I don't remember exactly what happened, but I ended up making (with my sister, Sarah) a rainbow 5-layer beast of a cake. It was a little crumbly, but hey, it was awesome.
To make this layered cake, you need to have an 8-inch round pan. It's easy making cakes, but 5 of them? Unless you have 5 cake pans, it will take a while. You have to wait for every cake to bake and cool, then you have to repeat this process 4 more times. The cake that i made you can just use a normal vanilla cake and split into 5 different colors. Adding the colors was really fun!
Next, you have your icing. i did white because it made the colors of the cake pop out a little more, but you can use chocolate, strawberry, cherry whatever you want. To begin, you start with your first cake and add frosting to the top. You'll find it easier to use a cake stand if you have one. You repeat this until you get to your last cake, then you smother on the last of your frosting to the top and sides and you have a lovely 5-tier rainbow cake. Yum!
Have fun!!
Lydia
PS Check out my poll on the side of the home page :)
5-Layer Rainbow Cake
Yield: A lot of cake
INGREDIENTS:
2 boxes Betty Crocker white cake mix
4 drops food coloring
4 packages (8 oz) cream cheese
1 C. butter
5 C. powdered (confectioners) sugar
1 T. vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
For the cake, make one box cake mix according to the directions on the box. Separate batter into 3 bowls with roughly about 1 C. of cake mix per bowl. Add desired food coloring to each bowl (purple, blue, green).
Bake cakes in round pans according to box instructions, but make sure you check the cake about 10 minutes before it's supposed to be done. With less mix in each pan, they can cook faster.
Repeat for the remaining colors (red and yellow). You will now have 5 layers of different colored cakes.
For the frosting, mix together softened (room temp) butter and softened cream cheese until well combined. Add vanilla. Combine. Slowly add in powdered sugar.
After the 5th cup of powdered sugar, taste the frosting and see if you would like it sweeter. I tend to use 5 C. of powdered sugar, but some like it sweeter).
Try to level each layer of cake with a large bread knife. For the the rainbow cake (if all the layers are level) then they will evenly display when you cut into it.
Start with the PURPLE layer first. Put the purple layer on your cake stand or plate. Add enough frosting to cover the layer and some to spill over the edges, anywhere from 1/2 to 1 C. of frosting. Run the flat, straight side of a knife around the cake to smooth out the edges.
Add the BLUE layer of the cake. Put frosting in the middle, start spreading out frosting with the flat, straight side of a knife so that it covers the cake and falls out over the edges. Then run your knife around the outside edge of the outside edge of the cake to smooth out the sides.
Repeat with the GREEN layer and the YELLOW layer
Put cake into fridge for at least 2 hrs or freeze for 1 hr.
Finish off layering with the RED layer.
Cover cake with frosting and run the flat, straight edge of a knife around the edges of the cake to smooth out the frosting.
Once you have finished frosting the cake, add any decorative touches or words that fit your occasion!