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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Easy Rainbow Cake {With Cake Mix}

    Published: Mar 1, 2021 · Modified: Jan 20, 2024 by Abeer Rizvi · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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    Easy rainbow cake recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Starts off with cake mix! Soft and moist cake layers are filled with whipped cream and topped off with sprinkles and colorful candies.

    This cake will definitely hit the sweet spot. Not only does it taste amazing, it also looks fantastic plus it's very simple to make, even for beginners. It's perfect for kids birthday parties or even St.Patrick's Day.

    For more inspiration, be sure to check out this collection of Rainbow Desserts, Recipes, Ideas. Also, if you have a birthday coming up in your family and you are planning on making a special cake, you should definitely check out this huge list of Best Birthday Cake Ideas.

    Rainbow Layer Cake on White Plate with Turquoise Background

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    How to make rainbow cake recipe (rainbow swirl cake)?

    1. Prepare cake batter– By mixing together eggs, butter, milk, water, cake mix.
    2. Divide batter– Into 6 separate bowls.
    3. Color batter– Use a different color in each bowl.
    4. Fill pans–They should be lined with parchment paper and greased.
    5. Bake– Until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.
    6. Cool– Until they are room temperature.
    7. Assemble– Place one cake on serving dish, top with whipped cream, place other cake on top, spread more whipped cream on top.
    8. Enjoy– Toss some colorful candies and sprinkles on top and dig in.
    Easy Homemade Rainbow Cake Slice on White Plate With Turquoise Background

    How to make rainbow cake frosting?

    1. Divide the prepared buttercream or whipped cream into six small bowls.
    2. Add a different color in each bowl.
    3. Then, take a sheet of saran wrap and spread each colored frosting in a straight line next to each other.
    4. Next, roll the saran wrap.
    5. Place it into a piping bag with a large star tip (Tip 1M) and it's ready to use.

    I used white whipped cream and did not do this because the cake was already so vibrant. However, this would work very well on chocolate cakes.

    Closeup Shot of the Inside of Rainbow Birthday Cake With Slice Removed

    Variations for Rainbow Birthday Cake

    Pastel rainbow cake- Use lighter pastel food coloring instead of regular food coloring. They are readily available during Easter at most grocery stores but you can find them online too.

    Chocolate rainbow cake- Make this Triple Chocolate Cake instead of the cake in the recipe card below. Once they cool, decorate in rainbow colored frosting instead of white frosting.

    Ice cream cake- Follow the instructions in this post on How to Make Ice Cream Cake and make sure the ice cream layer is rainbow colored and then, frost the entire cake in rainbow colored frosting.

    Pinata cake- Follow the instructions in this post on How to Make Pinata Cake and fill cake with sprinkles and small candies for a fun surprise.

    Add more cake layers- I only have 2 layers but you can make it as tall as you like. 3 layer cakes are very popular. Simply make more batter and bake more cakes and stack them. Use dowels for support so that the cake doesn't fall over, if you are making it very tall.

    Fill them- Instead of using whipped cream as a filling, try jams and preserves or thick caramel sauce or even Nutella or peanut butter.

    Try different frosting- Such as Funfetti Frosting (Sprinkle Icing), White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or Marshmallow Frosting.

    Overhead Shot of Sliced Layer Cake with Whipped Cream, Sprinkles, Candies

    Tips and Techniques for rainbow layer cake

    How to color batter? Use liquid food coloring or gel food colors.

    Gel colors vs. Liquid food coloring– Either can be used. Gel food coloring is more concentrated than liquid food coloring. It gives a more vibrant color and you don’t need to use a large quantity.

    Do not decorate or assemble warm cake- Because this will cause the frosting to melt and create a sticky mess. Let the cakes cool completely.

    Can you freeze cake with icing? No. Whipped cream is made with dairy and does not thaw well. You can freeze unfrosted cakes and then ice them upon thawing.

    Cake mix vs. Scratch recipe– Using cake mix is easy and convenient but a scratch recipe can be used too. Try this Best Vanilla Cake Recipe (From Scratch). Divide the batter and color it and then, bake.

