Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I've had so many people ask me for details about making the Rainbow Cake.  So today I'll explain a little bit more about how I made the magic happen.  Although it looks complicated, it was actually really easy!

Did I think to take pictures of the cake making process?  Of course not.  I was way too frazzled by this point in the party prep to remember to take pictures.  I'll simply explain the steps for building this awesome cake and show you the finished product, but this tutorial at Smart-Bottom Enterprises has excellent step-by-step photos of the entire process.

I started out by preparing two boxes of French Vanilla cake mix.  I used Betty Crocker, but any brand will work.  You could also use White cake mix, or any other flavor that has a whitish batter.  I should note that I added a package of Vanilla instant pudding mix and a half cup of sour cream to the cake batter, along with a tsp of vanilla extract.  I have found that this produces a nice moist cake.  Be careful not to over mix the batter since you will be mixing it even more when you add in the dye.

The next step is to evenly divide the batter into six small bowls.  It doesn't have to be exact, just eyeball it.  Now it's time to add in the dye to create the rainbow.  I used generic Target brand food coloring drops, but I have heard that Wilton gel coloring works well too.  Add dye to each of the bowls to create red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple batter.

My original plan was to mix the colors together in only three large 9 inch layers for a tie-dye effect.  The Rainbow Cupcakes I made a few weeks ago looked and tasted great, but when I found a set of six disposable 8 inch cake pans at the grocery store, I decided to change things up a bit and make a separate layer for each color rather than mixing the colors together.  I baked the layers two at a time at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  After baking, I let the layers of cake cool in the pans overnight.

The next day I leveled each layer a bit, then stacked and frosted them using a quadruple batch of Vanilla Buttercream frosting.  I topped the cake with round Wilton sprinkles and a set of wacky, squiggly candles I found in the party aisle at Target.  The Yo Gabba Gabba characters I used to decorate the sides of the cake are actually bath toys I bought from Amazon.  I glued them to the sides of the cake using a small dab of frosting.  Voila!  A crazy cake perfect for a Yo Gabba Gabba party!

Not only did the cake look great, it also tasted great!  Everyone loved it.  It was definitely the hit of the party!

If you decide to make a Rainbow Cake of your own, I would love to hear about it and see photos...happy baking!  :)

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Taste the Rainbow

My kiddos' birthdays are only 4 days apart, so we'll be celebrating two birthdays in one for as long as I can get away with it.  This year we are celebrating the double birthday with a Yo Gabba Gabba party.  And what could be more fitting for a Yo Gabba Gabba party than a crazy rainbow cake?

Rainbow cakes are all the rage in blogland these days, but I originally saw this idea on Playing House.  This week I made a practice batch of cupcakes just to try out the technique and see exactly how colorful they would be.  I started by mixing up a Betty Crocker white cake mix, then dividing the batter into six small bowls.  Then I used Wilton gel food coloring to tint each bowl a different color of the rainbow...red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  I layered the batter into a cupcake pan filled with paper liners and baked for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

I can honestly say that the process of layering the batter into the cupcake pan took forever and it was difficult to get the same amount of batter in each one, so I'll be sticking to cake form for the birthday party (and possible use 2 boxes of cake mix for a taller cake). And I will definitely be making my own frosting for the party cake, most likely a vanilla buttercream.  Yum!

As Muno would say...Razzle Dazzle!

How awesome is that?  This might be the most colorful birthday party ever!

Banana-rama!

My family gets excited when they see that our stash of bananas have turned brown and mushy, because they know they'll soon be snacking on freshly baked banana bread.  I came across this recipe many years ago on one of my favorite sites, Allrecipes, and over the years have tweaked it a dozen different ways.  This recipe is fool-proof and so versatile.  In the past I've added in ground flax seed (which makes for a super moist loaf of bread!), chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chips, and even cinnamon chips.  Most recently I've experimented with using McCormick French Vanilla extract (delicious!) and substituting whole wheat flour for half of the all purpose flour.  I've made it in a single large loaf, two smaller loaves, and in every variety of Bundt pan I own.  Any way you slice it, this is a great recipe!

Banana Bread
adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (half white, half wheat flour is a good alternative)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup sour milk (1/2 tsp lemon juice + milk to equal 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• optional add-ins: 1/4 ground flax seed, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan or Bundt pan.
2. Combine sugar, butter, bananas, eggs, flour, baking soda, milk, salt, vanilla extract, and any optional add-ins in a large mixing bowl; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

A Slice of Chocolate Heaven

I take issue with the name of this cake...there is no such thing as too much chocolate!  Like the name implies, this cake is indeed super chocolatey, super moist, and super delicious!  This is my go-to recipe for chocolate cake.  You can stack it in layers and cover it with chocolate buttercream frosting, or bake it in a Bundt pan and give it a simple drizzle of chocolate powdered sugar glaze like I did this past weekend.  Honestly, it's delicious enough on its own with no topping at all.  I guarantee you will get a ton of compliments from anyone who takes a bite.  I have heard that when you slice into a cake, all of the calories fall out, so bake this cake the first chance you get and enjoy every bite of chocolatey goodness!

"Too Much Chocolate" Cake
recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.