Multi-Layer Rainbow Cake

** I used a simple Vanilla Buttercream Icing Recipe to ice this cake! 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups granulated white sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 pinch salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Important Notes: 
* If preparing in 7-inch cake pans use these measurements listed above.
* If using 8 or 9 inch cake pans - double the recipe amounts.
* this is based off the hummingbird cookbook recipe for vanilla cupcakes

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Beat butter in a separate bowl and gradually add flour mixture while beating slowly until you get a crumby sandy consistency
4. Add half a cup of milk while beating on low, you should get a sandy consistency. 
5. Add the remaining milk, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. 
6. Divide your cake batter amongst 5 (or 7 bowls) adding a few drops of food colouring and mixing well until you get the desired colour. Pour into your cake pans.
7. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until cake taster comes out clean. 

1. Add flour, sugar into mixing bowl:

2. Add baking soda and salt. 

3. And whisk together your mixture:

4. In a separate bowl, beat softened butter

5. Next add your flour mixture gradually to the butter beating between additions.

6. You should get a sandy, crumbly texture to your batter:

7. Add half of the milk, and mix until moistened. 

8. Next add the remaining milk, eggs, and vanilla extract:

Milk:

Eggs:

Vanilla Extract:

9. Next beat together (but do not overbeat):

10. Divide your batter amongst 5 (or 7 bowls); make sure this corresponds to the number of layers of your cake:

11. Pick your food colouring, I used a gel paste which usually adds more distinct colours:

12. To colour cake batter, dip a toothpick or chopstick into the gel paste and then and into your cake batter and stir. It usually doesn't take very much to colour your cake batter:

13. You should have distinct colours for your cake batter!:

14. Pour these into your cake pans:

Pink:

Yellow: 

Green: 

Purple: 

Blue: 

15. Bake in the oven for 17-25 minutes or until cake taster comes out clean:

I am using Wilton even bake strips to ensure all my cake layers bake completely flat (no rising) to make for easy icing.

16. You should have thin cake layers to work with now:

Which stack quite nicely!

Freezing your Cake Layers for Later:

17. Wrap each cake layer tightly in saran wrap, and store in air tight containers. Thaw in fridge overnight, then thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours before frosting. Be sure to read my guide on freezing cake layers for later.

How to Ice the Cake:

18. View the full tutorial here. But in short, stack each cake layer and put generous amounts of buttercream between each layer:

The Final Product!