Rainbow Cake

Who doesn’t love an excuse to make a beautiful, vibrant Rainbow Cake!This cake will make you extra happy because it is surprisingly simple too.

This rainbow cake is a cinch because you use a cake mix! Using a mix makes it quicker to whip up without sacrificing any of the flavor. You are going to love the bright, colorful layers all topped with beautiful white frosting and fun rainbow frosting swirls. So fun!

Have you ever noticed the price to buy a cake from the store or a bakery?It is absolutely insane.This rainbow cake not only looks good and tastes delicious-but it is also inexpensive! Total win in my book. The use of the box cake mix is my secret to make it cost effective and fast to make.

The cool thing about being an adult is that you can have cake ANYTIME!No need to wait for a birthday or special occasion. A rainbow cake would be so fun to bust out on a regular ol’ Tuesday, don’t you think? Rainbow cake would be a great way to celebrate turning another year older, graduation, baby shower or the beginning of summer!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This cake looks bakery fancy but costs so much less!
• It uses box cake mixes so it’s super easy to mix up.
• It is easy to customize.

Recipe Ingredients

For the cake

• 2 boxed white cake mixes
• water, oil, & eggs(whatever your mixes call for)
• gel food coloring– available at any craft store that sells cake decorating supplies, often under the Wilton brand name

For the frosting

• Unsalted butter– definitely use butter here.
• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Heavy cream– cream makes the texture so creamy and rich but milk will work in a pinch.
• Vanilla– this is a great place to use a fancy vanilla if you have it.
• Salt

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

Popular Substitutions and Variations

• Almond extract is a great substitute for Vanilla extract. It gives more of a wedding cake flavor. It is much stronger than vanilla though so start with a small amount and add a tiny bit more until you have the flavor you want.
• The colors are completely customizable. You could easily use favorite colors or adapt it for a baby or wedding shower.

How to Make a Rainbow Cake

For the cake:

Step #1.Spray the cake pans with non-stick spray or butter and flour them.

Step #3.Stir in red food coloring into the first bowl, orange food coloring into the second bowl, and yellow food coloring into the third bowl. The colors should be very bold.

Step #5.Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Step #7.Make the second cake mix according to package directions, divide it evenly into three bowls, and color one bowl with green food coloring, one with blue food coloring, and one with purple food coloring, again making sure the colors are bold.

Step #9.Level all the cakes using a sharp knife or cake leveler.

Step #2.Make the first cake mix according to the package directions. Divide it equally into three bowls.

Step #4.Pour each color of batter into a separate cake pan and bake according to the package directions until a toothpick comes out clean or the top springs back into place when lightly touched.

Step #6.Once the cake pans have cooled, wipe them out and then repeat step #1.

Step #8.Bake the three pans according to package directions until the cakes test done, then repeat step #5 for these layers.

Step #10.Place all the cake layers in the freezer while you make the frosting.

For the Frosting:

Step #1.Using a stand mixer or a bowl and hand mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese.

Step #3. Add cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

Step #5.Color one bowl for each color: red, orange, yellow, blue, and green. Place each color in a piping bag.

Step #2.Add powdered sugar and beat until it comes together.

Step #4.Remove five 1/2 cup portions of frosting and place each in its own bowl.

Step #6.Place the remaining white frosting into a large piping bag. Assemble the cake as follows in the recipe directions.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Be careful to mix your batter until it is all combined but not more and not less! Too much mixing will make your cake tough and too little will leave clumps of unmixed ingredients.
• If you enjoy making fancy cakes,consider investing in a couple of tools like a turn table and an icing spatula, or even a cake carrier, that will make decorating, storing, and transporting your cake easier.

More Cake Recipes to Consider

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