Rainbow Cake

Are you all noticing a theme around here lately? 

Ally wanted a rainbow cake for her Wizard of Oz party, and I knew right away how I'd make it.

A few years ago, I decided to start making the kids cakes for a few reasons.  One, it's cheaper to buy the specialty cake pan and most of the stuff to make the cake than it is to just order one from a bakery...plus then you have the pan forever.  Two, my children are friends with more and more kids who have food allergies, and it's just easier to make it at home since I know exactly what goes in to everything that way.  And third, I have a friend who is crazier than me with the birthday parties and makes beautiful elaborate cakes and served as my inspiration. 

When Ashley was 3,we had a pony birthday.  Complete with, wait for it, an actual pony that came to the house for her to ride.  Ahhh, to be a spoiled kid again. 

Anyway, for that party, I found a horseshoe shaped pan by Wilton, and figured I could repurpose it for a rainbow with a little tweaking. 

Rainbow Cake
- Wilton Horseshoe cake pan
- 1 box cake mix, any flavor desired
- 3 cans white frosting
- food coloring
- icing set
- cake board or large cutting board

This particular pan is a one box pan, which is nice. Most of the Wilton pans are two or more.

Bake cake according to instructions on the box, checking a little early for doneness.  Since the pan is narrow, but deeper, it took a few minutes longer to bake.

Let cool completely.

Slice off the rounded top of the cake.  I find it's easier to do that when it's still in the pan.  Run a plastic knife around all edges and carefully remove cake from pan, placing on cake board.  Since this pan is a horseshoe, you will have to wiggle the edges out a little to make it rainbow shaped.  Before frosting, wedge small pieces of wax paper under the edges of the cake, then carefully slide out after you are done so there aren't stray crumbs or icing on the board.

Frost entire cake with a thin even layer of white icing.  Let sit about an hour.

You need approximately 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of tinted frosting for each color for the rainbow, then 1 to 1 1/2 cups for the sides.  Place icing in bowls and tint accordingly.  I've found that while it takes a LOT of red food coloring to get the red to be the right shade, it only takes a little red to make orange and purple. 

Using the flower tip (6 pointed), fill icing bag and pipe one row at a time, beginning with the red and working your way down the colors of the rainbow.  Be sure to get the colors close to each other so the white underneath doesn't show through, and so that you have enough room to squeeze all the colors on there.  After you get the rainbow done, pipe the sides of the cake.  I chose to do a lighter blue for the sides. 

Clear out a shelf in the fridge big enough and place cake in there to let all frosting firm up.  Remove an hour before serving.