Rainbow Cake
Story by:
Jenni Chasteen
Sometimes a cake doesn’t have to be shaped like a pirate or dragon to be incredible. Sometimes it can just be a layer cake with plain white frosting that you make for a friend. Whisk Kid’s Super Epic Rainbow Cake looks fairly ordinary from the outside. Then someone cuts a slice, and subtlety leaves the party.
Six Colorful Layers Hidden Under White Frosting
Inside are six separately baked layers in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The white frosting keeps the surprise hidden until the first serving. This may be one of the few cakes that looks even better after someone has taken a knife to it.
A Rainbow Cake With a Story
In the original post, published on August 19, 2009, Whisk Kid explained that the cake was made for a friend’s going-away party before her move to Ohio. The friend loved rainbows and lemon, so the cake combined bright layers with lemon-flavored icing.
That plain exterior was part of the idea. The creator wanted the cake to look normal until it was sliced, revealing a much more colorful personality underneath. It’s a pretty good argument for judging dessert by the slice.
The Colors Are in the Cake
The original recipe starts with a white cake batter divided into six bowls and tinted with gel food coloring. Each color is baked separately, then the layers are stacked with frosting between them. The finish is lemony Swiss meringue buttercream.
It’s the separation that makes the cut so satisfying: six distinct bands of color, rather than a swirl of different batters. No sculpted castle or elaborate fondant creature required. Just a very convincing poker face made of buttercream.
Where to Find the Original Rainbow Cake Recipe
The full Super Epic Rainbow Cake recipe is available at Whisk Kid, including the cake, frosting, and assembly instructions. We haven’t tested it ourselves, but the original post is the place to start if you want to make this particular cake.
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