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Rainbow Cake

Rainbow Cake

Rainbow Cake is one of the most fun and cheerful cakes I’ve ever made. It brings smiles before anyone even tastes it. The bright colors inside are always a surprise, and the soft sponge with creamy frosting makes it extra delicious. If you're ready to try something playful and sweet, this cake is the way to go. I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did!
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Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings: 11
Course: Cake
Cuisine: British
Calories: 510
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 6 large eggs
  • 400 g granulated sugar
  • 390 g buttery spread cold, straight from the fridge
  • 390 g all-purpose flour
  • 2¾ tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • Food coloring gel or paste in 6 different colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 400 g salted butter softened
  • 3½ tbsp milk
  • 800 g confectioners’ sugar sifted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300 g full-fat cream cheese
  • Sprinkles or nonpareils for decoration

Method
 

  1. I started by preheating my oven to 350°F (175°C). I greased and lined two 8-inch round cake pans with baking paper.
  2. I split the cake ingredients into three equal parts so I could bake two layers at a time. In a big bowl, I mixed 2 eggs, 130g sugar, 130g flour, 130g buttery spread, 1 tbsp baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbsp milk.
  3. I mixed everything with my hand mixer for about 2 minutes until the batter looked smooth and creamy.
  4. Then I divided the batter into two bowls. I added purple food coloring to one and blue to the other. I poured them into the pans and spread them evenly.
  5. I baked the first two layers for around 15 minutes. I pressed gently in the center to check if they were springy. Then I cooled them on a rack and got my pans ready for the next round.
  6. I repeated the same process two more times with the other colors—green and yellow in the second batch, orange and red in the last.
  7. While the cake layers cooled, I made the cream cheese frosting. I beat the softened butter and milk with half the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Then I added the rest of the sugar, the cream cheese, and vanilla. I mixed until it looked fluffy and light.
  8. Once the cakes were completely cool, I peeled off the parchment paper and got ready to build the rainbow. I placed the purple layer on the cake board and spread a little frosting on top.
  9. I added each layer in this order: blue, green, yellow, orange, and red—spreading frosting between each.
  10. After stacking, I covered the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting and popped it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to lock in the crumbs.
  11. I took it out and added a final layer of frosting, smoothing it out nicely. Then I sprinkled colorful nonpareils on top.

Notes

Tips for Getting Vibrant Rainbow Layers

  • Use gel or paste food coloring. These give stronger colors without changing the texture of the batter.
  • Color each layer separately. Mix one color at a time so you can control the shade.
  • Start with white batter. Avoid using yellow butter or eggs with deep yolks to keep the colors bright.
  • Don’t overmix. Stir in the color gently to keep the batter smooth and fluffy.
  • Use enough color. A tiny drop won’t be enough—add a small amount, then adjust until it’s bold.
  • Bake two layers at a time. This keeps the baking even and avoids crowding your oven.
  • Cool completely before stacking. Warm layers can melt the frosting and ruin your rainbow.