Chocolate Rainbow Cake Recipes

RAINBOW SWIRL CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
• Add the butter, vegetable oil and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time. You should be able to see the change in the color and texture of the mixture.
• Add the eggs two at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Add the vanilla extract with the second round of eggs. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.
• Add the buttermilk and mix until well combined.
• Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
• Divide the batter evenly between 6 bowls. It should be a little more than a cup per bowl.
• Add gel icing color to the bowls (one color per bowl) and gently fold until the color is mixed throughout. You should have one bowl each of purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.
• Add the colored cake batter to the cake pans. Starting with the purple batter, add spoonfuls of batter around the bottom of the pan. Divide each color evenly between the three pans. Give the pan a little side-to-side shake to distribute the batter around a bit between each color. After the purple, add the blue, then green, then yellow, then orange and finally red.
• Bake for 28-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, add the butter and shortening to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
• Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of water or milk and mix until well combined.
• Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Add additional water or milk as needed to get the right consistency.
• To put the cake together, first remove the domes from the top of the cakes so they are level.
• Place the first layer of cake on a cake plate or cardboard cake circle, then top it with about 1 cup of frosting and spread into an even layer.
• Add the second layer of cake another layer of frosting.
• Add the final layer of cake on top, the frost the outside of the cake. Feel free to use my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if you like.
• Divide the remaining frosting between 6 bowls. I had about 1/3 cup of frosting per bowl, but you may have a little more or less, depending on how much you use to frost the cake.
• Use the gel icing colors to color each bowl of frosting, using one color per bowl.
• To make the rainbow swirl frosting border, add each color of frosting to a ziplock bag. Lay a piece of clear wrap out on the table. Trim the corner off of each ziplock bag. Pipe a thick row of each color of frosting in this order - purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red - side-by-side onto the clear wrap.
• Fold the clear wrap over into a long log (see photos above for guidance). Twist one end closed and trim the other end, if needed, so that the frosting is right at the end.
• Put the log into a piping bag with the open end of the log going into the piping tip. I used piping tip Ateco 849.
• Begin piping shells of frosting around the top edge of the cake. After each shell is piped, turn the piping bag just a little bit before piping the next shell. As you continue piping and turning the piping bag, you'll get a rainbow that rotates around so you see all the colors.
• To pipe shells around the bottom of the cake, create another log of rainbow frosting, add it to the piping bag and pipe shells around the bottom in the cake manner - turning the bag slightly after each shell.
• Store cake in an airtight container until ready to serve. Cake is best for 2-3 days.

CHOCOLATE RAINBOW CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk together cocoa powder and hot coffee in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl as needed. Stir in coffee and cocoa mixture. The cake batter will be very runny.
• Divide batter between the two cake pans and bake for 32-35 minutes, until cake is springy when touched and no dent is left behind. A wooden toothpick tester must come out clean.
• Cool cakes completely in pans on wire racks. When cakes are no longer warm, cover the pans tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and chill for at least 2 hours.
• *Make Ganache Frosting ahead of time as it needs about 2 hours to cool.*
• In a medium-sized saucepan, heat and stir the cream, butter, sugar and salt over low heat until mixture nearly comes to a boil. Do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until completely smooth. Stir in vanilla.
• Allow mixture to cool to room temperature (about 2 hours), until it reaches a spreadable consistency, stirring occasionally.
• Beat the butter and salt in a mixing bowl on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until the butter appears nearly white. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low speed until blended. Scrape bottom and sides of mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again briefly. Add the heavy cream and mix on medium speed until the frosting is creamy.
• Divide the frosting into five bowls (about 130 g each) and color each frosting a different color of your choice. Begin coloring with minimal amounts of food coloring. Transfer frosting to five plastic food storage bags.
• Turn chilled cakes out of pans and remove parchment paper. Slice each cake horizontally into three layers. Ideally, you would use a cake leveler to cut the layers but a long, serrated bread knife works as well. Don't worry if the layers aren't perfect, the cake will still be beautiful.
• Place the bottom layer on a cake platter and lay strips of parchment paper under the edges to make cleaning the platter easier afterwards.
• Cut a small corner off your first bag of frosting. Pipe the frosting onto the cake in large swirls and smooth it out with an offset spatula or a butter knife. Repeat process with remaining cake layers and frosting.
• When the chocolate ganache frosting has thickened into a pudding-like spreadable consistency, you can use it to frost the cake. If it is still too soft, you can set it in the freezer for a few minutes. If it is too hard, you can heat it in the microwave for 5 seconds.
• Start by frosting the sides of the cake. Holding your palette knife parallel to the cake, apply plenty of frosting to the sides, filling in any holes and uneven spots with the frosting. Smooth out the frosting and remove excess by scraping the sides of the cake with palette knife or cake scraper (or a ruler). Repeat until the sides are nicely covered. Then frost the top of the cake and scrape smooth.
• Decorate cake with colored sprinkles as desired. Chill cake over night before cutting into slices and serving.

