Rainbow Ring Easter Basket Cake Recipes

RAINBOW RING EASTER BASKET CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites.
• Divide batter among 3 small bowls. Add few drops yellow food color to 1 bowl; mix well. Add red food color to second bowl to make pink. Add red and blue food color to third bowl to make purple. Pour half of the yellow batter into cake pan. Carefully pour half of the pink batter over yellow batter. Carefully pour half of the purple batter over pink batter. Repeat layers (do not mix colors).
• Bake as directed on box until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Place cake on serving plate.
• Divide frosting among 3 small microwavable bowls. Microwave 1 bowl on High about 5 to 10 seconds; add few drops yellow food color and stir until frosting is smooth enough to drizzle. With spoon, drizzle yellow frosting back and forth over cake in striping pattern until all frosting is used (allow some frosting to drip down onto plate in middle of cake, if desired). Microwave second bowl of frosting; add red and blue food color to make purple. Drizzle frosting over cake in same striping pattern. Repeat with last bowl, adding red food color to make pink frosting. Decorate cake with sprinkles.
• Place coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag; add few drops green food color. Seal bag and toss until coconut is evenly tinted. Sprinkle coconut on serving plate around cake and in center for "Easter grass."

BRAIDED EASTER EGG BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
• Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

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.