Of course, I have to put up the recipe for the amazingly beautiful rainbow cake. Alas, it is not my own. Actually, the blog I nipped it from,
Whisk Kid, was recently on The Martha Stewart Show! A big "woot woot" to fellow blogger, Kaitlin Flannery. Congratulations on a
wonderful show!
I absolutely LOVE how the cake is so unassuming on the outside. Just a plain ol' white cake. But then you cut into it and bam! :D Instant smile.
So here's the nitty-gritty of it:
Rainbow Cake
2 sticks (226 g) butter, room temp
2 1/3 c (466 g) sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2 tsp vanilla
3 c (375 g) flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 c (355 g) milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave to bring to room temp
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple GEL food coloring. Liquid will not be vibrant enough!
1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Oil and line how ever many 9” cake pans you have. Weigh your empty mixing bowl. Write it down somewhere, you'll need the number later.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg whites (cracked earlier in a bowl) a little at a time. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Add about half of the dry ingredients, then half the milk. Repeat. Don't overmix!
5. Divide the batter between 6 bowls by weight. Weigh your mixing bowl with batter in it. Subtract the weight of the empty mixing bowl. Divide this number by six and this is what will be portioned into each bowl (for the colors).
6. Add enough food coloring to each of the bowls to make vibrant, rainbow colors. Whisk to mix. Pour into the pans and bake for 15 minutes each, or until top springs back, or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool on rack, in pans for ten minutes. Then unmold, wrap in plastic, and chill in fridge.
Lemony Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This recipe is split into two portions so that it'll fit in your mixer bowl. Make the first to fill and give the cake a crumb coat, then make the second to frost, following the same method of mixing for both.
To fill and crumb coat:
9 egg whites
1 ¾ c (350 g) sugar
4 sticks (532 g) of butter, room temp
2 tsp lemon extract
To frost:
5 egg whites
1 c (200 g) sugar
2 sticks (226 g) butter, room temp
1 tsp lemon extract
1. Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved (test by rubbing some between your fingers. If it's completely smooth, it's done).
2. Pour into another bowl (a stand mixer is preferable) and whip on high speed until room temp. Then, on a medium-slow speed, add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next.
3. After all the butter has been added, turn the mixer back to high speed and whip until it has come together, about five minutes. Add the extract, beat briefly and then use.