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Fabulous Rainbow Cake Tutorial

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rainbow cake

The Omnomicon has a fabulous step-by-step Rainbow Cake tutorial and the colorful pictures alone are positively drool-worthy! This recipe would be so much fun for a color party, a 60’s theme party, an art-lover’s birthday, or anytime you feel like brightening up the dessert table a bit.

rainbow cake

You could also take the same concept and apply it to just a few colors or a different type of palette – maybe various shades of green for St. Patrick’s day, red/white/blue for 4th of July, or the birthday girl’s favorite colors, whatever they may be…

rainbow cake

This next pic is one of my favorites… artistic, colorful, & all around delicious:

rainbow cake

The baked cake looks so great it almost seems like it would be hard to cover it with frosting, don’t you think?! The pretty colors come through again when the cake is cut and served though (see top pic, above).

rainbow cake

For complete details, check out the full tutorial. Happy Baking!

84 Comments

  1. reilly February 19, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    this is so cool looking! & yummy! i think i will make for my niece’s bday!

  2. elle denise February 19, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    This will be PERFECT for my 31st bday!…

  3. Tori February 19, 2009 at 1:36 pm

    I LOVE this cake and these photos are simply amazing! What a great idea, you could definitely apply this process and make a cake to match any party theme.

  4. MixMingleGlow February 19, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    NO WAY! I just made this cake a few weeks ago for my daughter’s art birthday party! I even took similar pix (not that awesome one of the batter rimmed bowls, though!).
    I should have posted it on my site so I could have taken credit for it first! ;)
    It got a HUGE wow factor response, btw!

  5. Sabina February 19, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    My youngest daughter always says that her favorite color is “rainbow” – she would love this cake!!

    :)

  6. Emily F February 19, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    wow, I am LOVIN’ that cake.

  7. rachel trigueiro February 19, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    this is absolutely fantastic! i am totally in love with this cake and can’t wait to try it.

  8. Pumpkin Petunia February 19, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    I have to make this cake! It’s too gorgeous not to!!

    I think I’ll make this for St. Patrick’s Day – pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Love it!

  9. aleta February 19, 2009 at 6:34 pm

    OMG!

    Okay, seriously, I subscribe to this the hwtm blog, I never plan a party without a consultation with hwtm, and even made it out to the Boston Hostessing event.

    So imagine my excitement when, today, on my rss feed, right there, are my very own pictures with all kinds of nice words sprinkled around them. Thank you SO much for sharing my recipe with more people (and also remembering to link me! ;)

  10. Britney February 19, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    This is awesome! I can’t wait to try it out. You have the best website ever:)

  11. Jewell February 19, 2009 at 8:56 pm

    SO BEAUTIFUL

  12. fabulous rainbow cake « clarissa.jane February 19, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    […] Comment! spotted: Fabulous Rainbow Cake Tutorial | Hostess with the Mostess®. […]

  13. KinaBolina February 19, 2009 at 8:58 pm

    OMG! This is the coolest cake ever!

  14. kathryn February 19, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    wow so cute i love it

  15. Chris February 20, 2009 at 2:30 am

    OMG !!!

    Is this for real ?!! the kids will be bouncing off the walls with all them E numbers?!!?

  16. ellecupcake February 20, 2009 at 5:27 am

    This is soooo great! I have been wanting to make cupcakes like this for a while!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO THANKYOU!

  17. jenn s. February 20, 2009 at 8:48 am

    Aleta –
    Thank YOU so much for creating such a great tutorial to share! Your pictures turned out awesome!
    Jenn :)

  18. Kelly@Color Sizzle February 20, 2009 at 9:05 am

    This is color lover’s dream dessert! Not sure I have the patience to make it, but just looking at it is very gratifying!

  19. Suzie February 20, 2009 at 10:08 am

    The BEST dessert I’ve seen in a long time. I can’t wait to make it!!

  20. Kim O. February 20, 2009 at 10:55 am

    Coolest cake ever!!! Love it!

  21. Courtney-Gift Mommy February 20, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    LOVE it!

  22. Rebecca February 20, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    All that food coloring doesn’t change the texture or the taste does it?

  23. Live. Laugh. Love. » Blog Archive » ♥ Rainbow Cake… February 20, 2009 at 5:31 pm

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  24. Heather February 20, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    Great idea! I’m going to surprise my husband with a purple and yellow cake during a Lakers game next week

  25. Joanna February 21, 2009 at 7:30 am

    Gorgeous photos!!!

