Gluten-Free Rainbow Cake
Categories: All, Cakes, Desserts, Recipes
Tags: , Birthday Treats, Gluten Free Birthdays, Gluten Free Frosting, Gluten Free Kids
Any time is a great time for cake, and one of the most fun cakes around is the ever-popular Rainbow Cake!
Baking this cake in a bundt pan actually gives it the shape of a rainbow, but the multi-colored layers can be beautiful in any cake pan or cupcake wrapper. My Fluffy as Clouds Frosting is the perfect topper for your rainbow of colors, no matter what shape or pan.
The most time consuming part of this easy cake is just deciding what colors to use and separating the batter. Otherwise, it’s easy-peasy when you use my Jules Cake Mix. If you’d rather bake from scratch, just follow these directions and use my White Cake Recipe, which works great as a Rainbow Cake, as well!
Rainbow Cake
- 1 Jules Cake Mix
- 1/2 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 2 cups granulated sugar of choice (white sugar; unrefined sugar; coconut palm sugar; etc.)
- 4 large eggs (OR add 4 Tbs. arrowroot powder to dry ingredients + 4 Tbs. applesauce to beaten butter and sugar mixture)
- 1 cups milk, dairy or non-dairy
- 4-6 colors of food coloring (for natural food dye use India Tree brand)
Pre-heat oven to 350º F (static) or 325º F (convection). Spray bundt or tube pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust entire surface lightly with Jules Gluten Free™ All-Purpose Flour. To make cupcakes, oil or line cupcake pans with cupcake papers (Makes 28-30 cupcakes).
Combine the butter and your granulated sweetener of choice and beat well with your mixer’s paddle attachment, until the mixture is very light and fluffy (approximately 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs (or see egg substitute instructions, above) next, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly add the milk, alternating with the Jules Cake Mix, beating in between the additions. Beat just until smooth.
Divide batter into as many bowls as colors you are using. Return batter one at a time to mixer bowl and add food coloring, blending until desired color is achieved. Pour the batter into prepared pan, layering each color on top of the other. (Remember ROY G. BIV: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet = the colors of the rainbow, in that order!).
Bake bundt cake for 45 minutes, or cupcakes for approximately 25 minutes; test for doneness by inserting a cake tester or toothpick in the middle of the cake to be sure it comes out clean, with very few crumbs attached. Add time if necessary to fully bake the cake.
When done, turn off the oven and leave the oven door open to let the cake cool slowly there for 5 minutes or so, then remove the cake to a cooling rack.
After 15-20 minutes of total cooling time, gently invert the cake to remove prom the pan, then flip gently back onto the cooling rack.
Frost the cake only when fully cooled, or in the alternative, wrap the cake with wax paper or plastic wrap and seal inside freezer bags to freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.
Fluffy as Clouds Frosting
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Over medium heat, stir to combine sugar, water and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. Continue whisking together until the mixture bubbles and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat immediately (the mixture may start to brown, but do not allow it to cook to dark brown or to burn).
Combine egg whites and vanilla in a mixer bowl. Slowly stir in the cooked sugar mixture with beaters on low. Increase mixer speed to high for 6 minutes, or until the frosting has whipped to stiff peaks when tested with a rubber spatula.
Frost cakes with a thick layer of Fluffy as Clouds Frosting, swirling designs using an off-set spatula for added decoration.
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dee m said: on August 30, 2012
Wow! I love rainbows, how awesome to eat a rainbow! Love the cake presentation on facebook, rainbow cake on a rainbow plate…
you rock! Looking forward to baking rainbows in days to come..
Jules said: on August 30, 2012
Ah, Dee – you’re so sweet! And you noticed that I even went out and bought a rainbow plate just for this purpose!!!! So glad SOMEONE noticed!
Actually, the funny part was that I could never have guessed that the colors of my rainbow bundt pan could ever have come out so perfectly aligned with the rainbow plate and the placement of the cake on the plate. Oh happy circumstance!
