Unleash your inner artist with this vibrant Rainbow Sheet Cake! A tender vanilla canvas, splashed with a spectrum of colors and crowned with a dreamy cream cheese frosting. It's pure joy in every slice, perfect for celebrations or simply brightening up a day.
Ingridients
Adjust Servings
Nutrition
Carbohydrate
103 g
Cholesterol
156 mg
Fiber
1 g
Protein
8 g
Saturated Fat
23 g
Sodium
368 mg
Fat
38 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Follow The Directions
01
Step
Gather all ingredients.
02
Step
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper; spray parchment with baking spray.
03
Step
Prepare Cake: Beat butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add white sugar; beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
04
Step
Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat just until incorporated after each addition, about 1 minute total. Add vanilla and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl using a flexible spatula.
05
Step
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined.
06
Step
Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition.
07
Step
Divide batter equally between 6 small bowls. Add one to two drops of food coloring to each bowl, tinting one bowl red or pink, one orange, one yellow, one green, one blue and one purple. Mix gently to combine and add additional coloring as needed to reach desired shades.
08
Step
Dollop the batter into the prepared pan, alternating colors, until the whole pan is filled. [If you have leftover batter, top up existing dollops of the same color – don't make a second layer of different colors]. Gently bang the pan on the counter to ensure that the batter is evenly distributed and that all gaps are filled.
09
Step
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool on a wire rack until completely cool, at least 1 hour.
10
Step
Prepare frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and salt, then increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
11
Step
Spoon out 1/4 cup of frosting into each of 3 small bowls. Add one to two drops of food coloring to each bowl, tinting one bowl red or pink, one orange, and one green. Mix well to combine and add additional coloring as needed to reach desired shades. Transfer each of the colored frostings to piping bags fitted with small round writing tips. Leave the remaining frosting in the mixing bowl white.
12
Step
Using a serrated knife, trim the edges of the cake.
13
Step
Frost the top of the cake with the white frosting, leaving the sides uncovered.
14
Step
Use the colored frosting to pipe small rainbows across top of cake.
For an extra touch, consider using natural food colorings derived from fruits and vegetables.
If you don't have piping bags, you can use zip-top bags with a small corner snipped off.
The cake layers can be baked a day ahead, cooled completely, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature.
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Neoma Kemmer
Jun 26, 2025My kids had so much fun helping me make this cake. It's a great activity to do together.
Virgil Bruen
Jun 25, 2025This cake was a huge hit at my daughter's birthday party! Everyone loved the bright colors and delicious flavor.
Keara Gutkowski
Jun 17, 2025I was a bit intimidated by all the steps, but it was actually quite easy to make. The instructions were very clear and helpful.
Brendon White
Jun 12, 2025Next time, I'm going to try making a chocolate version of this cake.
Brooke Bogisich
Jun 5, 2025The cream cheese frosting is amazing! It's the perfect complement to the vanilla cake.
Dannie Herzog
Jun 4, 2025I added a few drops of lemon extract to the frosting and it gave it a nice zing.
Katarina Casper
May 31, 2025Could I use a different kind of flour if I don't have cake flour?
Margret Vandervort
May 27, 2025This recipe is a keeper! I'll definitely be making it again.
Diamond Erdman
May 23, 2025I appreciate the tip about using gel food coloring. The colors came out so vibrant!
Bertram Jerde
May 20, 2025How do I prevent the colors from bleeding into each other?