Rainbow Birthday Cake
Description
Kids will go wild over this rainbow birthday cake with 3 different colors of vanilla cake layered between 3 more colors of buttercream, all topped with fluffy Italian meringue.
Ingredients
•
1 cup butter, softened
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1 3/4 cups white sugar
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4 eggs
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
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2 teaspoons baking powder
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3/4 teaspoon baking soda
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1 1/4 cups buttermilk
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red, yellow, and blue food coloring
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
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1 pinch salt
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4 cups confectioners' sugar
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1/4 cup heavy cream
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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orange, green, and purple food coloring
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1 cup white corn syrup
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2 egg whites
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1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the sides of three 9-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper.
2
Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Mix in vanilla extract. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 of buttermilk.
3
Divide batter among 3 bowls. Tint one bowl red, one yellow, and one blue. Scrape each into one of the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
4
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Peel off parchment paper and let cool for 30 minutes before frosting.
5
Beat unsalted butter and salt together in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar alternately with cream, making 3 additions of sugar and 2 of cream. Mix in vanilla extract. Divide butter icing among 3 bowls. Tint one orange, one green, and the other purple.
6
Place red cake layer on flat serving plate; spread top with orange icing. Top with yellow layer; spread green icing on top. Add the blue layer and cover it with purple icing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until icing is firm.
7
Place corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until frothy in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Beat in the corn syrup in a thin, steady stream until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat and beat in vanilla. Top cake with fluffy icing.