to make a layer of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. (Make the colors darker than desired, as they tend to fade once baked)

8. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (trace the outline, cut on the inside and use little dots of batter in the corners of the cookie sheet to hold parchment down). Grease and flour the sides.

9. Add one color to a cookie sheet and spread evenly.

10. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate 180° and bake an additional 5 minutes.

11. While it is baking, pour another container of batter into other sheet.

13. Let finished layer cool and then invert onto wire rack and refill the sheet with more batter.

14. Repeat until all batter is baked.

15. Assemble layers in rainbow order, putting the minimum amount of frosting between each.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2-8 oz. bricks cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softend
• 7 c. powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

1. Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until combined.

3. Add vanilla and combine completely.

I got hungry whilst taking pictures. I ate probably two pieces of cake... :'(

I've never received more compliments on something I've baked EVER.