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Recipe Idea

NHS Rainbow Cake

Have you woken up with a craving for a Skittles covered cake?  then you're going to LOVE this rainbow creation. 

Forget layers of multi-coloured cake sponge (as much as we love that), we've interpreted rainbow cake in a whole other way, creating the perfect jam sponge, and cutting into a rainbow arch shape, complete with marshmallow clouds of course. 

MAKES:10 - 12

PREP TIME:0 HOURS 40 MINS

TOTAL TIME:1 HOUR 20 MINS

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE

125 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease

150 g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

100 g sour cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

150 g self-raising flour

50 g strawberry jam

Large pinch of salt

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

225 g unsalted butter, softened

400 g icing sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. milk

FOR THE DECORATION

Skittles, around 320g

100 g white marshmallows

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Grease and line a 20.5cm (8in) round cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). 
  2. In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric whisk, combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, around 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at time, beating well after each addition. Add the sour cream, vanilla and a large pinch of salt. Fold in the flour. Add the mixture to the tin and spread out evenly.
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. To make the buttercream, beat the butter until light and fluffy, around 4 minutes. Add the icing sugar a bit at a time, beating well after each addition to incorporate. Add the vanilla, milk and a large pinch of salt. Leave to one side.
  5. Once cooled, cut the cake in half down the middle, so you have two half moons. Place one half on a cutting board and spread with the strawberry jam. Sandwich the other half on top. Spread a small amount of the buttercream along the cut side of the cake.
  6. Carefully transfer the cake stack to a serving platter or cake board, cut side down.  Spread the buttercream evenly all over the sides and top of the cake in a thin crumb coat. Put into the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Spread the remaining buttercream evenly over the cake.
  7. To decorate, sort the skittles into different colours and arrange on both sides of the cake, working your way from the outside in, in this order - red, orange, yellow, green, purple. Cover the top in the same way as the sides.
  8. Arrange the marshmallows in a cloud shape at the two ends of the rainbow on the cake on both sides, tearing them up if desired to create different shapes. Serve in slices. 
  1. NHS Cake recipe