This is a really simple surprise to rustle up for a birthday cake – I made this one for Dylan’s (one of my boys) birthday recently. Having seen, and tasted, a great deal of things the boys are now quite difficult to amaze. So, I made this cake in secret – think of me as you read the instructions – trying to hide cake mix, cooked cakes and decorate the blooming thing without anyone seeing! And yes it was definitely worth it to see the look on his face x
Ingredients:
Cake
500g butter, softened
500g caster sugar
10 eggs, large
500g self raising flour
Gel colour pastes (Available from Lakeland and Amazon, these are heat stable and very intense so a little goes a long way, a set is definitely a good investment.)
Filling
70g butter, softened
200g cream cheese
400g icing sugar, sifted
Preheat the oven to 160c fan/180c/Gas Mark 4.
Gather together your tins for baking. I was making this cake into Dylan’s favourite book so I wanted rectangular cakes. I used a baking tray and a roasting tin the same size.
Using baking paper I folded a pleat in the middle of a large sheet used it to line each tin. That way I could bake four at a time. The quantities will work in round tins approx 7-8″ but if you don’t have enough then you will need to bake in stages cleaning and re-lining the tins in between.
So the tins are ready, time to make the cake.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs gradually one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each. Make sure they are mixed in well before adding the next.
Once all the eggs are incorporated fold in the remaining flour and mix until smooth.
Try not to beat it at this stage otherwise large air bubbles are formed which create pockets in the finished cake.
Take five bowls, recite Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain….
what a raggle taggle bunch of bowls!
I’m not adding the indigo or violet of the rainbow but feel free to go to six layers if you prefer!
Divide the cake mixture between the bowls.
Take a little of the red gel paste colour, recite Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain…. and mix well into the first bowl of cake mix,
Continue colouring the bowls the correct colours.
Now back to the first bowl, Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain…, beat it well again and add it to the first cake tin. Spread it over the base. The layer is fairly thin so take your time.
Continue until all the mixture is in the tins, ‘Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain’….
Bake them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until cooked and springy to the touch.
Cool in the tins for five minutes before lifting out carefully onto a wire cooling rack. If you’re doing double cakes like I’ve done then sliding them out from one end works best.
Allow to cool completely. (Whilst making sure no-one sees them, even though they can smell cake deny all knowledge!)
Now to prepare the filling. Dylan had requested a ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ book for his birthday cake so I’m covering it in sugarpaste but would be just as lovely completely covered with frosting if you prefer, in which case you will need to make a double quantity.
Beat the butter until super soft.
Add the cream cheese and mix until combined.
Now beat in the icing sugar. If your frosting is quite runny chill it in the fridge before going any further.
Take the first cake for the base (Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain…. but backwards). My sheet cakes are fairly level and I will be cutting it into shape but if your cakes are round and have a dome on level them off with a serrated bread knife.
I use a flexi-type chopping mat for decorating cakes on and then transfer to a board later, if you’re just frosting then place it on the plate that you’re serving it on.
Spread with a thin layer of frosting and the stack the next layer on top (Richard Of York…you get the idea, but you might as well join me with what runs through my head when I’m doing it!)
Another layer of frosting – not too much between the layers or they will start to slide around and be unstable.
Continue until you have all the cakes stacked together.
Before doing any trimming, chill the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours. This helps when you come to cut it, the crumbs don’t rip and you will get a nice clean cut.
Trim the chilled cake into shape, using a bread knife.
Apply a thin layer of frosting to the top of the cake.
Now turn your attention to the sides working on one at a time. Use a palette knife to spread the frosting over the side. You are looking for a scant layer, putting it on and almost scraping it off until the whole side is covered right down to the base. Work carefully as you get towards the corners. It’s a bit like plastering (well I imagine it is, I’ve never done it). Work your way around the cake covering each side.
Turn your attention back to the top and smooth in the edges.
Place the cake back in the fridge to chill until the frosting is firm to the touch (a couple of hours).
Once chilled, the cake is ready to be decorated with sugarpaste or given a good thick second layer of frosting.
The finished birthday cake…? Here we go – Diary of a Wimpy Kid for Dylan, 9.
How to make a Rainbow Cake
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
Brillant. Bet the birthday boy was delighted with his cake.
I’ve been really keen for a tutorial on these since seeing a stunning one on Pinterest – lethal website but so lovely and worth checking out if you haven’t already!
xXx
I have heard lots about it but not made it there yet myself – when I have a bit of spare time…x
Oh this is fab! I think I will be making it for my nephew who’s birthday is coming up, he’ll love it!
