Rainbow Cake

Rainbow Cake
Last week was my youngest daughter's and my birthday. As by tradition, we had to have a cake and what a cake we made! I was supposed to do this as an entry to the Daring Baker's challenge for July 2014 but I ran out of time. So I was making it up for that by baking this for our birthday.

It was indeed a challenge for me. Seriously, I thought it's one of those experiments that would end up in the rubbish bin. I decided to adapt the recipe of Kerry's fabulous rainbow cake from her blog Kerry Cooks since it is based in a Victoria sponge which would guarantee deliciousness. And here was where the first of near misses happened. I said I 'adapted' the recipe - which means I used an 8-inch cake pan versus her 6-inch ones. Well, the batter were quite thin when I spread it in the pan and naively I though they would rise evenly. Ha! It rose in the middle and tapered to nothingness towards the edges. They look like small hills complete with bulging boulders on the sides!

Rainbow Cake
The the icing would cover all that up, says moi. But then when I reached for the icing sugar in my pantry there was hardly any in the bag. Drat! Okay, I had to think quickly otherwise my youngest would be really disappointed. What I had in abundance was eggs, sugar, and butter so my light bulb idea was to adapt Corinne's Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. Gosh I was nervous because it was the very first time I did that. Nevertheless, glorious billowy white buttercream emerged. This one was delicious and not too sweet - definitely my kind of frosting.

The frosting came out all right but as I was slathering it between layers I realised I hardly have enough to cover it well! Oh darn, it must be mercury retrograde since nothing's going right. I had to use every bit of the icing and as precisely as I could to spread on all the cracks and crannies. Thank goodness there was just enough to cover the whole cake.

Those were not my only firsts in this exploit. The lettering on the cake was a first as well. Looking at it, I guess there's no other alternative for me but to improve. Despite all my trials, the best part was cutting the cake. It was an unexpected delight to see that it had all come together in all its colourful glory. Really fab! Best of all, the cake with the meringue icing combination tasted great - that was according to my daughter. Mission accomplished!


Rainbow Cake


Rainbow Cake

*Batter: (x2)

250 g  self raising flour
250 g  butter - softened
250 g  granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

gel paste colourings (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)

Note: Mix two batches of this batter and divide each of them into 3 thereby creating 6 layers.
  1. Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/350F. Grease three 8-inch round pans.
  2. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time; mixing well after each addition.
  4. Add flour and then milk into the butter mixture just enough to mix it in.
  5. Divide equally into three smaller bowls and colour each one; mixing the gel colour well in the batter.
  6. Spread batter evenly in the three prepared baking pans.
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  8. Cool 5 minutes in pan and then remove. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  9. [Optional] Wrap the cooled cake layers in cling film and chill in the fridge for several hours. It is easier to assemble it if the cake layers are chilled or even frozen.


*Icing:

5 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
250 g  unsalted butter - softened but not melting
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of fine salt
  1. In a bowl set on a simmering saucepan of water, whisk egg whites and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. You can test this by feeling a little of the mixture between your fingers. If you can't feel any grittiness then it is done.
  2. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and whip the egg white mixture with an electric mixer and beat until stiff peaks stage.
  3. While still beating, add the softened butter a spoonful at a time.
  4. Once all the butter has been incorporated, add the vanilla and salt.
  5. Mix on high speed until the icing is light and fluffy.

*To assemble:
  • On a cake board or plate, put a thin layer of icing in between cake layers while stacking it on top of each other.
  • Put icing on top and all along the sides of the cake. Decorate as you please.

Rainbow Cake

Rainbow Cake
Last week was my youngest daughter's and my birthday. As by tradition, we had to have a cake and what a cake we made! I was supposed to do this as an entry to the Daring Baker's challenge for July 2014 but I ran out of time. So I was making it up for that by baking this for our birthday.

