This Rainbow Layer Cake recipe is one of the most fun cakes you can make from scratch. With colorful layers inside and bright frosting between each layer, it's the perfect centerpiece for birthdays, celebrations, and special occasions. Every slice has beautiful rainbow colors that always get people talking.
This rainbow birthday cake is guaranteed to impress. The fluffy almond meringue layers with marshmallow frosting make a cake that's as delicious as it is colorful. If you enjoyed my Strawberry Vanilla Cake, you'll love this rainbow version too.
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Try This Rainbow Layer Cake
This cake is perfect when you want something that looks more bakery-style and a little extra special. I love making it for birthdays because everyone is fascinated when they see the rainbow colors inside.
Why You'll Love It
- Perfect for celebrations: This so much fun to make for birthdays and parties.
- Beautiful presentation: Every slice has amazing, vibrant rainbow colors.
- Marshmallow frosting: It is light, fluffy, and really easy to work with.
- Made completely from scratch: No boxed mixes are needed, as this is made entirely from scratch.
Ingredients
- Egg whites: These make the light meringue-style cake layers.
- Almond flour: Is what gives the cake a delicate texture along with the all purpose flour.
- Food coloring: Needed for the beautiful rainbow colors.
- Marshmallow cream: Is how the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
- Butter: Makes a smooth and creamy frosting.
How to Make Rainbow Layer Cake
1. To make the cake layers, mix egg whites and salt at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar and mix until glossy and stiff.
2. Then separate into 7 small bowls equally and color with violet, indigo blue, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Take as much coloring as desired. Mix just until evenly colored. The more color you use, the more intense and darker the cake batter layers are. Less coloring leads to a pastel tone. Read the instructions on the package if you are not sure how much to use. I recommend using gel or paste coloring.
3. Then fold in almond flour and flour.
4. Draw seven 8" circles on parchment paper and flip over the paper. Spread meringue into the drawn circles till the outer edges.
5. Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C). Bake one layer at a time in batches for 17-20 minutes until dry and not too browned (very lightly browned is ok). Too much browning affects the color of your cake. Remove from oven when dry to the touch. Immediately remove the baking paper and let cool on cooling racks to room temperature.
6. After mixing the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow cream, and salt, separate the frosting into 8 bowls. Color again with violet, indigo blue, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
7. Color the 8th bowl with blue to finish the cake on top with sky blue. You might need to add a bit of white coloring to brighten up the color. If you don't want to have a blue frosting on top, then separate the frosting into 7 bowls and color with the rainbow colors.
TIP: When you color the frosting, place the cake layers next to your bowl and add the coloring little by little to reach the same tone as your cake layers. If your frosting is accidentally more colorful or darker than the cake layer, add a bit of white coloring to brighten up the color again.
The following frosting technique is a simple way to get the rainbow stripes around the cake without piping and spreading the frosting.
8. Place a closed 9" springform ring on a cake plate or stand. Place the violet meringue cake layer in the middle of the ring. Spread a bit of frosting underneath the cake layer so that it doesn't move around while frosting. Remember, the cake layers have a size of 8-inch.
9. Then spread the violet frosting on top of the cake layer and fill the edges of the springform ring so that the bottom is evenly covered. Watch out that you don't color the inside of the ring higher than the violet layer ends if you want to have straight lines on the sides. The accuracy of your work affects the shape of the lines on the sides of your cake.
10. I didn't work that accurately because I love how the colors blend into each other. But it's up to your preference. Then chill at least 4 hours or overnight before removing the ring.
11. After chilling, remove the ring. For the best results, run an icing spatula around the sides before removing. This makes that no frosting sticks to the ring while removing. Press the spatula outwards against the ring while running around the sides.
12. If necessary, level the sides of the cake with the spatula. Do this by placing the spatula on one side of the cake upright and then slowly spin the cake around. Do this without pushing too much against the cake.
13. I decorated my Rainbow Cake with super fluffy meringue to get the most beautiful cloud shape on top. If you don't want to decorate yours with meringue, replace it with whipped cream, marshmallows, and/or rainbow sprinkles.
14. To make this super fluffy and cloud-like meringue, combine egg whites, sugar, and water in a heat-proof bowl. Then place the bowl over simmering water and mix until stiff peaks form. This will take about 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and mix for an additional 5 minutes until cooled.
15. Pipe meringue in back and forth movements on top of the cake to create an irregular shape of a cloud. Serve on a serving plate, and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
- Tint batter with gel food coloring for the brightest colors.
- Bake the layers one at a time for the most even results.
- Allow the layers to cool completely before assembling.
- Having multiple cake pans or baking sheets ready makes the process much easier.
- Wrap each individual slice in plastic wrap if you want to freeze this, but decorate after it is thawed.
What Can You Serve With This?
- Vanilla ice cream
- Fresh berries
- Whipped cream
- Fruit salad
- Milk
- Hot chocolate
FAQs
Yes. It actually slices better after chilling overnight, and the colors tend to look more radiant.
Absolutely. Sprinkles, whipped cream, or marshmallows all work beautifully.
Usually, not enough food coloring was used, or the layers were baked too long.