I bet he will! x
Wow, that looks brilliant!! I made my daughter a rainbow cake last year. It had 6 layers, & was covered in white frosting, she loved it. It was a total surprise when we cut into it. However I used liquid food coouring, so the colours werent bright like I wanted them to be. Guess I’l be investing in some gel pastes for the next one I make.xx
You are amazing! First to have the idea, second to make it and hide the flipping thing, third to be so good at drawing. Thank you for sharing your ideas so generously, I hope everything is going really well for you.
Everything’s going wonderfully thank you! x
Thanks for the How To. I have conned my flatmate into making one of these for my birthday and these instructions are way better than the ones I found on American sites.
I came to see you last night in Brownhills to raise money for DiabitesUK and u mentioned the rainbow cake so thought i would find it on your website. I am going to have go for my little girl birthday. Just wanted to say i really enjoyed the cupcakes you abked and really enjoyed the demonstration.
Thank you for coming and for visiting the website – here’s to lots more baking together! x
Looks amazing. got a four year daughter to make a cake for on halloween. I’ll keep you posted on how it comes out x.
Love love love this! And love the thought of you secretly making all the multicoloured layers and hiding them from the kids
How did you manage? When I was little my brother always managed to hunt out any interesting food…even in the child proof cupboards! Bookmarked for when I have kids of my own 
It was a task I tell you! Running up to my bedroom with cakes on cooling racks certaimly made things a little tricky!! x
Thanks for this – looks fantastic! Can you give us a tutorial on the decoration, too?
Ooh yes, think I could do that…watch this space!
i cant find the gel food colouring could you let me know what brand it is thanks x
Try this set on Amazon http://tiny.cc/pak1r it may seem expensive but is definitely a worthwhile investment and will last you ages x
genius… stunning… fabulous… and you’re very brave with your ‘cooking four at a time’ throw away remark!… show off! xx
Wow! What a cake. Was the book also made out of sugar paste?
Yes, I covered the cake with sugarpaste and decorated like the book (or thereabouts!) x
Wow! That is a cake with real wow factor – it’s brilliant! I am definitely going to give it a go
Cool cake. Not sure I’d like to eat all the colouring but nine year olds don’t have those kind of foibles!
Wow, what a super-duper-mum you are!!!
Them lucky boys
what a great idea Ruth. it looks so good will certainly try it out for the grandchildren. All good wishes.
Wow, what a fabulous cake to have for your birthday. Lucky Dylan to have a mum like you.
This is awesome, what a neat way to surprise your son! The colours look so gorgeous. Well done!
That is fantastic! I’d love to try making a rainbow cake. I do have the gel pastes so no excuses! My boys would go crazy over this cake, they love DOAWK!
I think this looks amazing. I’m going to try this with cupcakes. And spread a thin layer of each colour onto of each colour then bake together. I’m thinking that a swirl effect might happen. Thanks Ruth.
Ruth – it looks amazing and very well recounted here on your website. As ever you are so inspiring!
Such an awesome effect! Will have to try it some time when I don’t mind doing a load of washing up!
That’s such a good idea! I have a little boy and am struggling to come up with idea’s for his cake that he would like. It’s really effective
Ruth, you must be a mindreader! My daughter wanted to make and decorate a rainbow cake as part of an art project. Think you may just have saved my “will to live!”
Thanks
Oooooh, I’m definitely going to try this, I have a sneaking suspicion that my son might love this just a little bit!
OMG! Are you trying to poison your child???? Sooooo many chemicals! Pretty, but I wouldn’t eat it!
This looks really awesome
I might bake one for my friends birthday, thanks again for the recipe! x
Going to attempt the rainbow next week for my boyfriends birthday – he is 24 going on 10! I just have a quick question regarding quantities; roughly how much batter would you put in each tin if you are using 8″ round tins? Thanks!
I would divide the mixture into four for 8″ round tins. x
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Ruth you are amazing, I am in awe of you. I would love to have the confidence to try this cake.
Go for it! xx
Wow! Looks fantastic! I was just wondering, could you use (eg the liquid food colouring instead of the gel pastes – would this mess up the consistency of the cake? Thanks
Normal liquid colours will alter the consistency of the cake mixture, also they aren’t heat stable so the colour can disappear during baking. The gel paste colours are intense and you only need a little bit – they’re the best for guaranteed results! Xx
I am stealing this idea for my twin boys’ 10th birthday at the end of December. That should give me enough time to pluck up the courage!