It was indeed a challenge for me. Seriously, I thought it's one of those experiments that would end up in the rubbish bin. I decided to adapt the recipe of Kerry's fabulous rainbow cake from her blog Kerry Cooks since it is based in a Victoria sponge which I know would guarantee deliciousness. And here was where the first of near misses happened - I said I 'adapted' the recipe which means I used an 8-inch cake pan versus her 6-inch ones. Well, the batter were quite thin when I spread it in the pan and naively I though they would rise evenly. Ha! It rose in the middle and tapered to nothingness towards the edges. They look like small hills complete with bulging boulders on the sides!

Rainbow Cake
The the icing would cover all that up, says moi. But then when I reached for the icing sugar in my pantry there was hardly any in the bag. Drat! Okay, I had to think quickly otherwise my youngest would be really disappointed. What I had in abundance was eggs, sugar, and butter so my light bulb idea was to adapt Corinne's Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. Gosh I was nervous because it was the very first time I did that. Nevertheless, glorious billowy white buttercream emerged. This one was delicious and not too sweet - definitely my kind of frosting.

The frosting came out all right but as I was slathering it between layers I realised I hardly have enough to cover it well! Oh darn, it must be mercury retrograde since nothing's going right. I had to use every bit of the icing and as precisely as I could to spread on all the cracks and crannies. Thank goodness there was just enough to cover the whole cake.

Those were not my only firsts in this exploit. The lettering on the cake was a first as well. Looking at it now, I guess there's no other alternative for me but to improve. Despite all my trials, the best part was cutting the cake. It was an unexpected delight to see that it had all come together in all its colourful glory. Really fab! Best of all, the cake with the meringue icing combination tasted great - that was according to my daughter. Mission accomplished!


Rainbow Cake


Rainbow Cake

*Batter: (x2)

250 g  self raising flour
250 g  butter - softened
250 g  granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

gel paste colourings (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)

Note: Mix two batches of this batter and divide each of them into 3 thereby creating 6 layers.
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F. Grease three 8-inch round pans.
  2. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time; mixing well after each addition.
  4. Add flour and then milk into the butter mixture just enough to mix it in.
  5. Divide equally into three smaller bowls and tint each one with a different colour. Mix the gel colour well in the batter.
  6. Spread batter evenly in the three prepared baking pans.
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  8. Cool 5 minutes in pan and then remove. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  9. [Optional] Wrap the cooled cake layers in cling film and chill in the fridge for several hours. It is easier to assemble it if the cake layers are chilled or even frozen.


*Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing:

5 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
250 g  unsalted butter - softened but not melting
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of fine salt
  1. In a bowl set on a simmering saucepan of water (bottom not touching the water), whisk egg whites and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. You can test this by feeling a little of the mixture between your fingers. If you can't feel any grittiness then it is done.
  2. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and whip the egg white mixture with an electric mixer and beat until stiff peaks stage.
  3. While still beating, add the softened butter a spoonful at a time.
  4. Once all the butter has been incorporated, add the vanilla and salt.
  5. Mix on high speed until the icing is light and fluffy.

*To assemble:
  • On a cake board or plate, put a thin layer of icing in between cake layers while stacking it on top of each other.
  • Put icing on top and all along the sides of the cake. Decorate as you please.

Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake with Tate & Lyle


My eldest daughter J9 had her birthday a few weeks ago. This time I asked her pointedly on what birthday cake she likes that she will eat. I did not want to repeat previous yeas when I buy or bake something and was eaten by all lonesome me. Sigh, they're too finicky these kids. Who are their parents?

Anyways, she said she wanted a Victoria Sponge Sandwich cake which we have been baking regularly this year and always gets eaten within a day. It's a favourite not only because of its nice buttery flavour but it's so easy to make. Before I used to have this notion that sponge cakes are technically challenging for your average baker. Well, not this sponge. Although I haven't tried it yet, I bet you can do a one-bowl mixing of all the ingredients. It's that simple.

This particular cake is also known as Victoria Sponge or Victoria Sandwich. Both of which pertains to a sponge cake with fillings in between layers.



