#304

Rainbow cake (recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients 

• Vegetable shortening
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/3 cups sugar
• 5 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature
• Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gel food coloring
• Lemony Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush six 9-inch-round cake pans (or as many 9-inch cake pans as you have, reusing them as necessary) with shortening. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add egg whites and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk. Mix until well combined.
3. Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes (working in batches if necessary).
4. Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack; re-invert and let cool completely.
5. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the purple layer on the cake plate. Spread a scant 1 cup buttercream filling over the first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges. Repeat process with blue, green, yellow, and orange layers.
6. Place the remaining red layer on top, bottom-side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting (also use any of the excess frosting visible between the layers). Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
7. Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting.

#288

Cake Glossary

White Butter
The traditional option, and with good reason: It tastes great with any filling or frosting. For a fresh turn, Kromer suggests pairing it with passion fruit or vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream.
Moist Yellow
Just a little bit richer than white butter, it's the second most popular choice of brides at Wendy Kromer Confections. When it comes to fillings and frosting, "the sky's the limit," she says.
Almond Dacquoise
Unexpected and nutty, this meringue is a nice complement to basic cake layers like white butter. "It's delicious with chocolate, praline, or even white-chocolate buttercream frosting and filling," says Kromer.
Lemon Poppy Seed
This refreshing cake "tastes best with citrus and vanilla flavors," she says. "Go with lemon curd and lemon buttercream or white-chocolate buttercream frosting."
Carrot
Spicy, sweet, and sometimes nutty, it's often coupled with cream cheese icing. Kromer likes to serve it with caramel-cream cheese or white-chocolate filling, or vanilla buttercream.
Red Velvet
It relies on cocoa for its chocolaty taste and a splash of red food dye for its dramatic color. "Try it with cream cheese frosting, or chocolate-hazelnut, chocolate, or caramel buttercream," she suggests.
Marble
Not only does it look cool, but it goes with just about everything. "It's great with fruit fillings, especially raspberry preserves," says Kromer. "The flavors come together really nicely."
Chocolate Butter
After white butter and moist yellow, this cake is third most popular. White or chocolate frosting is a typical pairing, but "apricot, pistachio, coffee, or rich caramel flavors are nice, too," she says.

Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Wedding Cakes by Flavor -- Martha Stewart Weddings