  26. jenn s. February 21, 2009 at 9:39 am

    Rebecca –
    I don’t think the food coloring should make much of a difference in the taste/texture, but Aleta would be a good person to ask. I haven’t made this yet myself, but a couple people have mentioned to me that they’ve had this exact cake before and both said it was “delicious” and got rave reviews :)

    Heather – fantastic idea about the purple/yellow Lakers cake! I have a friend whose husband is completely obsessed with the Lakers…I’m going to pass your idea along to her too :)

  27. designergirl007 February 21, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    This is the best idea. My son will LOVE this bright colored cake. What a great idea!

  28. marpha February 22, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    i feel so cool right now just cuz i KNOW how to do it…
    hmmm

    i wonder if we have flour…

  29. Kuertzal Waltz. February 23, 2009 at 7:40 am

    this cake is gorgeous! I was thinking of doing something like this for a theme party. I bet it tastes delicious :]

  30. Jenn-Modern Day Floral February 23, 2009 at 8:00 am

    That looks so yummy, I wish I could have a piece of it right now! Just when I thought nothing was better than homemade cake, I see this and realized a pretty COLORFUL homemade cake tops it all! Thanks for the tutorial…I’m not too much of a baker, but this looks like it’s definitely worth trying!

  31. Thrice February 23, 2009 at 8:11 am

    Cool recipe!!!!!! :D I’ll definitely bake that cake!

  32. Nancy Musser February 23, 2009 at 11:10 am

    Very cool cake…can’t wait to make it for my little girls party!! The other moms will be so jealous!!

  33. Nancy February 24, 2009 at 7:20 am

    This is Fabulous!!! My kids are all grown, but I will be making this soon for SOMEONE ~ ANYONE!!!!! Thanks for sharing and I am soooo GLAD I found your Blog – it’s wonderful!

  34. lyndsay February 24, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    BRIGHT AND LOVELY!! ooooh can’t wait to try making these again…

  35. Elizabeth February 25, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    My mother used to make cakes like this for my sisters and me when we were little. She would make it more like a quilt with the colors side by side. Her colors were not this bright, though. My friends loved it!

  36. Cake Recipe « Adriennespeaks’s Blog February 28, 2009 at 9:56 am

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  37. nixdminx March 5, 2009 at 11:11 am

    I tried this for my daughter’s party was great. I also did a post on how to do a party on a credit crunch budget…it’s here

    I also feature cooking on my blog for the financially challenged and also wheat and gluten free.

  38. Tiny Talk | St. Patrick’s Day Recipes March 16, 2009 at 10:53 am

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  39. KP March 20, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    I just made this cake last night, and it was quite easy, and looks absolutely beautiful! I enjoyed every step of the process, but now the only problem is that it is so pretty I can’t stop eating it! I still can’t get over how good it looks.

  40. Design by Kendall » Blog Archive » Taste the Rainbow! How to Make a Deliciously Colorful Cake March 25, 2009 at 8:57 am

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  42. Ayana Harris April 7, 2009 at 9:16 am

    I absolutly luv this cake n right now im in class and im writting a how to essay… and this is going to be the thing im going to write about because to be it is beautiful and i really enjoy it … after im done writting the essay im going to make it 4 myself actually i might even do it before im finish with the essay… because my mom is thinking about making a cake today …. so yeah im goin 2 do it today…

  43. Lindsey May 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    I made this cake a month ago to test out the idea and it came out great :) I am going to make one again for my daughter’s 1st birthday this friday

  44. aurora5us June 8, 2009 at 10:45 am

    how did you get such a shiny top? is it the lighting you are using?

  45. Kim Randall July 12, 2009 at 10:45 am

    Love the bright and boldness of the colors

  46. lance July 20, 2009 at 12:54 am

    this is a great and delisious recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  47. Alexandria-Lynn July 21, 2009 at 5:27 am

    THANK YOU SO MUCH<3

    This is wonderful for my party!

    For my 14th b-day, I’m having a rainbow themed b-day, this article helped alot!

    I’ll tell everyone who asks about it.

  48. Karen Windness August 9, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    This cake was a big hit at my son’s 1st birthday. Just a warning, though: if your child hasn’t been exposed to food coloring yet, be wary! We spent the rest of his birthday in the ER treating a serious allergic reaction.

