Rainbow Brights

Create the perfect showstopping treat for any celebration with this amazing layer cake from Bake Off’s Briony

Briony says: ‘A simple bake that looks really impressive? What’s not to love! My brother made a rainbow cake for my birthday a few years ago, despite having never baked before, and he was so proud when he finally got to present it. This cake is really fun and colourful – and not as tricky as it looks. Plus, it’s always exciting to cut the first slice and reveal there’s a rainbow inside as well. Why not give it a go?’

SERVES 44 | READY IN 2 HRS, PLUS COOLING | PRICE PER SERVING 37p

● 500g caster sugar

● 400g Asda Best for Baking Cakes

● 400g self-raising flour

● 1tsp baking powder

● 7 large eggs

● 2tbsp whole milk

● 2 of each Dr. Oetker Extra Strong Food Colour Gel in blue, green, yellow, orange and red

● 3 x 400g Asda Vanilla Flavour Frosting

1) Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease and line 5 x 20cm round sandwich tins.

2) Put 400g of the sugar, the Best for Baking Cakes, flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Crack in 5 of the eggs and add the milk.

3) Beat with an electric whisk until fluffy. Divide into 5 bowls. Add ½ tube of blue food gel to one, then repeat with the other colours. Mix gently until coloured evenly.

4) Spoon each batter into a separate cake tin and level the tops. Bake for 18-20 mins until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool fully on wire racks.

5) Meanwhile, reduce the oven to 140C/120C Fan/ Gas 2. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

6) Separate the remaining 2 eggs and put the whites in a large, clean bowl (save the yolks for another recipe). Beat with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining 100g sugar, a spoonful at a time, until incorporated, then beat on high until thick and glossy.

7) As shown in the images below, using a clean, wet paint brush, paint stripes of each colour of food gel up the inside of a large piping bag. Put the meringue in the bag. Cut off a 2cm hole at the end and pipe 18 meringue ‘kisses’ onto the trays. Bake for 30 mins then turn down to 120C/100C Fan/Gas 1 and bake for a further 45 mins. Leave to cool.

8) To assemble, sandwich the layers together with frosting, starting with the blue cake on the bottom, then green, yellow, orange and red. Coat the outside in a thin layer of frosting and chill for 30 mins.

9) Reserve some frosting for the top of the cake then divide the rest between 5 bowls. Use ½ tube of each food gel to colour each one. Divide into 5 piping bags then cut off each bag 2cm from the tip. Pipe a 2cm-deep line of each icing around the cake, starting with blue on the bottom.

10) Smooth with a cake scraper or palette knife.

11) Ice the top of the cake with the reserved frosting. Top with the meringues just before serving.

Mix it up | ‘Using ready-made frosting just makes life a bit easier! Before you get started, put the frosting in a bowl and give it a really good mix until it’s nice and loose. If it’s still a bit stiff, add a splash of milk to help it glide.’

Make it stick | ‘When assembling the cake, pop a bit of frosting on the bottom of the base cake to stick it down and stop it slipping all over the place.’

‘The official term is kisses but I call them blobs – and making them is easier than you think!’