Clara said: on August 30, 2012
Wait. The cake in the photo doesn’t make sense. You pour layers of colored batter into a Bundt pan, they’re not going to arrange themselves into those nice rainbow-shaped arcs of color. Think about it. You’d have flat, straight layers. What’s up?
Jules said: on August 30, 2012
Amazing, isn’t it, Clara! It actually does make sense when you think about the heat transfer in a bundt pan — from the inside and the outside because of the tube in the middle. Give it a try and prepare to be amazed!
dawn said: on August 30, 2012
Beautiful cake!! How did you make the “rainbow” shape with the batter?? If you layered the batter in the pan wouldn’t it just come out in straight lines?? My son wants this cake for his next b-day!
Jules said: on August 31, 2012
Dawn – use a bundt pan like I did and the shape of the pan will cause the rainbow of color. Layer the colors as you would in another pan, but with the bundt it will curl into a rainbow! Happy bday to your son!
chs said: on August 31, 2012
Really? You mean you poured the layers in horizontally, and then they baked into that arc-ed rainbow shape? I assumed you somehow tipped the pan to spread the batter around to get that shape. It’s beautiful, but it looks like almost as much work as “unicorn poop” cookies.
Jules said: on August 31, 2012
Chs – really! That’s all I did – it’s the mechanics of the heat distribution in a bundt pan. The most work is just dying 4 or 5 different bowls’ worth of batter!
Jenny said: on August 31, 2012
Planning on making it this afternoon! My 4 year old son is super excited! Never thought I’d be able to make anything like this gluten free! Thank you!!!
Jules said: on August 31, 2012
Jenny – so glad you’ll be putting this recipe to use so quickly!!! Enjoy!
Jeanne said: on August 31, 2012
Hm! It’s beautiful! But I want to know – chs, WHAT on earth is a “unicorn poop” cake?!! You really got me on that one!!
Jeanne said: on August 31, 2012
Oops! I meant to say “unicorn cookies”!!
Margo said: on September 1, 2012
Wow! Beautiful cake! And it looks so fun to eat! What kind of food coloring did you use? I’ve been nervous to use the regular stuff at the store because I didn’t know if it was GF.
Jules said: on September 2, 2012
Margo – you can use McCormick brand or the India Tree natural food dyes I linked to in the post. Enjoy!
Evie said: on September 1, 2012
Jules, I am definitely trying this. I have a question. Can I use Stevia in place of the sugar? You are awesome and thank you for your care and interest to help gluten sensitive people find ways to eat normally. I love it when friends do not even realize it is gluten free until they ask!
Blessings, Evie
Jules said: on September 2, 2012
Thanks Evie! You’re right – that’s the best feeling to be able to serve non-GF friends the same foods and they never even know they’re GF! About stevia in this cake, I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine that the baking stevia would work. Give it a try and let me know!!!
Joan said: on September 8, 2012
WOW It will really do that by itself!
Jules said: on September 9, 2012
Yep! It’s that easy, Joan!
Janalyn said: on September 9, 2012
Well, I gave it my best try, but the layers did not happen. I made 5 different colors. Somehow, the red managed its way to the middle and the rest of the colors seemed to be random. The kids still liked it and ate it right up. What did I do wrong?
Jules said: on September 9, 2012
Janalyn – what kind of pan did you use? Glad your kids looked beyond the “literal” rainbow and still loved the cake!
Gluten Free Traveller said: on September 11, 2012
This looks fantastic! We had a gluten free rainbow cake at our wedding and it was the best cake I’ve ever tasted! I need to try this
Gayle said: on February 22, 2013
I am wondering if I can use Palm Oil instead of the Earth Balance – it contains Soy and I am VERY allergic. I don’t understand why more companies are not on board with Soy free products! It is so frustrating! I did buy the Earth Balance Spread and it had such an awful and bad smell that I threw it away.
Thanks for your recipes and hard work.
Gayle
Jules said: on February 22, 2013
Hi Gayle, palm oil shortening should work for you. Earth Balance has a soy-free Coconut Spread that is very tasty and works well for a lot of baking – you might like that better. Enjoy the cake!