  49. Sophie August 20, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    Ok, I don’t wanna sound crazy. First, I had a camp at the end with potluck day, YUM, and we had to chose deserts. So i was looking for something wacky. So, i went with this cake. WOW, it look beautiful and I hope everyone likes it tomorrow!! I am still waiting for it to get out of the oven but it is very easy but the only thing is that who ever wrote this wasn’t that specific enough for me. I had some troubles, but thanks.
    Sophie =)

  50. Emily September 6, 2009 at 6:04 am

    I’m making this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday. Both of us are huge cake fans – I think this will be the such a fun, original cake! Can’t wait! Thanks :-)

  51. Rhiannah September 10, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    I really want this recipe can you send the cake to the shops over to Perth AND YUMMY
    :-)

  52. Michelle September 17, 2009 at 9:57 am

    Oh gosh that looks A) yummie B) really cool! I think I may make this at my fisrt House Welcoming Party! Baking in my new kitchen Wahoo!

  53. michelle November 4, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    i love this cake made it lots of times!!! going to make it again soon!!!

  54. kaykay.danZe.revolution. November 5, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    omg. this is so pretty…
    it tastes awesome. i love rainbows and i no wat your thinking not that kind of way. it tastes even better knowing that it is pretty…
    LOL!!!!!!! lmao

    IN LOVing mem. Dody Marteniez

  55. Dawn November 9, 2009 at 10:02 am

    I made a very large cake w/ 2 10″ 2 8″ and 2 6″ layers, and the icing was very bright a diff on each layer, and when we cut into it ALL the girls and their parents were full of oohs and ahhs….. Not once did I hear that there were too many artificial colors in it and that their child was going to die from it.. It was a GREAT success…… beautiful job!!

  56. Brandi November 25, 2009 at 3:00 pm

    oh, i just love rainbows. they are so **** beautiful. haha. **** **** ****

  57. lozza February 10, 2010 at 2:21 pm

    wow this cake is so cute i love it thanks 4 the idea YAY (:

  58. leah March 20, 2010 at 8:55 am

    i loved the idia apart from when making it the cake tasted mare like the food colouring than the cake :(

  59. shorty March 30, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CCCCCCCCCCCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

  60. Kendall's Entertaining Life » Blog Archive » Taste the Rainbow! How to Make a Deliciously Colorful Cake June 18, 2010 at 7:47 am

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  61. Jordyn November 8, 2010 at 6:20 pm

    hi this is an amazing cake!!
    i cant wait to try it!!
    in the recipes however why would you use sprite or ginger ale
    ive never seen a cake with soda in it!
    crazy but probably delicous!
    please email why the soda is involved if you have any time on your hands!!
    thanks a bunch!!
    hersheys and kisses!!
    -Jordyn

  62. jill November 23, 2010 at 10:30 am

    what an inspiration!
    thank you so very much!
    <3

  63. Jessica December 3, 2010 at 8:27 pm

    This looks awesome!! I’m going to make it for my son’s birthday party!!! He thinks it’s the coolest looking cake ever! Thanks for sharing! :)

  64. maryam December 12, 2010 at 2:26 am

    FANTASTIC !!~

    love it really <3

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  67. Oris March 25, 2011 at 11:16 am

    i love it (: super awesome!

  68. Sneha April 25, 2011 at 5:23 am

    gr8………cool………. yummy……………..i made it on my frnds birthday…………….lovely……….

  69. macayla May 18, 2011 at 3:41 pm

    i love the rainbow and i have a very colorful life and i like it that way:)******

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  72. cereal November 15, 2011 at 10:20 am

    Superb!! awesome pictures as well!

  73. Kelsey November 26, 2011 at 1:32 am

    I loooooooove it! YUM! :)

  74. Ashley December 8, 2011 at 11:15 pm

    I made this tonight with my mom for my birthday…. And well lets just say…… TOTAL FAIL!!! I was soooo disappointed! The cakes cracked and crumbled everywhere taking it out of the baking pans. I don’t know if whoever put the instructions on here maybe left some steps out or what… But something is NOT right.. I followed the directions perfectly.. and like i said failure. Taste good, but looks HORRIBLE. And the recipe makes way too much icing. Somebody needs to redue the recipe… Sorry, but if you can’t tell I’m a little upset… We spent hours doing this and the way it turned is sooo not like the picture. I do not recommend to anyone.

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  77. India April 4, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    perfect for my baby’s first birthday! smashcake sheek

  78. Cut Liza Djohan May 19, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    I like this page MUCH!

  79. cakelover May 21, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    Lackling inspiration, I googled ‘fabulous cake’ and that is exactly what I got. THANKS SO MUCH – can’t wait to get baking!

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