The Rainbow Cake attack...
Martha Stewart's Outcome
Over the holidays I decided to take all my free time and try out my "betty crockering" skills for my family's end of the year gathering. Making a cake from scratch is actually not as hard as I thought it would be. The only thing I would have done differently in the Pre-eating stage of the cake would be to get a kick-butt standing mixer, preferably hot pink ;)
First I started out with the essentials.
Here's the recipe...
Ingredients
- Vegetable shortening
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 1/3 sugar
- 5 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring
- Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush six 9-inch-round cake pans (or as many 9-inch cake pans as you have, reusing them as necessary) with shortening. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside.
My Notes: I will try to find a better way to fit the parchment paper in the cake pans. The way I layered the paper in the pans misshaped the cakes, as you can see in the pictures.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add egg whites and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk. Mix until well combined.
My Notes: Again I did not have a BIG fancy standing electric mixer. So needless to say my lacking of arm muscles were exhausted after this. Baking should be exercising.
3. Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
My Notes: Make sure you divide as evenly as you can!!!! It makes a difference.
4. Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let them cool for at least 10 minutes. Invert the cakes on the wire rack and let them cool completely.
My Notes: I didn't invert them, I just let them cool for about an hour.
5. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the purple layer on the cake plate. Spread a scant 1 cup buttercream filling over the first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges. Repeat process with blue, green, yellow, and orange layers.
My Notes: I didn't do any of this. Maybe I should have lol...
6. Place the remaining red layer on top, bottom-side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting (also use any of the excess frosting visible between the layers). Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
My Notes: While I'm typing this I'm just realizing it said to refrigerate the cake....O well maybe next time.
7. Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting.
My Notes: I just used regular Pillsbury extra fluffy frosting. It took 3 cans!!! Had to go back to the store...I only bought 2.
The process...and outcome.
All mixed and ready to go! I loved the shades of colors I got.
Don't mind the tiny burnt edges...lol...my oven isn't the best.
You can kind of tell It's sort of lopsided because the cakes aren't exactly circular
due to the parchment paper that I mentioned earlier.
My out come. Not as pretty as Martha's, but it still came out cute.
It actually tasted okay, not great. The only thing I would like to have been different would be the level of moistness in the cake. I only made it a day in advanced, so I don't know exactly what I should have added or can add for next time. So if you have an suggestions please let me know!! Thanks :)
Other than that it was fun and I was pretty proud of my creation. I just need to start baking more often!!
Until next time...
Love and God Bless
mrs.comeaux
