Rainbow Slices

Wotchers!

Here’s a colourful idea that looks fantastic, and is a doddle to make.

It’s a Lego™ recipe in that I’ve taken a bit from here and a bit from there and smooshed (that’s definitely a word, right?) them together to make me the hero of the school lunch box. Based on the resounding cries of delight they elicited, I decided to use my superpowers for good and share, so you all can be heroes too.

I used the Cream Cakes recipe as a sheet cake, dividing the batter and flavouring half with vanilla and half with raspberry, adding a little food colouring to the raspberry half. Then I made some rice-krispie treats using Rainbow Drops (found in the sweetie aisle), and pressed them into a flat layer one ‘drop’ thick. Cut in half, I then used them, whilst warm, to sandwich the sponge cake. A light pressing while cooling, or afterwards in the fridge and it’s possible to get a fantastically crisp cut through the two contrasting textures.

If they’re still sticky when cool, you can either press on more Rainbow Drops or wrap in rice paper, which is also fun to eat when peeled off, or indeed munched on in situ.

Rainbow Slices

I used raspberry and vanilla for the marbled cake, but you can use any combination you like, or even just go with the one colour/flavour for simplicity.

For the cake

150g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125ml cream – double or clotted
150g plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
a few drops of raspberry flavouring
burgundy/claret food colouring
1tsp vanilla extract

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan.
• Grease and line a shallow baking tin of approx 20cm x 30cm with parchment.
• Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar. Beat with a balloon whisk (or by hand or stand mixer) until the eggs are frothy and the sugar dissolved – about 5 minutes.
• Add the cream and whisk in.
• Divide the mixture into two and add the colouring and flavourings to the respective halves
• Sift the flour and baking powder together then divide into two and fold half into each batch of cake mixture.
• Drop blobs of the cake mixture into the prepared tin until the tin has an even layer of cake mixture.
• Swirl the colours together if liked.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and slightly shrunken from the edges of the tin.
• Lay a clean cloth over a wire rack and turn out the cake onto the cloth. Set aside to cool.

For the Rainbow Slices

50g butter
150g marshmallows
200g Rainbow Drops + a few more just in case

butter/spray for moulding

rice paper (optional)

• Lightly grease or butter a silpat sheet on which to mould your Rainbow Slices.
• Melt the butter in a pan then add the marshmallows and stir over a medium heat until melted.
• Cook for a further two minutes, then remove from the heat, add the Rainbow Drops and stir to coat.
• Tip out onto the greased silpat mat. Lightly grease/butter your hands to prevent sticking and press the coated Rainbow Drops into a flat, even layer about 1cm thick, making sure to fill in any holes. It will make quite a large sheet. Cut the sheet in half.
• Whilst the Drops sheets are still warm, lay the cake onto one sheet, and lay the second sheet on top of the cake, sandwiching it in-between.
• Put a sheet of parchment over the top of the cake and rest one or two baking sheets on top, just to press everything together firmly as it cools.
• When cold, wrap in buttered plastic (or add the rice paper and use regular cling film) and transfer to the fridge to chill thoroughly. Continue to press with weights if necessary.
• When chilled, use a sharp, serrated knife to first trim the edges neatly to reveal the layers, then cut into serving portions.
• Store in an airtight container.