Rainbow Angel Food Cake

April is a month of family birthdays for our family.  On April 12th our grandson Preston celebrated his 11th birthday.  His mom baked his favorite chocolate cake.  It was a fun family birthday celebration.  Our "little" grandson is growing up from that adorable "little boy stage."

Grandson Preston's 11th Birthday

Preston's little brother Lawson celebrates his 8th birthday on April 18th.  Lawson asked me last week if I would make an "angel cake" for his birthday party, and he added he would like to have it "with colors."  He of course meant an Angel Food cake.

Many years ago I watched a friend make this cake and I have made it for the children and now the grandchildren for most birthday parties in our family.

We start with an Angel Food Cake Mix and follow directions on the cake mix box.

 Have red, blue, green, and yellow food color ready.

Follow directions on Angel Food Cake Mix box to prepare cake mix.

In 4 separate coffee cups or bowls spoon about 3-4 Tablespoons of prepared cake mix in each cup.

 Food Color Gel.

Until recently, food colors came in liquid form.  Now, I find them in gel-form, and it is a little more difficult to gauge how much you are using.   I used 3-4 dots of gel in each cup.  In separate cups I use all 4 colors, the red, blue, green and yellow.  

Stir each cup of cake batter until food color is well blended.

I usually have the colors a little more pastel.  Next time I will only use 2 dots of color.

Cover the bottom of an Angel Food cake pan with prepared plain white cake batter.

Next,  take a large spoonful of each color of cake batter and alternate colors on the white cake batter.

 Then, in order to get a pretty rainbow-look,  place spoonsful of white cake batter on top of each color.

Continue to alternate colors with the white cake batter in layers until all cake batter is used.

When all the cake batter has been placed in the baking pan, gently shake the pan from side to side in order to smooth the cake batter in the pan.

Then to give a nice marbleized rainbow effect,  take a kitchen knife and pull it sideways in swirls around the cake batter,  starting on the outside and working around to the inside portion of the pan.

 You can see the knife pattern path in the below photo.

Follow the directions on the cake mix box for the cooking instructions.

When the cake has finished baking and is ready to be taken out of the oven,   I was always told to turn a finished Angel Food Cake upside down to cool.  Let the cake cool completely before adding the below icing.

 Next we will make the very simple Whipped Cream Icing.

Don't be tempted to use the whipped topping already made up in the frozen food section of the grocery store.  It does not even come close to being as delicious as real whipped cream.

Start with one pint of Whipping Cream.

Pour the whipping cream into a large bowl (because it splatters all over in a smaller bowl when you are using the beaters.)  Add 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla and 3 Tablespoons sugar (you may wish to add more sugar depending on how sweet you want the icing.)

 

Since I was making this icing for my grandson I added two dots of  blue food color gel.

One Tablespoon Vanilla

Three Tablespoons sugar (depending on your taste.)

With electric beaters, mix whipping cream mixture until it has reached a thick consistency, just as you would make regular whipping cream.  It is easy to beat the whipping cream too much so be careful not to turn it into butter.  And, then it is also easy to not beat enough, and then it is too runny for icing.  The below photo shows the ideal consistency.

 

Then begin to ice the completely cooled cake.

I like to use these colorful sprinkles for the top of the cake to give it a festive look the children enjoy.

The below "candy letters" are available in the baking section of the grocery store.

I forgot to put the number "8" on the cake.

Birthday boy Lawson in the middle, brother Will 13, Mom, brother Preston 11, 

Dad and John Scott 16 on the left.

A fun birthday party!

And then, the best part of all, getting to eat some yummy "Angel" cake.
Lawson's mom served this delicious cake with his favorite "mint chocolate chip ice-cream."

Just in case you would like to make this cake I have added the recipe below.

Rainbow Angel Food Cake
1 box Angel Food cake mix.
Food color gel - red, blue, green, yellow

• Prepare cake mix according to directions on box.
• Using 4 coffee cups, place about  3-4 Tablespoons prepared cake mix batter in each cup.
• Add about two drops of food coloring gel, in each color,  to each cup.
• Stir until nicely blended using separate spoon for each cup.
• Cover bottom of Angel Food cake pan with white prepared cake batter.
• Alternate one spoon of each cake batter color on top of white cake batter.
• Then, spoon white cake batter over each color.
• Alternate the white batter and then the different colors of batter until all the batter has been used.
• Gently shake cake pan from side to side to settle batter.
• Take a kitchen knife turned sideways and slowly swirl through batter, making about 3 loops around the cake pan.
• Bake according to package directions.

Whipped Cream Cake Icing
1 pint of whipping cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
3 Tablespoons sugar (or to your liking)
2 drops blue food color
Cake Decorating Decor - I used Rainbow Mix
Candy Cake Decorating Letters - available at the baking isle of the grocery store.

• In a large bowl whip whipping cream, vanilla, sugar and food color until a nice spreadable consistency.
• Ice cake.
• Sprinkle cake decorating decor on top and then add cake letters if you choose.
• If the cake is going to be left out for a long period of time it is better to place in refrigerator so the icing does not begin to melt. 

And that is it!  It probably sounds complicated, but it really is not at all.  Best of all an Angel Food cake is fat-free ... Too bad I can't say the same for the icing.

Now that I have made myself completely hungry talking about that delicious cake, I am going to go have a snack!!

Sure do hope you are having a wonderful weekend wherever you may be.