How to Make Bright Rainbow Cupcakes

Rainbow cakes are a popular dessert trend at the moment. I’ve been making them for years and the key to a bright, pretty cake is in the right gel colors and layering technique.

These simple steps will help you “bake a rainbow” for an upcoming St. Patrick’s Day party, birthday or special event!

This is what I used for two dozen cupcakes:
7 cups of vanilla cake batter
6 small bowls
24 white cupcake liners
6 Wilton piping bags
Duff brand Electric Color Gels
Wilton brand icing colors in Lemon Yellow and Orange
Vanilla buttercream icing

Step 1:

Divide the cake batter evenly into the bowls.

Step 2:

Use the color gels to add deep color to each bowl of cake batter and mix well. TIP: Kids love to help with this part of the process!

Step 3:
The bowls of batter will look like this after you have colored them. I use the pink in place of red in my rainbow cupcakes.

Step 4:
Transfer the colored batter into the piping bags.

TIP: Use a tall glass to hold the piping bag open while you pour each batter inside.

Step 5:
Once in the piping bags, your batter will look like this. I have special closures for my bags to cut down on mess. You could use rubber bands if you don’t have these.

Step 6:

Snip the end off of only one piping bag at a time. Gently pipe the batter in the cupcake liners in thin layers being careful not to disturb each layer below. Pipe them in this order: Purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and pink.

Step 7:

The rainbow cupcakes look like this after they are done baking. I let them sit in the cupcake pan for ten minutes before removing them.

Step 8:

Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly before adding your buttercream. I like these white liners because you can see the rainbow of colors through them!

Step 9:
Add your icing and decorations and enjoy these rainbow cupcakes at your next special event!

Happy caking!
Renée