Rainbow Steam Cake Recipe
A super-easy Rainbow Steam Cake that comes out of the oven looking like this! That’s right, there’s no need to bake all those different coloured cakes separately & level layers! With this recipe, all you do is trim the edge and pour on the ganache. Really it is that simple!
It’s school holidays in Australia so we’ve had grandparents visiting from out of State. Seeing them in person is much better than phone calls, especially for our littlest one. You can’t have cuddles down the phone, nor can you go to the shops together and come home with an awesome Lego set! (Thanks Nanny and Granddad)
Rainbow Steam Cake Recipe
Deep loose based round cake tin 20.5cm (8.07 inches) x 9.5cm (3.74 inches)
(if you are in AU or NZ you can get one here)
2 cups or 320g (11.29 ounces) plain all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups or 327g (11.53 ounces) sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp or 7.5g (0.26 ounces) gelatine (powdered – we are using the gelatine as an emulsifier in this recipe)
1/2 cup or 125millilitres (4.23 fluid ounces) vegetable oil such as canola oil
1 cup or 250millilitres (8.45 fluid ounces) cold water
7 egg yolks
7 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Gel colouring I used purple, blue, yellow and red to make the colours you can see.
Ganache to decorate
50g (1.76 ounces) milk chocolate
50g (1.76 ounces) dark chocolate
30millilitres (1.01 fluid ounces) cream (what cream to use?)
To decorate (optional)
macarons
additional 50g (1.76 ounces) melted chocolate
Preheat the oven to 160C (320 degrees Fahrenheit).
Add the sugar, baking powder, salt and gelatin into the flour and stir it with a whisk.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, egg yolks and water but don’t mix it.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and whisk to soft peaks.
Mix the flour mixture on low until it is just combined.
Mix in a third of the egg whites. Then fold in the rest in two batches until just combined.
Split the mixture evenly between 6 bowls. Add a little colour to each bowl and gently fold through.
Pour the purple mixture into the lined tin and place in the oven on the middle shelf. Put an empty tray on the top shelf to stop it browning and a tin of boiling water on the bottom of the oven. This makes the oven steamy and keeps the cake moist.
After 9 minutes add the next layer and return to the oven for another 9 minutes. Repeat with the remaining layers baking the top one for 11 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin and then tip out.
To make the ganache pouring hot cream over the chocolate and leave for 1 minute, then stir together until smooth.
Place a bowl or something slightly smaller than the cake on top and use it as a guide to cut off a thin layer all the way around.
To make some simple syrup put equal parts of sugar and water into a cup and microwave until the sugar has dissolved.
Using a pastry brush add generous amounts to the cake.
Pour your ganache on top right in the center then let it drip down over the edge.
To decorate the top of the cake dip the base of some macarons in melted chocolate and add them in a circle going around the top of the cake.
Recipe by Ann Reardon
2015
My Cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country:
http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
we respect your email privacy
Hi Ann
Your work is great!! I dont have cream of tarter can i just leave it out? Or its essential? As far as i know cream of tarter helps keep stiff peaks… And you have made soft here…
Hi Hina, The cream of tartar is an important ingredient. IIt helps to stabilize the eggs and gives a good body to the cake. It is usually readily available though sometimes called tartaric acid. You could replace it with a teaspoon of lemon juice, though this wont be quite as effective.
Thanks a lot for replying Ann!!
I made this cake for my Anniversary yesterday.. 6colours for sixth Anniversay…
I used lemon juice (as couldnt manage to go to market) . The cake shrunk in the end during cooling process in the pan, is that suppose to be happened.. And also it felt like a dense and chewy, rubbery cake. Is that the same texture as yours or may be absence of C of tarter. It took more than 10 minutes in my oven to set each layer.. But every body liked this beautiful cake n feww people wanna try it too
Hi Hina, Not using the cream of tartar will definitely effect the texture of the cake. It should pull away from te tin in cooking, so that is to be expected, but it won’t shrink overall. The cake should be light and fluffy. The dense texture you mention is likely caused bu either over mixing or the extended cooking time you gave to each layer. Having said that, you cake looked fabulous so well done.
