Flicks Layered Doodle Rainbow Cake

Submitted by canthelpmyself

"No this is not a healthy cake but it is beautiful and tastes amazing. Quite the show stopper and perfect for a special event. It is a large tall cake. There is a lot of icing but you need it to create defined layers. I found it was the perfect amount with about 3-4mm between layers and the same on the outside. I have included the fondant recipe I use which is quite standard. I bought edible markers and my daughter helped us decorate it for our twins first birthday. Its probably best to make this cake, assemble and ice the day before and then make the fondant and cover the next day. Allow 6 hours in case you run into any trouble. This cake isn't hard to make but does require time and attention to detail to get a good result. You also need gel food colours but it wouldn't let me add them to the ingredients."

 

• Ready In: 7hrs
• Ingredients: 18
• Yields: 1 6 layer cake
• Serves: 30

ingredients

• Cake Batter

• 1 1⁄2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 2⁄3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temp
• 2 1⁄4 cups self raising flour
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• swiss cheese, meringue buttercream
• 13 egg whites
• 500 g sugar
• 680 g unsalted butter
• extract

• Rolled Fondant

• 1 tablespoon gelatin
• 1⁄4 cup cold water
• 1⁄2 cup liquid glucose or 9 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon glycerin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vegetable shortening
• 8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

directions

1. Cakes.
2. Preheat oven to 175 C°.
3. Weigh the empty bowl you are going to use and 0 your scales or write it down the weight.
4. Grease and line three 21cm inch round cake pans, then line with waxed paper.
5. Cream the butter and sugar until creamy, smooth and light in colour.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Sift the flours together and alternate adding with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.
8. Weigh the finished batter (making sure you're not including the bowl, or minus it from the total) and then divide the weight by 6. Carefully measure the batter equally between 6 bowls (it will be somewhere just over 300 grams each) and colour 3 with Purple, orange and green.
9. Spread batter into three tins and smooth it out to the edges, I like to make it slightly thicker around the edges becase it rises a little in the center and by doing that you get a more level cake.
10. While the three are baking colour the remaining three bowls of batter.
11. Bake until cooked and gently turn them out onto wire racks to cool.
12. Reline the tins and repeat with the remaining three bowls of batter.
13. Put the cakes into the fridge until ready to use.

14. Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing:

15. Put the egg whites and sugar into a bowl and whisk over heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture feels smooth to touch.
16. Remove the bowl and beat (this is where a stand mixer is ideal) in high until the mixture has cooled right down and become a smooth, sticky and thick meringue type consistency. That part is vital, don't rush to put the butter in until it is definately cooled and thick.
17. Start adding the pieces of room temp butter to the mixture one piece at a time incorporating each piece before the next.
18. This will take quite a while and when you have added all the butter it will take on a curdled appearance. Don't worry, continue on beating, it will all come together and change into a thick icing.
19. Add whatever flavouring you would like. I like vanilla and lemon.
20. If during the butter adding stage it becomes too soft, put it in the fridge for a few minutes till it firms up and continue.
21. Trim any brown crusty edges on the cakes with scissors.
22. Starting with violet, layer the cakes spreading the buttercream a few mms thick between each layer then fill the sides and ice the top and sides. Put in the fridge to form a crust. Buttercream is best served at room temp so remove a couple of hours before serving or cut straight from the fridge and let the pieces sit for a few minutes before eating.

23. Rolled Fondant:

24. Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 5 minutes to soften
25. Place the bowl over a pot simmering water until the gelatin dissolves.
26. Add the glucose or corn syrup and the glycerin and stir until the mixture is smooth and clear
27. Sift 7 1/2 cups of the sugar into a large bowl.
28. Make a hole in the sugar and pour the liquid mixture into it.
29. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes sticky.
30. Sift some of the remaining sugar onto a smooth work surface and add as much of the remaining sugar as the mixture will take.
31. Knead the fondant, adding a little more sugar if necessary, to form a smooth, pliable mass.
32. Rub the vegetable shortening on your thumbs and knead it into the fondant. At this point you could knead some colour into it if you like. I kept it white because I wanted the inside of the cake to stand out.
33. Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and place it in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out.
34. If the icing dries out and hardens it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life.