Rainbow Swirl Cake
A vibrant show-stopping cake that's delicious and surprisingly easy to make! Moist vanilla cake layers covered in creamy Italian meringue buttercream and crowned with white chocolate sails!
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 egg whites
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- food coloring
- 1 cup butter
- 5 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp orange blossom water
- food coloring
- 4 egg whites
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- 16 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cream tartar
- 1/2 cup candy melt (white, melted)
Instructions
- 1
For the Cake:
- 2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 3
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined.
- 4
Evenly divide batter into 6 different batches. Color each with drops of food coloring until desired color is reached.
- 5
Transfer batter to piping bags. Use 3 buttered and flowered 6-inch cake pans.
- 6
Pipe in dollops of the batter, alternating the colors. You can swirl with a skewer around batter as desired.
- 7
Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- 8
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 9
Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar and cream and mix.
- 10
Divide evenly into batches and dye with food coloring.
- 11
For the Italian Buttercream:
- 12
Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar, slowly add in 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form. In a medium saucepan add the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water then place on medium-low heat.
- 13
Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear. Maintain at medium-high heat until temperature reads 235-240F.
- 14
Run mixer until meringue is cool/tepid. Add room temperature butter into running mixer one tablespoon piece at a time. Add the salt and vanilla.
- 15
Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency.
- 16
Reserve about 1/3 cup. Add food coloring for watercolor piping step later.
- 17
For the Feathers:
- 18
Add dollops of candy melt to parchment paper. Color with a few drops of food coloring. Using a spoon, spread to achieve a feather like shape.
- 19
For the Assembly:
- 20
Pipe vanilla buttercream between the cake layers, alternating colors.
- 21
Once the cake has chilled, pipe Italian buttercream on the outside of the cake. With a steady hand, work your way around the cake until it is completely covered.
- 22
Tint with 5 different colors. Dollop on colors with a spoon. Smooth out for a watercolor effect.
- 23
Add feathers to the cake.