This is exactly what I was looking for for my soon-to-be 4 year old rainbow-mad daughter. Only thing is that I am having trouble locating the colour gel paste on Lakeland and Amazon. Is there a specific brand I should be searching for? Thanks!
I think actually Lakeland have since stopped doing it. You need either Wilton or Sugarflair gel colour – here’s a link to the Wilton ones on Amazon http://tiny.cc/37cxy
Made this yesterday evening (only took 3 hours) and it was well worth it for the ‘ooh’s and ‘wow’s as we cut into it today. I split your recipe into six colours, in 8″ round tins, using the Wilton colour gels you recommended. Definitely think it is worth chilling it for ease of cutting. Many thanks!
Hi, I am planning on doing the same, 6 layers in 8″ round tins, how tall did each layer rise too? x
Each layer was approx 1.75cm tall x
I made this recipe today with 6 colours and the recipe divided easily into the six lots. I used ordinary food die, Queen brand that you get in supermarkets (in Australia). I made sure I put a fair amount in and it still looked great. The bottles only cost $1 each for 50mls. The cake looked great and certainly impressed the table!
Thank you – this is amazing. Whenever people see a rainbow cake, they freak out at the colours/chemicals/additives. BUT even without a rainbox cake, the average party has haribo, a dreaded pinata full of sweets, etc. etc. I don’t think there is anything wrong with sarnies, veg, fresh fruit and a rainbow cake. Also, I came across a blog/site which showed how to use natural ingredients to make food colourings if you are that way inclined (will try and locate). Probably wouldn’t look as fantastic, but would still give the effect (?).
Hi,
I’m after some Pink Whisk expert advice! I treated myself to an 8 colour set of Wilton gel colours, and used it for the first time today. I was making a red velvet cake, and despite using 5 cocktail sticks dipped in the gel, i couldn’t get it above a murky brown colour which was very dissapointing. Do you think this is because the recipe also called for 50g cocoa powder (which was the only other colour substance involved) and you just can’t turn cocoa red? In which case how does everyone do it? I don’t want to be put off my new colours but the first go didn’t work as planned
Thank you, any help would be very much appreciated!
Hi Laura, reds (and blacks!) can be a bit tricky and take more colouring than the others I tend to dip the tip of a table knife in and use that, however 50g of cocoa powder seems like quite a lot and combatting the brown of that will be difficult. Cocoa powder content on red velvet cakes tends to be about 1/6th the amount of flour in the recipe. Try taking the cocoa down to 30g, you’ll still get the taste through, and pick up a blob of colouring with a knife rather than using a cocktail stick and see how you get on! Hope that helps, Ruth x
P.S, I’m sorry for asking this Q here but it’s the only gel paste post I could find upon thinking ‘Ruth would know’! All the best xx
I absolutly LOVE this!
And this is exactly what I am looking for!
My best friend and I share the same birthday, and she is Dr Who mad! I thought i would bake her a rainbow cake in the shape of a Tardis, so this is the perfect recipie for me as it happens to be of similar shape, an english recipe and the same colour! I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to ice it? Thanks! x
Hi Beth – what sort of icing were you thinking? I have a how to sugarpaste a cake here http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2011/10/how-to-cover-a-cake-with-sugarpaste.html Ruth x
Im planning on making this for my boyfriends birthday as it looks so amazing! What size rectangle tin would you use? Thanks x
I used a roasting tin and divided it in half with baking paper. Each cake then measured approx 10″ x 7″. x
Looks amazing just tried making it now. Well its in the oven now *fingers crossed* itll turn out ok as i didnt use as many eggs and flour as the recipe said
Hi, this looks fantastic and I’m just off to Amazon to order some gel colours.
When you say ‘chill in the fridge’ do you cover the cake in cling film or anything, or else how do you stop it going really dry?
Thanks.
Hi Kate – you can borrow my colours if you’d like? Yes, wrap the cakes in clingfilm before chilling x
hey Ruth, I was wondering if I need to use dowling if I’m going to make this cake and then transport it in the car?
No, you would only use dowels if you were making a tiered cake. Once covered its sturdy enough for transporting in the car x
Great thank you! Not sure if my first time covering a cake with rolled out icing should really be a 6 layer cake but there we go! Thanks.
I made the cake but round and covered in white icing. The incredible reaction I got from it was definitely worth all the effort that went into it
Brilliant! x
This looks so lovely. Will have to try soon
Wow! Love this recipe!! It’s the first one of yours I’ve read but I’m a big fan already!
Thanks Jessie – welcome to the gang! x
Thank you for this, I made my daughter this cake but with a Rainbow Magic Fairy book cover, it was a huge hit!
Thank u for this. My 6 year old is rainbow mad. Im waiting for the frosting to set as I type. It was so straight forward to do. Mine looks a bit leaning tower. But great taste and I hit so far with her sisters.
Brilliant!
would it be possible to make 2 cakes pouring
mixture in centre on top of each other hoping it will spread
Hi Daphne, the mixture isn’t liquid enough to do the striped cake with the pouring method, you could try loosening it with extra milk but it does need to be fairly liquid x
Hey Ruth
Made a full seven layer rainbow cake yesterday for my sister in law’s 30th birthday, using a complete mish mash of inappropriate tins in a thoroughly unrealistic timeframe… 1 hr 50 from start to finish so no time for chilling (literally or figuratively!) and the end product was a complete monstrosity – the mess I can make with seven uneven cakes, a ticking clock and a box of fondant icing is something to behold.
Got a lot of ‘oo, isn’t she nice to try and make a cake’ from the guests but the reaction when the birthday girl sliced into it… well, suffice to say jaws dropped and I didn’t have to buy a drink for the rest of the evening! It tasted fantastic, too – my best sponge yet
Thank you for giving me the confidence to try all these things!
xx
Brilliant Tabby! xx
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Hi Ruth. I’ve baked many of your scrummy recipes, including a 3-layer version of this cake for my sister in law’s birthday. My daughter is 9 this week and she’d love a Diary of a wimpy kid cake. My iced lettering skills aren’t great…any tips on how to get the lettering perfect?
I plan it out on a piece of greaseproof paper the same size as the top of the cake and then use the wrong end of a paintbrush or similar to trace it gently on to the sugarpaste on the top of the cake so that there is a guide to follow when piping – that always helps keep me neater! x
hi i would love to make this for my sons birthday im just wonderin how many servings would u get out your cake and what size tins did u use x
I used baking trays split in half but the mixture could go in 7-8″ round tins. The cake would serve at least 25. x
o rite thank u would i just do the same recipe if there goin in round tins and thank u cnt wait to try it x
Yes x
hi, i have seen loads of rainbow cakes and this one is stunning! love it
but i’ve got one query. i’ve seen loads of recipes saying to use a cake batter which is pale, and by looking at your pictures i can see yours is fairly pale. what type of butter did you use to acheive this? x
The paleness comes from the creaming of the butter and sugar – I tend to use Anchor butter which is actually fairly yellow x
Hi Pink Whisk,
Can I use this receipe for 3 layer cakes by cutting down the ingredients to 300gm self raising flour, 300gm of butter, 300gm of sugar and 6 eggs?
yes, will work a treat x
Hi, I’m planning on making this for my OH’s birthday at the weekend, but only have 8″ round pans, how tall will the cake be?
It makes a tall cake – approx 10.5cm tall x
Brillant receipe easy to follow and a amazing cake at the end this is the 3rd cake ive make with many people telling me how hard rainbow cakes are but this was no trouble at all. I used the same ingredients and measurements but did 4 layers making nice thick layers. My daughter and her friends loved it. Thank you very much for putting this on
Just came across your web page by accident it’s fab. I love the rainbow cake. I was looking up the net to find a easy way to make sugarpaste roses and found your page. This web site is fantastic so excited now I’ve found it. I have shared on Facebook
Brilliant – thanks Anne! xx
Thank you for this fab tutorial. I’ve spent the afternoon following it to make a cake for my 6 year old’s party tomorrow. I did 5 colours and made up 5 batches of mix rather than make one and try to divide into 5, which worked well. Frosting currently hardening in the fridge & then will cover with sugarpaste. Am looking forward to slicing into it tomorrow!
Brilliant! Xx
I am planning to make my daughters 21st birthday cake and want to make a pastel coloured layered cake. I have a 14 inch square tin, 3 inch deep. what would be the measurements for a Madeira cake and how long would i cook this and at what temperature?
Many Thanks
june
Hi June, I think for a 14″ cake you would need 3 times the quantity of this recipe. x
HI!!
LOVING YOUR RAINBOW CAKE AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE FOR MY SON’S 10TH BIRTHDAY ON SATURDAY. JUST WANTED TO ASK IF THERE IS ANY ALTERNATIVE TO THE CREAM CHEESE FOR THE ICING? OR BETTER STILL ANY IDEAS FOR A CHOCOLATE BASED FILLING?