    Why did my cake turn brown on top? It has been baked for too long. When cakes are over-baked, the tops become brown and hard. They also become dry on the inside.

    How to know cakes are done baking? Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, they are ready to be removed from the oven.

    Line pans with parchment paper and grease the sides- This is very important because it prevents the cakes from sticking to the pans and thus, making it easier to remove them from pans.

    Unfrosted Freshly Baked Rainbow Swirl Cake in Silver Pan on White Background

    Another cake design

    Another approach to this rainbow design is to use Twizzlers. Use them to decorate the outside of the cake instead of keeping it exposed.

    1. Use scissors to cut Twizzlers. The length of these Twizzlers should be the same as the height of your cake.
    2. Fill, frost and stack the two cakes in buttercream icing.
    3. Stick the Twizzler pieces around the cake. The icing works like glue.
    4. Place some colorful Rolo candies on top of the cake and toss some silver edible pearls to fill any gaps.

    This is very similar to my yellow and black Halloween Cake and the super popular red and green Christmas Cake.

    Colorful Candy Cake on Stack on Plates With Black Background

    More Rainbow Desserts

    • Rainbow Cereal Balls
    • Rainbow Cupcakes
    • Rainbow Froot Loops Marshmallow Bars
    • Rainbow Sprinkles Cake
    • Birthday Sprinkle Cookies (With Cake Mix)
    • Easy Funfetti Cookies (Cut Out Recipes)
    • Froot Loops Chocolate Cookies
    • Best Birthday Cake

    Storage

    Refrigerate- Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

    Freeze- Unfrosted cakes can be frozen in a sealed container for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy it, thaw cakes in fridge overnight and then assemble with frosting.

    Make ahead instructions- This cake can be baked and decorated 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

    Recipe

    Easy Homemade Rainbow Cake Slice on White Plate With Turquoise Background

    Easy Rainbow Cake (With Cake Mix)

    Abeer Rizvi
    Easy rainbow cake recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Starts off with cake mix! Soft and moist cake layers are filled with whipped cream and topped off with sprinkles and colorful candies.
    5 from 1 rating
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Decorating time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 Slices
    Calories 196 kcal

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    Ingredients
      

    • 3 Eggs Large
    • ⅓ cup Butter Unsalted, Melted
    • ½ cup Milk Whole or 2%
    • ½ cup Water
    • 1 box White cake mix Or yellow cake mix
    • Food coloring Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
    • 4 cups Whipped cream Or Cool Whip
    • ¼ cup M&m candies Mini size
    • 2 tablespoon Rainbow sprinkles

    Instructions
     

    • In a large mixing bowl, mix together eggs, butter, milk, water until smooth.
    • Add cake mix and mix until just combined.
    • Divide batter into 6 separate bowls.
    • Add a different color in each bowl and mix each batter until color is evenly distributed. 
    • Drop spoonfuls of colored batter randomly in two round cake pans (Dimensions: 8x2). Pans should be lined with parchment paper and the sides should be greased.
    • Use a toothpick to swirl the colored batter.
    • Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean. 
    • Let the cakes cool completely.
    • While they are cooling, prepare whipped cream.
    • Trim off the cake domes (if any) and sides of the cake with a serrated knife.
    • Place one cake on a cake dish.
    • Use a spatula to spread whipped cream on top.
    • Then, place the other cake on top and press gently to secure it into place.
    • Use a spatula to spread whipped cream on top.
    • Toss m&m candies and sprinkles on top and enjoy.

    Notes

    • Read all my tips above.
    • Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to  3 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 79mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 507IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1mg

    An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Robert M. Brown

      March 02, 2016 at 5:16 am

      Beautiful ideas for colorful cakes, and the talent shines bright.

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        March 02, 2016 at 1:26 pm

        Awwww... Thanks! That's so sweet

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Hello, I'm Abeer Rizvi, the author and founder of CakeWhiz.com—a cherished dessert blog dedicated to baking, cake decorating, doctored cake mix recipes, and all things sweet. As a skilled food writer, baker, recipe developer, and cake decorator, I take pride in wearing multiple hats.

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