Rainbow Star Cake – Michelle Tsang

rainbow star cake

Michelle says “It’s impossible to avoid making a rainbow cake. It’s everywhere and at all the kids birthday parties we’ve been to. That itself could be the reason not to make one but I thought well, it is on my pinterest board and my food bucket list so decided to go ahead. I found the perfect recipe – Nigella’s one – and since the Guardian posted a pdf of it I’m assuming it’s ok to repost it. It lists buttermilk as one of the ingredients which I think leans towards a rather moist cake, which we prefer.
The twist to it is that the shape of the cake is a star! No I don’t have multiples of star pans so yes I baked the layers individually. I also doubled the recipe and made slight alterations to the original recipe.
The oohs and ahhs from the little ones as I lifted the slice out to reveal the coloured layers was one of the highlights of my day!”

For more of Michelle’s recipes check out her blog Hopes, Dreams, Aspirations

Cake Ingredients

500g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp salt
400ml buttermilk (or 75g yogurt mixed with 125ml semi-skinned milk)
2 tsp almond extract
250g softened butter
400g caster sugar
7 large free-range eggs
1 packet white ready-to-roll fondant icing to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Spray the cake tin with cake release.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt together.
Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little of the flour with the last one.
Gradually add the rest of the flour with the buttermilk, one after the other, until thoroughly mixed. Add almond extract.
Divide into 6 bowls, adding a gel colouring into each. Pour one coloured mixture into the tin and bake for about 10 minutes or until the sides pull away from the tin. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Buttercream icing
500g butter, softened
4 cups icing sugar, sifted
3-4 tbsp milk

Beat the butter till it is soft and add the icing sugar in. Pour in the milk tablespoon by  tablespoon, until the mixture achieves a spreading consistency.
Spread buttercream icing onto the cooled cakes layer by layer, and then onto the top and sides. Try to keep these layers thin and smooth.

Sprinkle some icing sugar on a clean and flat surface. Knead and roll out the fondant icing till it is quite thin and using a rolling pin to help, pick up the large piece of fondant and lay over the cake. Smooth all over.
Decorate as you wish =)
Here I gave some edible ink marker pens to my daughter and tasked her to decorate her own birthday cake. She was delighted!

rainbow star cake 3 rainbow star cake 4rainbow star cake 2

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *