Genre: Instruction

21 of the most AMAZING rainbow cakes that you'll ever see (recipes included) Bright colours, pots of gold, blue skies...what's not to love about a rainbow birthday party? Especially when one of these gorgeous cakes takes center stage. We're obsessed, and we've rounded up recipes and easy-peasy tips for recreating them without the fuss. Colourful Cupcakes We love how simple these rainbow cupcakes are to make: Just buy a few boxes of vanilla cake mix, make the batter and then separate it into five bowls. Add food colouring to get the colours of the rainbow, and then pour each colour into the cupcake pan one layer at a time. (For the best results, follow this tip: After pouring each layer, dip your finger in water to smooth over the mix before pouring the next -- it keeps the colours from blending together.) And once they're out of the oven and cooled, add a dollop of vanilla icing on top for the cloud. Cotton Candy Treats It's not just a rainbow-coloured confection, it's shaped like a rainbow, too! To make, simply bake a round cake, let it cool and then use a 7-9cm round cutter (see it here ) to cut a hole out of the middle. Then, cut the cake in half to make the arch shape. To finish, cover the pieces in vanilla icing, top with M&M's and stick pieces of blue candy floss to the ends to make clouds. (Add those just before serving, so the candy floss doesn't disintegrate!) Six Layers of Love It's not a cake pop -- it's a cake stick ! To make this sweet treat, start by baking six vanilla cakes -- each dyed a different rainbow shade with food colouring. Once they're cooled, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut pieces out. Then ice the tops of all with vanilla icing and layer on a stick. Done -- and yum! Rainbow Mosaic This modern take on the classic rainbow cake looks beautiful -- and it isn't as tough to recreate as you might think. After baking (or buying) square-shaped cakes, ice the layers with vanilla buttercream -- as smooth as you can get it -- and carefully press in bright candy pieces. Cut-up licorice pieces, even Jelly Bellies will work! Rainbows and Sunshine Our favourite cakes are the ones that are easy to make and pretty, too! This super-simple rainbow beauty is just four circular cakes (of any flavour) stacked on top of each other and smothered in bands of colored icing, topped with a cloud of white seven-minute icing . And that sunshine? It's made out of fondant pieces, but we bet you could make it yourself with a piping bag of yellow icing, too. Good Buy Just like an actual rainbow, this candy-covered cake is a joy to see! Here's a piece of news that'll make you just as happy: all parts of this cake are store-bought. You heard us. You'll need to get a cheesecake and various colours of M&M's, and then cover in concentric circles of colour. That's it -- time to party! Rainbow Bites What's better than rainbow cupcakes? Cupcakes arranged to make a rainbow! This beautiful display is perfect for a party and super easy to do: all you need is food colouring, cake mix and some buttercream icing. Add matching sprinkles, arrange in a rainbow shape and you're done! Biggest Surprise Somewhere over the rainbow -- or when you cut into this colourful cake -- little birdies fly in excitement! Imagine the delight in their eyes when this seemingly all-white dessert transforms into colour as you cut the first piece. Need help on all those layers? Martha Stewart did, too. No, seriously: watch it here . Easy Treats Those sugar-lovin', sweets-hoarding kiddos of yours will go ga-ga over this candy cake . Behind that Kit-Kat fence and under that endless pile of M&M's is a two-layer cake that you lovingly made. (Or, you know, bought at the shop and just decorated.) Either way, they'll think you're the coolest mum ever. Pretty in Pastel We love this subtle take on rainbow birthday cupcakes: sweet pastel icing with carefully-carved white fondant on top to let the pretty colours underneath show through. If you're stumped on how to make those delicate designs -- check out the how-to tips here . Pot O' Purple A riot of rainbow sprinkles on the outside plus five gorgeous (purple!) layers of ombre-dyed cake inside make this confection a sweet standout. Even better: making this cake is way easier than it looks -- follow the instructions here . Like, Snap Don't be fooled by these cute-as-can-be cupcakes . They're easy! Buy plain cupcakes at the supermarket  (we won't tell, promise) and a spectrum of fondant colours to cut into circles and form into rainbow shapes. Or take an even simpler approach -- buy the  pre-made fondant shapes. Done and done . Jarred in a Jiffy Everything out of the jar tastes better (and is more fun to eat): pickles, jam, and... cake, of course! Unlike pickling, jarred rainbow cake is super simple -- just spoon layers of dyed batter into the jar, place in a shallow dish filled with a -inch of water, and pop it in the oven for 35 minutes. To serve: top with whipped cream and sprinkles. A is For... Need some inspiration for your little builder's birthday? Pay tribute to his favoruite toy with this personalised alphabet block ! To ahem, build, you'll need four square layers of cake, icing to glue 'em together, and fondant to cover the cube. In the Pink Now this is the kind of gumdrops-and-Carebears rainbow cake we're talkin' about. The six colourful layers hidden inside might seem daunting, but they make a heck of a vibrant surprise! The rainbow pieces can be made ahead of time using royal icing. And best of all: There's no fondant! Just yummy buttercream. Check out the recipe here . Rainbow Love O.M.G.: a dazzling of array of fondant flowers and rainbow coloured layers?! Swoon -- times two. We admit it, this one requires some effort -- but these concise step-by-step photos and tips will help guide you. Wittily Wonderful We love a cake with a sense of humour, and this fun, iced leprechaun trap cake fits the bill. Use an angel food cake pan to make the secret rainbow inside and a textured piping bag for the grassy terrain. The trap is simply pretzel sticks across the hole in the middle, and the ladder is pretzel sticks held together with chocolate candy melts. And the bait? Chocolate "gold" of course! Thrilled for Frills This happy stack of wonder looks pretty darn cool -- and contains no dairy! To make it, first dye, bake and stack six 8-inch layers. Then fill up a piping bag with one colour at a time and use a rose tip to make layers of frilly ruffles. Super Stack We can't decide what we love more: the adorable unicorn cake topper (notice the rainbow hor), the simple white icing covering a hidden rainbow inside or the festive coloured garland decorating the outside. If you need a recipe to use, try this similar cake from Whisk Kid . Rainbow Times Two It's a no-brainer: One rainbow is good, but two are definitely better -- and this cake totally delivers. Bake, stack and frost six 9-inch layers (dying each a different colour) and then get creative with the rainbow decorations on top: Skittles, marshmallows, M&M's -- they all work!