Rainbow Pride Cake

5 from 7 ratings

This colorful rainbow cake is an amazing way celebrate Pride! It's made with 8 rainbow cake layers and a fluffy vanilla buttercream.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Additional Time1

Total Time1 35

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24

Calories: 660kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Rainbow Cake Layers

3 cups all-purpose flour 375g
3 cups granulated sugar 600g
2 1/2 tsp baking powder 10g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
1 cup carton egg whites or 7 large egg whites, room temperature 235g
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature 360g
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil 30g
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, brown, and black gel food coloring if desired

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 678g
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
10 cups powdered sugar 200g
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 120g

Optional Decorations

rainbow gel food coloring
4 tsp vodka or clear extract like lemon or almond extract
clean paint brush

Instructions

Rainbow Cake Layers:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line eight, 6-inch or 7-inch pans with parchment rounds, and grease with a light spray of non-stick cooking spray. If you don't have 8 pans, don't worry! Grease & line however many you have and bake the cake layers in a couple rounds.
Mix 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until fully combined.
Mix in 1 cup of room temperature, unsalted butter slowly into the dry ingredients on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks like moist sand.
Pour in 1 cup of egg whites and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in 1 1/2 cups buttermilk in two installments, on a low speed.
Add in 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil and 2 tsp of vanilla extract and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. If you plan to color your cake layers, add in the gel food coloring with the oil and vanilla.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat on a medium speed for about a minute to make sure everything is properly mixed together. This also helps lighten the texture of the cake layers a bit.
Divide the batter evenly between 8 bowls. I like to use a digital scale to make sure each bowl has the same amount of batter, so that each cake layer is the same height.
Color each bowl a different color using purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, brown, and black gel food coloring. You can also use 1 tsp baking cocoa and 1 tsp black cocoa to naturally color the brown and black cake layers.
Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
I couldn't fit all 8 pans in my oven at once, so I baked the cake layers in two batches. It's fine to let the batter sit out at some of the cake layers bake! Just cover the bowls or pans with a kitchen towel as they sit.
Let the pans cool for 10 minutes, then run a small offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
Place cake layers into the freezer for 15 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers.
If you make these cake layers in advance and freeze them, let them thaw for about 10 minutes before making your cake. The cake layers should still be slightly cold to the touch, which will make it easier to assemble your cake.

Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.
Beat 3 cups of unsalted butter on a high speed for 3 minutes with a whisk attachment. It should become lighter in color and increase in volume as air is incorporated into the butter.
Mix in 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and 1 tsp salt on a medium speed.
Slowly mix in 10 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Halfway through add 1/2 cup of heavy cream or milk to make the frosting easier to mix.
Continue to mix on low speed for a few minutes, until the
desired consistency is reached.
If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 TBSP at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).

To Assemble This Rainbow Pride Cake:

Stack and frost the rainbow cake layers on a greaseproof cake board using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board. Start with the purple cake layer.
Spread an even layer of fluffy vanilla buttercream between each cake layer.
Repeat and stack the cake layers in color order: purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, brown, black.
Cover the cake in a thin coat of frosting, being sure you fully cover the cake layers. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (10 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
Add a second, thicker layer of frosting to the cake and smooth using a bench scraper. Place the cake in the freezer to chill for 10-15 minutes, or in the fridge for 30 minutes.
In a plastic paint palette or small ramekin, combine a couple drops of each color of gel food coloring with 1/2 tsp of vodka or clear extract to create edible paint.
Use a clean, thick paintbrush to paint the food coloring mixture up the sides of the cake, then enjoy!

Video

Notes

Recipe Variations

This recipe can also be used to make a sheet cake! One batch will make 2, 9-inch x 13-inch cake layers that are about 1 inch tall.

One batch of cake batter makes about 1800 grams. If you plan use four circular cake pans, add 450 grams of batter into each pan.

Tips for Making the Best Rainbow Pride Cake

Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. It will make your cake layers bake to the same height and bake more evenly.
Level your room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes it so much easier to stack and frost them!

Making This Rainbow Pride Cake in Advance & Storage Tips

Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.

You can make your frosting ahead of time, too, or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition