Rainbow Cake

This rainbow cake is another one of those local, Baltimore specialties with a loyal following. Truth be told, if you find rainbow cake on the dessert table around these parts, you’ve struck gold. You want to impress someone? Bring a rainbow cake. You want to send something to a shiva? Send a rainbow cake (because they’ll have enough smoked fish to dry out the Chesapeake Bay).

As popular as it is in Baltimore, you’ll be hard pressed to find rainbow cake outside of this city. I’ve searched. Even in South Florida, where most East coast Members of the Tribe go to die or escape the winter – no rainbow cake. I’ve found rainbow cookies. No dice.

What you have here is actually something simple: layers of yellow cake that have been doctored with a little bit of almond extract and enough food coloring to permanently stain your intestines. In between the layers that are so bright they can be seen from outer space, you have either raspberry jelly or chocolate frosting. Enrobing the cake is a chocolate fudge frosting.

Commonly, you’ll find both varieties of cake, chocolate filling or raspberry filling, in the deli. But let’s get something straight. It’s jelly or go home. Seriously.

Even though each layer is the same, that yellow cake with almond essence I mentioned, a funny thing happens when you eat this cake. The bright colors fool you into thinking each layer is a different flavor. You swear you can decipher lemon from lime, blueberry from strawberry. That’s just your mind playing tricks on you. Or maybe the food coloring having a drugging effect. No matter.

My attempt here was admittedly my first dance with the homemade rainbow cake, so to save myself from the vapors should the cake have been a miserable failure, I had a Semi-Homemade moment and went with a box mix and box frosting.

Don’t hate.

If you’re an overachiever, try this with your favorite homemade cake and frosting recipe. Go crazy with more layers or different colors. Red and green for a Christmas theme? Sure, why not? Blue and gold for Hanukah? Mazel tov.

Just, whatever you do, in the name of all that’s good and holy, make sure you do that jelly in the middle.

Homemade Rainbow Cake

1 box of yellow cake mix
2 teaspoons almond extract
food coloring (gel or powder preferred)

1 jar chocolate fudge frosting

1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly, stirred well

sprinkles

Preheat the oven according to the cake mix’s directions.

Prepare cake mix according to the box’s direction, adding the almond extract to the batter. Using a measuring cup, evenly divide the mix into 4 smaller bowls to color the batter.

Into each bowl, add approximately half a container of food coloring into the batter. Stir to ensure even distribution of the color.

Scrape each colored mix into a loaf pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out dry. Remove from the oven and allow the layers to cool completely.

Once the layers are cooled, carefully remove them from the pan. Level the cake layers if necessary, to ensure even stacking. Starting with the bottom layer, spread 1/3 of the raspberry jam evenly across the top of the cake base. Carefully place another layer on top of the jam and repeat with each layer, leaving the top layer without jam. Place the jam-filled cake in the refrigerator and allow it to chill and set at least 2 hours.

After the cake has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. Trim the sides, if necessary, to create even edges. Transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a sheet pan or wax paper.

In the microwave or in a double boiler, warm the entire tub of frosting until it is liquidy. Pour the frosting over the top of the cake and along the sides by spoonfuls to enrobe it completely with the frosting. Allow the frosting to set for 10 minutes and decorate the with sprinkles as desired.

Return the frosted cake to the refrigerator, and allow it to chill until completely set, at least 2 hours. Allow the cake to sit at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. (cake may be frozen, too)