Food & Recipes

Rainbow Cake

This recipe is a bit time-consuming to make, but it tastes wonderful and fits in perfectly with the St. Patrick's Day theme.

1 cake

Ingredients:

• CAKE
• 1 1/2 packages white or yellow cake mix
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup crushed pineapple (drained)
• Yellow, red, and green food coloring
• Two 8-ounce tubs frozen whipped topping (thawed)
• 1/2 cup thick raspberry jam
• 1/2 cup apricot jam, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup instant pistachio pudding mix (not made up-just the powder)
• 1/2 cup instant pistachio pudding mix (not made up-just the powder)
• ICING
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Crisco
• 1 cup sugar
• Dash salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Green food coloring

Directions:

1. Mix the cake ingredients according to the directions on the cake-mix package. Spray the three round pans with cooking spray and pour the batter into the pans. Cook the cakes as directed on the box or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and cool on cooling racks. Wrap and refrigerate the layers for one hour.
2. Cut each layer in two. (You'll need only five layers-save one of the layers in the freezer for another time.)
3. Place the pineapple in a bowl and tint it yellow with two drops of yellow food coloring. Mix this with 1/2 cup whipped cream and spread it on the first layer. Place the raspberry jam in a bowl and mix it with two drops of red food coloring and 1/2 cup whipped cream. Spread this on the second layer. Place the apricot jam, one drop of red, and one drop of yellow food coloring in a bowl with 1/2 cup whipped cream and blend. Spread this on the third layer.
4. Place the pistachio pudding mix in a bowl and mix it with two drops of green food coloring and 1/2 cup whipped cream. Spread this on the fourth layer. Add the final cake layer on top and frost the entire cake with icing tinted green. (See following recipe.) Draw a shamrock on the middle of the cake with a knife and fill it in with green sugar or sprinkles.
5. To make the icing:
6. Gradually mix the flour into the milk a bit at a time and cook over low heat until thick (approximately 5 to 10 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool.
7. Beat the Crisco in a mixer and add the sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy. Add the cooked mixture to the bowl 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla and 1 to 2 drops of green food coloring and mix until well blended.