Rainbow Sprinkle Cake Recipes

RAINBOW SPRINKLES LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat six 8-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray (or grease and flour pans).
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Combine the milk and vanilla in a large liquid measure with a pour spout. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer running, gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Begin and end with the flour. Mix until just combined.
• Beat the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions.
• Place 2 cups of the cake batter in 6 separate bowls. Tint each bowl of batter with a different gel food color, so that you have a bowl of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet batter. Fold the color in well with a rubber spatula until no streaks of white cake batter remain.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto wire racks to cool completely. When the cakes are cool, level the tops with a serrated knife or a cake leveler.
• For the Swiss meringue buttercream: Set a saucepan filled one-third full of water over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
• Whisk together the egg whites, granulated sugar and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has dissolved (120 to 140 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase to medium high until stiff peaks form. Continue beating at medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy and has cooled (the mixing bowl should feel cool to the touch).
• Turn the mixer off and switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and add the butter a few cubes at a time, beating until well incorporated before the next addition (see Cook's Note). Add the vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until the frosting is thick and completely smooth.
• Frost the cake: Transfer 1 cup of frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip; set aside.
• Top each cake layer with a small amount of frosting. Begin with the violet cake layer on the bottom, followed by the blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Cover the entire cake with frosting using an offset spatula and smooth the frosting with a bench scraper or frosting smoother. Place the cake in a large dish and use a cupped hand to press on the rainbow sprinkles, allowing the excess to fall back into the dish. Repeat until the bottom two-thirds of the cake is covered with the sprinkles. Using the reserved frosting in the piping bag, pipe stars around the top edge and center of the cake, and around the bottom edge of the cake. Decorate each star on the top edge of the cake with alternating colors of the round candies. Scatter rainbow nonpareils over the bottom edge. Add more rainbow sprinkles to the top center of the cake.
• For the marshmallow fondant bunting: Combine the marshmallows and 1 1/2 teaspoons water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30-second intervals at 100% power, stirring in between each, until melted and smooth, about 1 minute.
• Add 1 cup of sifted confectioners' sugar to the melted marshmallow and stir to combine. When the first cup is thoroughly mixed in, add the second cup of confectioners' sugar. Stir well until stiff. Grease a work surface with the vegetable shortening and transfer the fondant from the bowl to the greased area. Knead well until smooth and pliable. The fondant should not be sticky and it should hold its shape firmly when rolled into a ball. If the ball relaxes and loses its shape, knead in more confectioners' sugar a little at a time.
• Roll the fondant into a ball and cut into 6 even pieces. Tint each ball with the food colors so that you have one of each: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. (Wear gloves during kneading to avoid staining hands.)
• Roll out each piece of fondant to 1/8 inch thickness on a piece of parchment paper. Use a 1 1/2-inch triangle cutter to stamp shapes from each piece of fondant.
• Place the triangles end-to-end in a swag design around the top edge of the cake, in rainbow color order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet). If the pieces do not naturally stick to the frosting, add a small dot of water to the backs of the triangles to adhere them to the cake.
• Serve eye-popping slices of rainbow cake to delighted guests. If there are leftovers, cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

RAINBOW SPRINKLE CONFETTI CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the confetti cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line three 8-inch round pans with parchment rounds, then grease with nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle until fully combined. Mix chunks of butter slowly into the dry mixture with the mixer running on low speed until no large chunks of butter remain and the mixture becomes crumbly. Pour in the egg whites and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk.
• Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and oil, and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Fold the sprinkles into the cake batter using a rubber spatula, just until they're evenly distributed. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the baking pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 34 to 36 minutes. Allow the pans to cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeters of the pans to separate the cakes from the pans.
• Place the cake layers in their pans in the freezer until fully cooled, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
• Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers. Set aside.
• For the vanilla buttercream: Meanwhile, beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with small splashes of cream. Continue to beat until fully mixed, then add the vanilla and salt and beat until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. (If the frosting is too thick, add more cream 1 tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time.)
• Stack the first cake layer on a greaseproof cake board, using a dab of frosting to help it stick. Add an even layer of buttercream to the top of the layer, then continue to stack and frost the layers in the same manner.
• Apply a thin coat of frosting around the sides of the cake to fully cover the cake layers. Add as little frosting as possible to the top of the cake, to make it easier to handle during the sprinkle roll. Smooth the sides using a bench scraper, then chill the cake until the frosting is firm to the touch, 10 minutes in the fridge or 5 minutes in the freezer.
• Add a second, thicker layer of frosting to the sides of the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper. Place a second cake board on top of the cake.
• Fill a baking pan with an even layer of the rainbow sprinkles, then carefully pick up the cake and roll it in the sprinkles. Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag fit with an open-star cake decorating tip, such as a Wilton 1M tip, and pipe swirls around the top of the cake.

RAINBOW SPRINKLE CAKE POPS RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Bake the strawberry cake in the pan of your choice according to the package instructions, then let cool completely.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Crumble the cake into a large bowl, then stir in the vanilla frosting, 2 tablespoons at a time, with your hands or a spoon, until the mixture holds together when pressed. You should need between ½ cup and ¾ cup of frosting, depending on the texture of the cake.
• Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop out 1½ tablespoons of the cake mixture and roll into a tight ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining cake mix; you should have 24 cake balls. Transfer to the freezer while you melt the white chocolate.
• Add ¾ cup white chocolate chips to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until smooth.
• Dip about ¼ inch of one end of a straw in the melted white chocolate, then gently insert into the center of a cake ball, about halfway through the ball. Return the ball, straw-side up, to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cake balls, then return to the freezer for at least 45 minutes, or until the balls are thoroughly chilled and firm.
• Line another small baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix 1-3 drops of red food coloring, 1 drop at a time, into the remaining melted white chocolate until it is the desired shade of pink. Transfer the pink chocolate to a small piping bag with a very small round tip.
• Pipe the pink chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet in 24 1-inch-wide bow shapes, using a toothpick to smooth out the edges and fill any gaps. Freeze for 10 minutes, until set. Remove from the freezer and squeeze a small dot of pink gel icing onto the center of each bow, then return to the freezer until ready to use.
• Add the remaining white chocolate chips and the coconut oil to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until smooth.
• Working one at a time, remove the cake pops from the freezer. Dip the pop in the melted white chocolate until completely coated, using a spoon as needed to help cover the top. Use the straw to spin the pop over the bowl to remove any excess chocolate, then sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles. Place the pop, straw up, back on the baking sheet in the freezer. Repeat with the remaining pops, then freeze for 10 minutes more, until the chocolate is set.
• Using the remaining vanilla frosting, place a small dot of frosting on the back of each pink chocolate bow, then press onto the top corner of each cake pop.
• Refrigerate the pops until ready to serve.
• Enjoy!