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Rainbow Layer Cake with Buttercream Roses

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A colorful six-layer vanilla cake dyed in rainbow hues and topped with piped buttercream rosettes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple gel food coloring
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
  • 6 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (for frosting)
  • ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (for frosting)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans; set aside.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  3. In a separate large bowl, beat 1 cup butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each; mix in vanilla.
  4. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour, mixing just until combined.
  5. Divide batter evenly into six small bowls. Tint each portion a different rainbow color.
  6. Spread red and orange batters into pans and bake 8–10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 3 minutes, then remove and cool completely. Repeat with remaining colors.
  7. To make frosting, beat 2 cups butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt, alternating with cream and vanilla, beating until fluffy.
  8. Reserve 2 cups white frosting; divide remaining frosting into six bowls, tinting each a rainbow color.
  9. Place purple layer on serving plate, bottom side up. Spread a thin layer of white frosting; top with blue layer and repeat through green, yellow, orange and red.
  10. Frost outside of cake with reserved white frosting for a crumb coat. Chill 30 minutes.
  11. Fit a piping bag with a large star tip and fill with white frosting. Pipe rosettes to cover top and sides of cake in a rainbow pattern.

Notes

  • Use gel food coloring for more vibrant layers without thinning the batter.
  • Chill between frosting steps to keep layers stable and prevent crumbs.
  • Each baked layer will be about ⅜” thick; total cake height before frosting is about 3″.
  • Work quickly when piping rosettes; keep frosting chilled if it softens.

Nutrition

Keywords: rainbow cake, layer cake, buttercream rosettes, birthday cake, colorful cake

Find it online: https://zesticook.com/rainbow-layer-cake-with-buttercream-roses/