Rainbow Sprinkles Layer Cake Food

RAINBOW CAKE!

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 160ºc/140º fan and line three 8"/20cm springform tins with parchment paper and leave to the side for now.
• Weigh 5-6 medium eggs in their shells and get as close to 300g as possible (e.g. 312g)
• Then add 312g of butter and caster sugar to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs, and 312g of self raising flour and beat again until smooth.
• Split the mixture evenly into three bowls, and add three of the colours each (for example, red, yellow and orange.)
• Bake the cakes in the oven for 30 minutes (or until baked - test with a skewer).
• Once baked, leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool fully.
• Repeat this process again and use the other three colours (for example, green, blue and purple!). Once all the cakes are baked, leave them all to cool fully.
• (You can wrap the sponges in clingfilm once they have cooled and freeze over night to make decoratin easier but this is optional!)
• Once all of your cakes are cooled, you can make the buttercream.
• Beat the room temperature unsalted butter on its own for a few minutes to soften it and make it supple.
• Gradually add the icing sugar beating very well each time until its all mixed in.
• Keep beating and add the white food colouring and vanilla extract and beat for a few minutes.
• Using a 10" cake board, add your first sponge. I start with purple as its the bottom colour.
• Add a couple tablespoons of the buttercream on to the sponge and smooth over. Repeat this with blue sponge, then green, yellow, orange and finally red at the top.
• Using a small amount of buttercream, smooth over the sides of the cakes and fill in any gaps and create a crumb coat.
• Refrigerate or freeze the cake on the board for an hour or so to chill and firm to make the next stage of decorating easier.
• Once chilled, add on lots more buttercream around the sides of the cake with a small angled spatula, and smooth over using a large metal scraper until the sides of the cake are smooth like in the photos!
• Carefully press some of the sprinkles into the bottom of the cake using the palm of your hand to create the sprinkle effect!
• Once this has been done, refrigerate again whilst you make the drip!
• Add the white chocolate and double cream to a bowl and heat in a microwave in short 10 second bursts stiring well each time.
• Once melted and combined, add the pink food colouring and mix until smooth!
• Add the pink ganache to a piping bag and carefully cut off the end and drip down the sides of the cake. The more you push over the side of the cake with the piping bag, the further it will drip!
• Add the leftover buttercream to a piping bag with your favourite piping tip and pipe swirls of buttercream onto the top of the cake (like I have done in the photos)
• Finally sprinkle on some etra sprinkles and leave the cake to set in the fridge fully.
• In the hot weather I store the cake in the fridge until it has been portioned.

RAINBOW LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease six 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside (if you don't have six pans, you can bake in batches).
• Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl, then lightly stir in the salt and set aside. Whisk together the heavy cream and sour cream in a large measuring cup and set aside.
• Cream together the butter, coconut oil and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extract, if using. Reduce the mixer to medium-low and add the dry mixture and cream mixture in 3 alternating additions, stopping right after you add the last of the dry mixture and cream mixture; don't mix them in completely, because when you mix in the food coloring you'll continue to mix, and that's when everything will get fully combined. (Prevent overmixing at all costs!)
• Divide the batter among 6 medium bowls (using a scale is the most efficient way to do this) and stir in good big plops of food coloring until the batter is bright. Distribute the batter among the cake pans and spread it out evenly.
• Bake until the tops of the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs on it; begin checking for doneness at 22 minutes and try your darnedest not to let it overbake.
• Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Level the tops of the layers with a serrated knife, then place a layer on a cardboard cake round. Stack layers up with a thin layer of Strawberry Buttercream in between each. Frost all over and decorate with sprinkles as desired. Enjoy!
• Beat together the butter and preserves in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until creamy, about 4 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar, then mix in the salt, vanilla, heavy cream and pink food coloring, if using. Mix until creamy.

RAINBOW SPRINKLE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the center. Butter and line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter the parchment. Flour the pans, coating the bottom and sides, then tap out any excess flour.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together milk and vanilla.
• In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, slowly add egg and whites and beat until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add half the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating to blend after each addition. Scrape down bowl and blend once more. Remove bowl and use a spatula or spoon to mix in sprinkles by hand.
• Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
• Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 4 hours, before turning out.
• Make the frosting: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, butter and salt together at medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, slowly add sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla just until incorporated. Taste frosting; you should be able to taste the cream cheese and a little bit of saltiness, as well as the sweetness. If desired, add more salt or sugar. Keep refrigerated.
• Turn cooled cakes out of pans. Using a bread knife, cut off any domed or uneven parts of each cake to make flat surfaces. Place one of the cakes on a platter or a cake stand, cut side up. Using an offset spatula, frost the top. Stack the other layer on top, cut side down. Place remaining frosting on top of the cake and, working from the center outward, frost the top and sides of the cake.
• Place a baking sheet under the platter or cake stand, to catch any fallen sprinkles. Sprinkle the top with a layer of sprinkles. Toss remaining sprinkles at the sides of the cake, or press handfuls of sprinkles gently up the sides to make a thicker coating. Gather fallen sprinkles and repeat until coated to your liking.
• Refrigerate cake 30 minutes or longer to set. Serve cool.

SPRINKLES CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with butter and line with parchment or line two 12-cup cupcake tins with liners and set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the oil and the extracts.
• With the mixer running on low, add the dry mixture and the milk in 2 or 3 alternating batches and mix until just barely combined. Gently fold in the sprinkles using a rubber spatula until they're evenly distributed. Distribute the batter among the cake or cupcake pans, spreading it out evenly if using cake pans, and bake until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes for cakes and 20 minutes for cupcakes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter until smooth with the whisk attachment and gradually add the confectioners' sugar until creamed. Add the milk, extracts and salt and beat to combine. Decorate as desired and enjoy.