Try the chocolate frosting from here http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2010/08/chocolate-pomegranate-cupcakes.html minus the pomegranate juice x
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Thank you for such a straightforward guide with lots of photos
I plan on making my own wedding cake for next year and am going to do a rainbow cake with pastel colours! Practicing it lots though as I have a lot to improve on still!
Hi Ruth we are going to try a christmas rainbow cake, but please can you tell us how long it will keep once iced? many thanks x
Would keep for 3 days once iced x
This cake looks so wonderful. I am sure your son loved it.
I love anything rainbow and often use it in my knitting. Yes I know a bloke that knits
I love my hand knitted Rainbow socks the best.
Hi Ruth, I was recommended this recipe by a friend who has made this as a round cake. attempting an 8″square decorated cutting cake and 14″ rectangular cake for slicing up later. How much sugar paste would you recommend is used for covering each? Blocks are 250g each. Thanks!!
It depends how tall they would be but for an 8″ square cake then Id work with approx 1kg, perhaps a little over and for a 14″ cake you’ll need about 2.25kg- 2.5kg x
wow it’s cool, thanks for sharing.
That cake looks amazing! Could you tell me what cream cheese do you use tho please?! Whenever I make it it seems far too runny, would I be able to cover in a buttercream instead?
thanks x
Hi Amy – I use Philadelphia but yes of course you can use a buttercream to cover it instead x
im using your fab recipe to make my first ever rainbow cake today really looking forward to trying it
Hi do you a an eggless sponge recipe, I’d love to try this one out but have an egg alergy.
Not at the moment, I’ll keep you posted if I come up with anything x
I watched you on The Great British Bakeoff and you were AMAZING!!!!! I love your recipes so much
xoxo
Thank you that’s very kind! xx
I want to make this for my twin girls b-day. Have a question though. How did you get the baking paper to stick to the tray? Did you grease it before???? thanks…………
Yes, a quick grease and then the paper will stay in place x
Hi lovely cake but not sure what size tins you used for recipe given..
I used a half a roasting tin for each as I wanted book shaped cake pieces but the quantities will work in 7 or 8″ round tins
Hi Ruth can you make the cake in advance and freeze it to defrost and ice later?
Re eggless cake – Good Housekeeping magazine website have one for an egg free chocolate cake that has been good for my son’s birthday cakes as he too has an egg allergy. Don’t know if it could be adapted for this.
Yes absolutely, just wrap it well in clingfilm before freezing then defrost and assemble as before. Thanks for the egg free cake tip off, will go and have a look x
Hi Ruth, this cake is Fab! I’ve tried looking for the gel colour pastes on both amazon and lakeland, are they the same ones used for colouring icing like the wilton ones or are they especially for cooking with? Thanks xx
Hi Alison – the same ones used for colouring icing – you can put them into all sorts! xx
Hi Ruth,
This is just the kind of cake I have been looking for!
But I want to make it in shades of lilac – can you please tell me the best colour gels to use? And which colours to mix to achieve it?
I have only just discovered your web site, but will definitely be using it again!
The best purple is by Sugarflair – you would only need one shade of purple and then add more or less to the batters for the hues your need x
Wow, amazing cake! Love it! I would love to try it but I’m not very good at cake decoration xD
I would be delighted if I got this cake.
i am making your Rainbow cake now and the red and yellow layers have come out fantastic just waiting for the other colours to bake, then im making them into Merdia from disneys Brave, i have never made a doll cake before so fingers crossed it come out ok. Love this site, its going to be my new favourite baking site :S
Brilliant! Let me know how you get on! xx
Hi Ruth, you have inspired me and I am giving this a go next week for my little one’s birthday! I am using a square silicone baking tray measuring 24cm and doing six layers as you did – do you think your recipe above will make enough batter (don’t want very thick layers)
Also how much fondant will I need to cover the cake do you think please (first time fondant icing a cake aaargh!)
Thanks ever so much! This site is sooooo helpful!
Hi Zoe – yes the batter will be enough for that size – it’s already a fairly tall cake and any more and it would be ginormous! For the fondant I would start with 1.25kg which is a large pack plus a bit – it’s tall and you need enough to work with so that it doesnt get too thin and rip for you x
Thank you Ruth!
x
Hi Ruth,
I decided to do the cake in shades of pink as it was for my granddaughter’s christening. Got sugarflair pink and it turned out brilliantly!
Caused a huge ‘wow’ when the cake was cut.
Thanks! x