Oh ok. Thank you so much..
It shrunk like this..
I think I already know the answer to this…but there’s no way to use a store bought cake mix for those of us that are slackers is there?
Hi Molly Lahey, This isn’t something Ann hasn’t trialled. You would need to test it out and be aware different brands will have different result. Ann thinks they may over cook but it might work.
Hi there, anyone looking for that cake pan in the U.S. I believe it’s this one amazon.com/Master-Class-Loose-Wedding-Christmas/dp/B00KH1VQA0/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1443725705&sr=8-14&keywords=Non-Stick+8″+Loose+Base+Deep+Cake+Pan
Thanks Laurel. This really helps.
hey ann < another request please can u make cinnamon rolls.ever since i have ate cinnabon's cinnamon rolls i definetely wanted to try some at home please please can u make a tutorial of that. and i also realized that your recipies were easy and simple ut tasted great . please please BTW i m a 12 year old girl
hi ann
can u please make a ‘HOME’ movie related cake please
Fat Daddio’s Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pan, 8-Inch x 4-Inch can be found at Amazon for $12.99. Hope it helps some folks in need of correct sized pan. This cake will be made , at least tried next week. Thanks Ann.
I was wondering if you could find out or make a giant macron if you like,
because my family would be very pleasant to see how to make one of them.
Sincerely, An
Hi Ann
Can you use liquid food colouring for this recipe?
Hi Mona, It is possible to use liquid colours but the volume you will need to get the great colours can impact the quality of the finished cake. Ann recommends gel colours because you will need much less to get a great result.
Hi Ann! I watch all of you video’s over and over again. I really enjoy when you answer peoples questions Can you try and do another Ice Cream video That includes Black Raspberry? Thanks, Bye.
It looks great. Can I leave out the gelatine? Or can I use agar powder instead? Thank you
Hi Juna, gelatine is key to the texture of this cake. Replacing it with a vegetarian gelling agent is something we haven’t tried. If you experiment, then us know how it turns out.
Thanks for sharing. It looks great. Can I
Hi may I know what brand of food coloring did you use?
Hi swiftie, Ann doesn’t use a particular brand but she does prefer using gel colours.
What sized eggs did you use?
Hi Julia, Annususally uses medium to large eggs depending on what she has available.
Is a loose based cake tin the same thing as a spring form cake pan? If not, could I use a spring form cake pan? One more, if I can use a spring form cake pan, is it okay if it’s only 3″ in depth or does it need all 3.74 inches?
Hi Fern, A spring form pan is similar but not the same, but should be fine for this purpose. The depth will be an issue. Ann suggests using one less layer and your tin should be adequate.
How would this work if you only made it, say, 4-5 layers (4-5 different colors) from that same batter? Would the baking time have to be adjusted, and if so, how would one have to do that?
Yes Marie that would work, but the cooking time will depend on the depth of the layers. If you teste how long it takes the first layer to be set enough to add the next, cook each layer for that amount of time, checking to see it is set enough before adding the next layer. The last layer will likely need at least 2 mis extra, but check that it is cooked before removing from the oven.
ps and the idea of not covering the colours is super.
What about fanforced?
Hi Cathy, Ann uses a fan-forced oven.
wow thankyou very much,its just one pan and seven colours.i was looking for some thing like this as i don’t have seven dishes and really wanted to make rainbow cake,now i have the solution. thanks ann. good job.
Am I missing it, where does it say what temp to have the oven on please?
😀 Hi Lana, oven should be 160 C
Looks so colorful and I bet it tastes as good as it looks. Cant wait for next Friday. Have a nice wk.
thanks Shirley, hope you have a great week too 😀