RAINBOW CAKE.
This cake was a joy to make and definitely a joy to cut for the first time.
It is also the cake I get asked for help with the most. Whilst it is not technically difficult, it can take time and certain amount of organisation to make - but it is well worth the extra effort!
I thought I would share some tips here to help spread the joy of this great cake!
Ingredients...
12oz butter (I use Stork baking margarine)
12oz caster sugar
6 eggs
12oz self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
food colouring (I use the paste, over the liquid or gel, as it is easier to get a strong colour in the sponges).
Method...
Pre-heat the oven to gas 6/200 degrees/180 fan. Grease and line 2 8-inch round tins.
Measure out 4oz of butter and 4oz of sugar and beat together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Measure out 4oz flour and set aside. Beat in 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. If the mixture curdles at this stage, add in a tablespoon of the flour. Once all combined, stir in the flour (careful not to beat at this stage otherwise you can knock out the air and the cakes may not rise properly).
Split the mixture into 2 bowls and add a different colouring to each bowl and mix through. You want to make sure the colour is bold as it can get lighter as it bakes.
Bake in the oven for 10- 15 minutes, until the top is springy and the cake starts to come away from the sides of the pan. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Repeat the above process twice more until you have 6 layers, all in different colours. If you happen to have more than 2 tins and your oven is large enough to fit them in all at once, then you can of course bake more layers at the same time.
This recipe means that the layers are thinner than a usual Victoria Sandwich cake, but this allows for 6 layers rather than 2! It will still be taller than a usual sandwich cake.
Once all the layers have been baked and cooled, mix up some buttercream icing using 8oz icing sugar, 4 oz softened butter (I do use butter at this stage, rather than the Stork margarine) and a little milk. Combine the butter and sugar until you have a stiff mixture. You may need to add more icing sugar if too wet or milk if too stiff but you are looking for icing which holds its shape and doesn't run off the cake. You can also flavour with a little vanilla extract if you wish.
Wipe a small amount on the serving plate to 'stick' the cake to it and stopping it from sliding about. Layer up the cakes using the icing as a 'glue' between each layer. To avoid it being too sweet, I kept the icing to a minimum between each layer. Once all the cakes have been stacked, I prefer to ice the whole of the outside so that the inside is kept a surprise until the first slice. You can do this using either the buttercream or fondant icing (coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream first to give the fondant something to stick to).
You can flavour the cake with whatever flavouring you like or add jam as the 'glue' between the layers. I store the cake in the fridge overnight to set the icing and stop the cake from drying out.
This cake would feed 15+ people as it is taller than average so slices would be thinner.