Recipe
Rainbow Layer Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 12 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups caster sugar (300g)
- 28 tablespoon almond flour (224g)
- 7 tablespoon flour (63g)
- gel or paste food coloring: violet, indigo blue, blue, green, yellow, orange, red
Frosting
- 2 cups butter (452g)
- 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted (600g)
- 7 oz marshmallow cream (200g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- gel or paste food coloring: violet, indigo blue, blue, green, yellow, orange, red
OPTIONAL: Meringue for decoration (or replace with whipping cream, marshmallows, or sprinkles)
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 cups caster sugar (400g)
- ¼ cup cold water (60ml)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C).
- With a pencil, draw seven 8“ (20,3cm) circles on parchment paper. Then flip over the parchment paper and place on baking sheets.
- In a large mixing bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar and whisk until glossy and stiff peaks form. Separate into 7 bowls equally. Color with violet, indigo blue, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Use as much gel or paste food coloring to your preference. Stir on medium-high speed just until combined and evenly colored.
- With a wooden spoon fold into each color 4 tablespoon of almond flour and 1 tablespoon of flour carefully. Equally spread the meringue into the drawn circles till the outer lines. Make sure that they are almost the same in size and thickness. Bake one layer at the time for 17-20 minutes until dry and not too browned (very lightly browned is ok). Remove from the oven when dry to touch. Immediately flip over the parchment paper and remove the paper. Let cool to room temperature.
Frosting
- Mix butter with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until creamy for about 2 minutes. Add about 1 + ½ - 2 cups sugar at the time and mix on low speed until combined. Add marshmallow cream and salt and mix to combine. Separate the buttercream into 8 bowls. Color with violet, indigo blue, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red in the same tone as your meringue layers are. Add white coloring to lighten up the colors if needed. Color the 8th bowl with blue and white to create a sky blue tone for the top of the cake.
Assemble the cake
- Place a closed 9" springform ring on a cake board or cake stand. Place the violet meringue cake layer in the middle of the ring. Spread a bit of frosting underneath the cake layer that it doesn't move around while frosting. Then spread the violet frosting on top of the cake layer and till the edges of the springform ring that the bottom is evenly covered. Watch out that you don't color the inside of the ring higher than the violet layer ends if you want to have straight lines on the sides. The accuracy of your work affects the shape of the lines on the sides of the cake. Repeat with indigo blue, blue, green, yellow, orange, and finish with red on top. Spread remaining sky blue on top evenly. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.
- OPTIONAL: Make the meringue: Fill a large saucepan ½ full with water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, and water to combine. Place bowl oblique over the saucepan that the hot steam can escape around the sides of the mixing bowl. The bowl should not touch the simmering water. With a handheld mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg white mixture for 10 minutes or until shiny, glossy, and stiff peaks form. Make sure the meringue doesn't get too hot, or the egg whites will cook through, and the meringue will be lumpy. Remove from saucepan in-between to cool down a bit, if necessary. Not just that the meringue is lumpy in structure when cooked too hot, it also will smell and taste like cooked eggs whites instead like a meringue. Remove from heat and mix until cooled for about 5 minutes.
- Remove cake from the fridge. Run an icing spatula around the sides (push outwards against the ring while moving), open the springform ring and remove it. If necessary, level buttercream on the sides with the spatula by placing it on one side of the cake uprightly and spin around the cake without pushing too much against the cake. Pipe meringue with a piping bag fitted with a round tip on top of the cake. Go back and forth with the tip while piping to create an irregular cloud shape. Alternatively, decorate with whipping cream, marshmallows, or sprinkles on top instead of meringue if preferred. Store leftovers up to 3 days in the fridge.
Notes
Cooking Time and Temperature
Bake the cake layers at 320°F (160°C) for 17-20 minutes per layer, until dry to the touch and lightly colored. Chill the assembled rainbow layer cake for at least 4 hours, or overnight for the cleanest slices.Taste & Texture
This rainbow layer cake has light almond meringue layers with fluffy marshmallow frosting between each colorful layer. Every slice is soft, sweet, and packed with fun birthday-cake vibes.Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Frosting: Use whipped cream instead of marshmallow frosting.
- Decoration: Create a rainbow cake with marshmallows on top for a fun finish.
- Colors: Use pastel shades for a softer look.
- Almond flour: Helps create the signature light texture.
Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze individual slices for up to 1 month.
- To Thaw: Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Serving Recommendations
I love serving this rainbow birthday cake with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream. It's also perfect on its own because the colorful layers are already such a showstopper.Proper Storage Tips
- Store covered in the refrigerator.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container.
- For best results, chill before slicing.
Pro Tips
- Use matching frosting colors between the layers.
- Don't overbake the cake layers.
- Allow plenty of chilling time before removing the springform ring.
Video
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Laura
This is the prettiest rainbow cake I have ever seen! My daughter would absolutely love it, and if she's still in her rainbow phase by the time her next birthday rolls around I"m *definitely* making this for her!
Sabine
Thank you so much, Laura! I'm sure she will love this cake. Happy Birthday to your little sunshine. <3
Melissa Griffiths
Beautiful! All that effort makes for a gorgeous final product!
Sabine
Thank you so much, Melissa! The effort is really worth it.
Jennifer Reidy
This looks absolutely beautiful! My daughter's birthday is coming up and as a 5th grader, rainbows and unicorns are so IN! This will be the PERFECT cake to make her and she will LOVE it!!! AND she isn't gluten-free so I can follow the recipe to the T! I can't wait! 🙂
Sabine
Great! She will love it, I'm sure! Happy Birthday to your daughter, Jennifer. If you have any questions during the process, just get in touch. 🙂 Happy baking.