Rainbow Cookie Cake From Cakes By Melissa Recipes

RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch square (2 1/4-inch-deep) cake pan with cooking spray. Prepare 1 cake mix as directed, beating in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Tint pink with gel food coloring. Transfer to the pan; bake about 35 minutes. Let cool.
• Repeat to make a yellow and a green cake. (Bake both cakes at the same time if you have 2 pans.)
• Trim the tops of each cake with a long serrated knife to make level.
• Put the pink cake, trimmed-side up, on an inverted baking sheet. Spread with 1/2 cup jam.
• Top with the yellow cake, trimmed-side up; spread with the remaining 1/2 cup jam, then top with the green cake, trimmed-side down. Freeze the stack 1 hour.
• Microwave the chocolate and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.
• Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate mixture in a thick layer on top of the cake.
• Use the tines of a fork to create wavy lines in the chocolate. Return to the freezer until the chocolate is set but not hard, about 15 minutes.
• Trim all four sides of the cake with a long serrated knife. Transfer to a platter.

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the ganache: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over the chocolate. Shake the bowl so the chocolate is fully submerged in the cream, then let stand 1 minute. Using a small rubber spatula, slowly stir the chocolate and cream in the center of the bowl until it forms a shiny, smooth ganache. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and let stand in a cool place in your kitchen until it is thick like pudding, but still pourable and spreadable, up to 2 hours. (See Cook's Note about timing.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut three 8-inch circles out of parchment paper. Using 2 tablespoons butter, grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Combine the sugar and remaining 14 tablespoons butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the almond filling, lemon juice and almond and vanilla extracts and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture, then stir with a rubber spatula until the batter is combined.
• Divide the batter equally among 3 bowls. Add the green, yellow and red food colorings to the batter in their separate bowls, then stir the colorings. Scrape each batter into a prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula or rubber spatula. Bake until the cakes are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, 20 minutes.
• Transfer the cake pans to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the cake pans and discard the parchment paper rounds. Let the cakes cool completely, about 30 minutes. Flip the cakes right-side up and trim the top of each cake with a serrated knife so that it is flat, if necessary.
• Place the green cake on a cake stand and spread 1/4 cup jam evenly over the top. Place the yellow cake over the green and spread the remaining 1/4 cup jam evenly over the top. Place the pink layer on top, then loosely wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Unwrap the cake and scrape the ganache on top (the ganache will be the consistency of thick pudding). Using an offset spatula, spread the ganache evenly over the side and top of the cake, leaving a slightly thicker layer on top. Once the ganache is smooth all around, drag the tines of a fork in a wavy pattern across the top of the entire cake. Refrigerate the cake to set the ganache, about 30 minutes. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

THE TIE DYE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans or line them with wax paper or parchment paper and butter the paper.
• Divide the Classic Vanilla Cake batter evenly among 5 small bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl--1 drop at a time--until the desired intensity of each color is reached. Scoop each color into a disposable pastry bag and snip the tip of the bag. I tie the ends of the pastry bags with plastic wrap or rubber bands to keep the batter in. Pipe the batter into the first pan, one color at a time, one over the next. (You could also use a spoon, but the pastry bags make this much easier.) Repeat with the remaining 2 pans.
• To make the tie dye effect, carefully drag a skewer completely through the batter from the center out to create a pattern with the colors. Don't overmix the colors.
• Bake until the middle of the cake feels springy when you gently press your finger against it, 35 to 40 minutes. Set the cakes aside to cool completely before icing.
• Level the cakes with a serrated knife. Place one layer on a cake turntable and frost the top with the Vanilla Icing. Add the second cake layer and frost the top. Place the third layer on top and cover the entire cake with a "crumb" coat of vanilla icing. I do a crumb coat--a thin layer of icing spread around the cake to seal in all the crumbs and ensure a neat finish. Unless it's a chocolate cake, the crumb coat is done with vanilla icing. It looks so clean and creates a nice blank canvas for decorating.
• Divide the Vanilla Glaze between 2 mixing bowls. Add pink food coloring to one bowl and blue food coloring to the other bowl--1 drop at a time--until the desired intensity of each color is reached. The food coloring will thin out the glaze a bit. You can always add more liquid, but you can't take it away. Working with an offset spatula, spread pink glaze over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Spread the blue glaze over the pink, but do not let it completely cover the pink. Finally, spoon more pink glaze onto the center of the cake top. Alternate the glazes just like you did with the batter. Use a skewer to pull the glaze from the center out to the edge and make the tie dye design. Work quickly before the glaze starts to dry.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla extract. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the edges of the bowl midway through.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it's mostly incorporated, add half the milk. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and whip just to incorporate.
• In a separate bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar mixture 1 cup at a time until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Whip on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it to the desired consistency.
• If not using within 10 minutes of mixing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep the glaze from drying out. Store at room temperature.

RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Roll out cookie dough and cut out six 5-inch rounds. Bake according to package directions. Let cool.
• Add cream cheese and butter to a stand mixer and whip until combined.
• Add vanilla and confectioners' sugar, then mix for about 3-4 minutes or until fluffy.
• Spread each cookie round with the cream cheese frosting, then stack the layers with fruit, using a different fruit for each layer. Assemble this cake the day you plan to serve it, as the cookie layers will become very soft if layered with frosting and fruit too early.

RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE FROM CAKES BY MELISSA

Steps:

• CAKE:
• Almond Cake, 1 1/2 recipes,
• Pink, green, and yellow food coloring.
• FILLING:
• One 13-ounce jar store-bought strawberry jam.
• GLAZE: Chocolate Glaze, 2 recipes worth.
• TOPPINGS: 1/2 cup pink, green, and yellow sprinkles and nonpareils, mixed.
• GENERAL DIRECTION & ASSEMBLY:.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F Butter 3 quarter- sheet pans or butter the pans and then line them with wax paper or parchment and butter the paper.
• Mix the almond cake batter according to the recipe directions and divide the batter among three bowls. Add food coloring, 1 drop at a time, to each bowl of batter until you reach the desired colors of pink, green, and yellow.
• Pour one color of batter into each prepared pan and bake until the middle of a cake feels springy when you gently press your finger against it, about 30 minutes.
• Let the cakes cools completely. Once cooled, use a 3½- inch round cutter to cut two rounds from each pan.
• Place one pink layer on a turntable and spread the top with a thin layer of jam. Repeat with a yellow and then a green layer, then repeat the sequence one more. Don't spread jam on the top layer.
• Mix the chocolate glaze to a drippy consistency and pour it over the top of the cake. It will run down the sides to cover. Coat with the sprinkle mixture.
• ALMOND CAKE:.
• Have all your ingredients at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F Butter the pan of your choice or line the pan with wax paper or parchment and butter the paper.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the sugar and the almond paste until completely combined.
• Add the sugar mixture to the butter and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
• With the mixer on medium- low speed, add the vanilla; then add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl midway through.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl.
• With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it's mostly incorporated, add half the milk. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the middle of the cake feels springy when you gently press your finger against it (see page 31 for approximate baking times). All ovens are different, so it's important to do the fingerprint test to see if the cake is done.
• Let the cake cool completely before icing.
• CHOCOLATE GLAZE:.
• Sift the sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the cocoa powder, milk, vanilla, and salt and whisk or stir with a spoon until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it to the desired consistency.
• If not using within 10 minutes of mixing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep the glaze from drying out. Store at room temperature.
• Recipe courtesy of CAKES BY MELISSA by Melissa Ben-Ishay.
• Get the book here:.
• https://www.amazon.com/Cakes-Melissa-Life-What-Bake/dp/0062681273/.