RAINBOW CAKE WITH CLOUDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Transfer 1-1/3 cups batter to prepared pan; spread evenly. Remove an additional 2 tablespoons batter to a small bowl; reserve., Divide remaining batter into six separate bowls, tinting each with food coloring to make the following: 2 tablespoons purple batter, 1/4 cup blue batter, 1/3 cup green batter, 1/2 cup yellow batter, 2/3 cup orange batter, and the remaining batter red., Fill six small food-safe plastic bags with a different color batter. Cut a small hole in a corner of the red batter bag; pipe a wide ring onto white batter to within 1/2 in. of pan edges. Pipe a ring of orange in the middle of the red ring, leaving some red visible on each side. Repeat by piping remaining colors in the middle of the previous layer, in rainbow color order. (Each ring will be narrower than the previous layer.) Fill a bag with reserved white batter; pipe over purple ring only. , Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., Remove cake from pan; place on a serving plate. In a bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Serve cake with whipped cream clouds.

EASY SIX-LAYER RAINBOW CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease six 9-inch round cake pans and dust with flour.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Beat 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, milk, sugar, egg whites, and vanilla extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
• Divide cake batter evenly between 6 bowls. Mix in different food coloring to each bowl, creating 6 different colored batters. Start with just 1 to 2 drops of food coloring in each bowl, then mix; you can always add more.
• Bake each cake in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Beat cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir together confectioners' sugar and mascarpone cheese in a separate bowl, then fold gently into the whipped cream until smooth.
• Spread frosting on each layer of cooled cake, placing one on top of the other. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the ganache: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over the chocolate. Shake the bowl so the chocolate is fully submerged in the cream, then let stand 1 minute. Using a small rubber spatula, slowly stir the chocolate and cream in the center of the bowl until it forms a shiny, smooth ganache. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and let stand in a cool place in your kitchen until it is thick like pudding, but still pourable and spreadable, up to 2 hours. (See Cook's Note about timing.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut three 8-inch circles out of parchment paper. Using 2 tablespoons butter, grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Combine the sugar and remaining 14 tablespoons butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the almond filling, lemon juice and almond and vanilla extracts and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture, then stir with a rubber spatula until the batter is combined.
• Divide the batter equally among 3 bowls. Add the green, yellow and red food colorings to the batter in their separate bowls, then stir the colorings. Scrape each batter into a prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula or rubber spatula. Bake until the cakes are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, 20 minutes.
• Transfer the cake pans to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the cake pans and discard the parchment paper rounds. Let the cakes cool completely, about 30 minutes. Flip the cakes right-side up and trim the top of each cake with a serrated knife so that it is flat, if necessary.
• Place the green cake on a cake stand and spread 1/4 cup jam evenly over the top. Place the yellow cake over the green and spread the remaining 1/4 cup jam evenly over the top. Place the pink layer on top, then loosely wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Unwrap the cake and scrape the ganache on top (the ganache will be the consistency of thick pudding). Using an offset spatula, spread the ganache evenly over the side and top of the cake, leaving a slightly thicker layer on top. Once the ganache is smooth all around, drag the tines of a fork in a wavy pattern across the top of the entire cake. Refrigerate the cake to set the ganache, about 30 minutes. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

CHOCOLATE RAINBOW SURPRISE 'BOX' CAKE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Prepare Chocolate and White Cake Mixes according to directions on the box.
• NOTE: It is recommended that you use the same brand of cake mix for each, and ensure they share a similar bake time.
• Divide prepared White Cake Batter into 4 separate bowls. Use food coloring to create vivid Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue Batter.
• In a greased bundt pan, spoon about ⅓ of the prepared Chocolate Cake Mix onto the bottom. Using a tablespoon, carefully spoon a thin ring of Red Cake Batter on top of the chocolate layer - being careful to keep it centered and ensure it does not spread to the edge of the pan.
• Repeat with Yellow, Green, and Blue Batter, carefully spooning each on top of the previous. Finish by carefully covering the colored layers with an additional ⅓ of the Chocolate Cake Mix (leaving about ⅓ extra so as not to overfill the pan).
• Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Remove from oven and allow cake to cool.
• Turn out onto a plate and decorate.
• Enjoy!