“Add colors to your weekend with this cheerful rainbow cake”
Went to a baking workshop on my last Valentine’s day to bake this cake which you have seen my cake photo posted in my FaceBook page on the very night itself.
My intention in attending the workshop was to try and have a feel on the making of fondant, in fact, but turned out that the fondant-making wasn’t happening, and had replaced with vanilla Swiss butter cream as the frosting. :( Me, disappointed? Yes. Me, happy? Yes, still. Reason being happy was able to share and learn up something during the hands-on workshop. It’s always good to attend some culinary/ baking workshops to share, regardless how well you cook/ bake, won’t you agree? :)
Anyway, as mentioned in my FB fan page, you probably know that I am occupied with my new house prep, and I did promise to work hard on postings after the move. However, I still want to do up this quick post, just to have a recipe to share with you so that you may try to bake it to share with your loved ones over this coming weekend, if not for an important occasion you think it’s worth baking a love-filled cake on your own.
Hope you like it.
Yields 2 round cakes of 6″
Serves 6-8 with each cake
Ingredients for rainbow cake:
360 gram of cake flour, sifted
1 tablespoon of baking powder
220g ram of butter, semi-solid
220 gram of Caster sugar
300 gram of full cream milk
1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 teaspoon each of 5 food colorings (powder form) of your choice
Ingredients for Swiss butter cream frosting:
180 gram of egg white
180 gram of Caster sugar
160 gram of icing sugar
250 gram of butter, semi-solid
200 gram of Crisco shortening
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
Utensil:
5 units of 6″ round trays
Method:
1) Add lemon juice into milk 15 min before use.
2) Cream butter at high speed for 5 min. Then, add in sugar and continue creaming process till ingredients are well blended.
3) Add vanilla into beaten egg, gradually (do it in few batches) pour in while creaming.
4) Add baking powder into flour. Then, gradually (do it in 3 portions) fold in flour and milk in an alternate way. May fold in using spatula or low speed mixer.
5) Preheat oven at 170C for 10 min. In the meantime, prepare 5 round baking tray lined with grease paper. Add food coloring one color in each tray, divide batter equally into the 5 trays. Stir to combine the coloring and batter well.
6) Bake on mid-shelf for 25 – 30 min. Test doneness by inserting a toothpick at the centre of the cakes. First test in around 15 min duration, and again before completion. Hence, baking duration may varies.
7) While baking, let’s prepare Swiss buttercream frosting:
Get ready a double boiler (or get a large pot filled with simmering water and a smaller complete dry pot on it). Whisk egg white and caster sugar vigorously until sugar dissolved completely and egg white mixture reaches 65C. Use a cooking temperature or bare finger to test.
8) Now, use the electronic mixer to whisk the Swiss meringue (egg white mixture) at highest speed until firm (foam like texture which will adhere to your spoon when turn it round).
9) Add icing sugar and continue mixing at medium speed. Add vanilla essence. Immediately add in Crisco shortening and butter, in 3 batches. Combine all well, and store in the fridge to chill while waiting for the bake.
10) When cakes are baked, cool them completely before removing from trays. Slice each colored cake mid-way length wise into 2 layers, in equal thickness. Each 5 colors make one cake, and that will be 2 cakes in total.
11) Assemble and first one cake at a time. Lay first colored layer on a flat cake tray, spread a thick layer of butter cream. Then, top with second colored layer and spread buttercream on it. Repeat process until the fifth layer. Frost the whole cake and decorate, as desired.
12) Repeat step (11) for second cake. Serve or chill the final cakes in refrigerator, if desired.
Tips: the double boiler or inner pot must be completely dry before adding in egg white and sugar to whisk. Otherwise, meringue will never form.
* This rainbow cake is yellow cake base as butter and whole eggs are used in the recipe.
* Butter in this recipe should in soft but not completely melted form.
* Choice of colors for the rainbow cake can be: Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple or Yellow.