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rainbow cake
rainbow cake
Recipes

This Gluten- and Dairy-Free Rainbow Cake Is

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at KCL chapter.

My Instagram feed has the amazing ability to make me hungry all the time. Whether it’s a cheesy burger or spicy noodles, my attention is always grabbed by the delicious food pics that appear. That’s why, after years of admiring the rainbow food trend from afar, I finally decided to bake a gluten and dairy free rainbow cake.

Gluten and Dairy Free Rainbow Cake

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time:1 hour Cook time: 45 minutesTotal time:1 hour 45 minutesServings:6 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Michela Quecchia

    Mix the rice flour, the potato starch and the corn starch together. The mixture of these three different dry ingredients will give the cake a structure similar to the one gluten usually gives, helping the cake grow tall and soft.

  2. Michela Quecchia

    Add the eggs, the (possibly unrefined) sugar, the dairy free milk and the sunflower oil. Give it a powerful whisk until well mixed. For this recipe — and for desserts in general — I recommend sunflower oil instead of olive oil. The latter has a too earthy and intense flavour for cakes and biscuits.

  3. Michela Quecchia

    Add the brandy, the orange flavouring and the baking powder. Be careful that the baking powder is gluten free as well — better being overzealous than poisoning someone! Add the food colouring. Keep in mind that the hue will darken once cooked, and that too much colouring can spoil the flavour.

  4. Michela Quecchia

    Now that you have six different batters, put them in identical oven friendly molds and put them in the oven at 175°C for 15 minutes.

The Last Magical Touch

gluten and dairy free rainbow cake mousse curd
Mun Ling Koh

Once the cakes are baked and cold, it’s time to pile them up and create our gluten and dairy free rainbow cake! First, we need to make a cream of some kind to put the cakes together. Since I’m a healthy type, I settled for a slightly lighter version for this — already super sugary — cake.

Put 500g of plain, dairy free Greek yogurt in a bowl and mix it to get the smooth texture of a mousse. Add 5ml of coconut flavouring and give it a nice whisk to incorporate the flavour.

gluten and dairy free rainbow cake whipped cream dairy
Mun Ling Koh

Now add coconut flakes to taste. I prefer their tiny version, you might prefer bigger, dried chunks of coconut. Remember that you can also add them later, either on top or on the sides of the cake.

#SpoonTip: while Greek yogurt is naturally low in lactose, be sure to find a certified lactose-free version. If someone is allergic or intolerant to lactose, you’ll need to be very careful about it.

gluten and dairy free rainbow cake cream cheese
Michela Quecchia

Once you have successfully constructed and frosted your cake, it should look something like this. Just sprinkle some extra dried coconut on top of the cake and let it chill in the fridge to settle before serving. Then cut a slice for major rainbow effects and feed your inner fairy!

gluten and dairy free rainbow cake cake
Michela Quecchia

I strongly suggest trying this gluten and dairy free rainbow cake at least once. It’s colourful, Instagram worthy and perfect to satisfy everyone’s cravings. Bonus points for the chilled coconut cream, which makes the cake refreshing and full of summer vibes!

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