Rainbow Slice Cake

This cake bakes up tender and light, but the stripes make it feel like a celebration. Use gel colors so the batter stays vibrant.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk
• Gel food colors: red, yellow, green, teal, purple

Buttercream

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tbsp milk
• Pinch of salt

Steps

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease and line three 8-inch pans.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients and milk in alternating additions.
5. Divide batter into six bowls. Tint each bowl with a different gel color.
6. Add a spoonful of each color to the pans, stacking colors in the same order to build stripes.
7. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
8. Beat buttercream ingredients until smooth and spreadable.
9. Stack the layers with buttercream, then frost the top and sides. Chill 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

• Use gel colors for bold stripes without thinning the batter.
• Chill the frosted cake before slicing for cleaner layers.