I had some help in the guise of one of my favourite brands in the sugar department. One of Tate & Lyle's marketing people sent me some samples for my own baking use. To be honest I really don't need any introduction to it since I use Tate & Lyle regularly but any free samples is most welcome! As with the march of social networking websites that seems to be making blogs less popular, they have their own Facebook site that you have a peek at - We Love Baking.



Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake

250 gm [1 cup] butter - at room temperature
250 gm caster sugar (superfine)
250 gm plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
3-4 Tbsp whole full-fat milk
  1. Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/350F. Butter two 20cm round cake pan or a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line its bottoms with greaseproof paper.
  2. Mix the flour and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.
  3. Beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated.
  5. Add enough milk to the batter so that it falls off easily from a spoon.
  6. Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes for the round pans or 50-55 minutes for the loaf pan or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
  8. Turn out on a rack and cool completely.
  9. Either level the top of one of the cake layer and spread the fillings on it or spread it on the bottom without leveling the top.
  10. Put the second cake layer on top and dust a little icing sugar over it.
  11. You have a choice of fillings below or spread whatever you like on it which in my daughter's case means - Nutella !


*Traditional Filling:
100 gm butter - softened to room temperature
125 gm icing sugar
1 cup strawberry jam
  • Beat the butter with the icing sugar.
  • Spread this first then put the strawberry jam on top of it.


*Filling 2:
1 cup double cream
fresh strawberries
strawberry jam
  • Whip the double cream to stiff peaks.
  • Assemble the fresh strawberries on the first cake layer then spoon a little jam on it.
  • Spread the whipped double cream on it.







Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake with Tate & Lyle


My eldest daughter J9 had her birthday a few weeks ago. This time I asked her pointedly on what birthday cake she likes that she will eat. I did not want to repeat previous yeas when I buy or bake something and was eaten by all lonesome me. Sigh, they're too finicky these kids. Who are their parents?

Anyways, she said she wanted a Victoria Sponge Sandwich cake which we have been baking regularly this year and always gets eaten within a day. It's a favourite not only because of its nice buttery flavour but it's so easy to make. Before I used to have this notion that sponge cakes are technically challenging for your average baker. Well, not this sponge. Although I haven't tried it yet, I bet you can do a one-bowl mixing of all the ingredients. It's that simple.

This particular cake is also known as Victoria Sponge or Victoria Sandwich. Both of which pertains to a sponge cake with fillings in between layers.



I had some help in the guise of one of my favourite brands in the sugar department. One of Tate & Lyle's marketing people sent me some samples for my own baking use. To be honest I really don't need any introduction to it since I use Tate & Lyle regularly but any free samples is most welcome! As with the march of social networking websites that seems to be making blogs less popular, they have their own Facebook site that you have a peek at - We Love Baking.



Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake

250 gm [1 cup] butter - at room temperature
250 gm caster sugar (superfine)
250 gm plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
3-4 Tbsp whole full-fat milk
  1. Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/350F. Butter two 20cm round cake pan or a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line its bottoms with greaseproof paper.
  2. Mix the flour and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.
  3. Beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated.
  5. Add enough milk to the batter so that it falls off easily from a spoon.
  6. Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes for the round pans or 50-55 minutes for the loaf pan or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
  8. Turn out on a rack and cool completely.
  9. Either level the top of one of the cake layer and spread the fillings on it or spread it on the bottom without leveling the top.
  10. Put the second cake layer on top and dust a little icing sugar over it.
  11. You have a choice of fillings below or spread whatever you like on it which in my daughter's case means - Nutella !


*Traditional Filling:
100 gm butter - softened to room temperature
125 gm icing sugar
1 cup strawberry jam
  • Beat the butter with the icing sugar.
  • Spread this first then put the strawberry jam on top of it.


*Filling 2:
1 cup double cream
fresh strawberries
strawberry jam
  • Whip the double cream to stiff peaks.
  • Assemble the fresh strawberries on the first cake layer then spoon a little jam on it.
  • Spread the whipped double cream on it.