Rainbow Bright

What to get...

For the Cake!
• 1.5 cups flour (all purpose), sifted
• 3 cups cake flour, sifted
• 2.25 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temp
• 1 cup + 2 T butter, unsalted at room temp
• 2.25 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp salt, Kosher okay
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla
For the Frosting!
• 1 tub Cool Whip, or whipped topping (defrosted)
• 1 stick butter (Softened completely at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• *Coconut extract if desired (1/2 tsp)
For the Decorating!
• 2 packages rainbow tape candy (I found at the 7-Eleven)
• Blue food coloring and crystal sprinkles
• White royal or decorating icing with piping tip, can use store bought icing in white.

What to do...

Make the Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 & prepare cupcake pans with shortening and flour.
2. In bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder & salt.
3. In bowl of an electric mixer cream the sugar & softened butter well, on medium for about 5 minutes, until fluffy.
4. Reduce mixer speed, add eggs, one-at-a-time, till each are well incorporated.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Slowly add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, until well combined.
7. Fill cupcake prepared cupcake pans, or use liners. You can use regular prepared cake pans as well.
8. Bake for 20 minutes and check doneness with toothpick, if inserted and comes out clean, then done. If not, bake for an additional 5 minutes & check, etc. (Time will vary for cupcake pans versus layer cake pans. Cupcakes will usually bake faster, depending on size of tins) Watch to make sure cake isn't over-browning.
9. Cool cake in tins on wire rack.
10. Cool completely before frosting & decorating.
Make the Frosting:
11. Make sure butter is completely softened, almost overly so, at room temp, or it will bead and clump in frosting!
12. Cream butter and powdered sugar well.
13. Add Cool Whip topping and whip till combined.
14. Add coconut or other extract as desired.
15. Return to small bowl and place in fridge or freezer (for short time) to set before frosting cakes.
Decorate!:
16. Cut rainbow tape candy into about 3-4 inch segments (depending on size of cupcakes)
17. Add some of the frosting to a small bowl and combine with one drop of blue food coloring, to give slight "sky" tint.
18. Frost each cupcake with blue-tinted whipped frosting. Add light blue sugar crystals lightly on top if available.
19. To this create two small, parallel rows of little cloud 'puffs', on each cake face.
20. Center a rainbow tape segment, concave, attaching at the piped could rows on each end, on the cake surface.

Notes