Rainbow Cupcakes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy and disclosure.

Rainbow Cupcakes with mesmerizing swirls of rainbow frosting are like a burst of happiness in every single bite. Not only are these treats a visual delight, but they also pack a surprising flavor punch - they taste just like Froot Loops!

Jump to Recipe

The first time I whipped up these cupcakes, my niece requested them for her rainbow themed birthday party.

I'd made rainbow cakes before, but this time, I wanted to take it up a notch by infusing each color with its own unique flavor.

So, I embarked on a scavenger hunt through my kitchen cupboards, hunting for flavorings.

I found a strawberry bakery emulsion which I would add to the red, an orange oil to orange, lemon extract for yellow and pandan essence which is perfect for green.

If I had it, I would also add blueberry flavour to blue. My mind is blanking out as to what I can flavor the purple with. Any suggestions?

Rainbow cupcakes flavors - strawberry, orange, lemon extract, panadan

At this point I have no idea how they would taste combined all together but hey these cupcakes are for family and they are my perfect guinea pigs.

I didn't stop at flavoring just the cupcakes; I also infused the frosting with different flavors.

The big day finally came, and it was time to unveil the cupcakes. The moment of truth had arrived, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fruity familiarity and how genuinely delicious they turned out to be.

As my niece's dad took a bite, he exclaimed, "Hmm, this tastes like Froot Loops!"

And suddenly, it all made sense! Imagine the sweet nostalgia of your favorite childhood cereal combined with the irresistible allure of cupcakes.

I had struck culinary end of rainbow pot of gold (yes, pun intended) with this delightful concoction – what a keeper! 😄

Watch the rainbow cupcakes in action

HOW TO MAKE RAINBOW CUPCAKES

Make the batter. Divide the batter equally into six separate small bowls. You can either use a scale for precision or approximate a cup of batter for each color.
To achieve those eye-catching shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, reach for gel food coloring. This type of coloring provides the most vivid hues without altering the batter's consistency. Brands like Wilton and Chefmaster work wonders and are readily available online or at local cake shops.
If you're looking to add an extra layer of flavor, consider mixing in corresponding flavors for each color. You can use flavored oils (for food use), bakery emulsions (Lorann brand has a myriad of flavors to choose from) and of course extracts and essences. These flavorings are concentrated so use sparingly! Add one drop at a time until you are satisfied with the taste. You may even have to use gel food color to amplify the color as you may not get enough color with just the flavoring.

mixing gel colors to make rainbow cupcake batter

When you're ready to assemble your rainbow cupcakes, use roughly a tablespoon of batter for each color.

adding rainbow colored batter one tablespoon at a time

Start with purple, followed by blue, green, yellow, orange, and finish with red.

Alternatively, you can reverse the order, beginning with red and working your way through the spectrum.

Pop your cupcakes into the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Take them out of the pans right away and let cool completely.

HOW TO MAKE RAINBOW FROSTING

Make buttercream frosting. When aiming for a piping-consistency buttercream, it should possess a thick and firm quality, capable of holding a stiff peak when lifted from a spatula.

Divide the frosting into six separate bowls, you have the option to flavor each color as well. Once you've achieved your desired hues, load each color into its individual pastry bag.

To create the mesmerizing rainbow swirl, lay out a sizable piece of plastic wrap flat on a surface. Carefully pipe a line of each colored buttercream down the center of the plastic wrap.

piping a line of buttercream to create rainbow frosting

Pipe the colors in the order of the rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

piping different colors of buttercream to create an icing plug for rainbow frosting

Fold one side of the wrap over the buttercream.

rolling the plastic wrap over buttercream to create an icing plug

Rolling it into a tube shape.

Seal the ends by twisting the plastic wrap, resembling a candy wrapper.

twisting the ends of the rainbow frosting icing plug

Assemble a pastry bag fitted with a 1M pastry tip.

Cut one side of the icing plug.

cutting one end of the rainbow frosting icing plug

Insert the cut side down into the pastry bag.

Securely twist the end of the pastry bag to keep everything in place.

placing the icing plug inside a pastry bag

With your prepared pastry bag, pipe a captivating swirl of rainbow-colored frosting onto each cupcake.

piping rainbow frosting over rainbow cupcakes

Then, it's time to serve and savor the delightful, multicolored rainbow cupcakes!

*Does not print in Chrome browser; pls. print in Safari, Mozilla or Internet Explorer.*

RAINBOW CUPCAKES RECIPE

By Make Fabulous Cakes

INGREDIENTS

CUPCAKES
3 cups (375 g) cake flour
4 tsp. (20 g) baking powder
1/2 tsp. (3 g) salt
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
2-1/2 (500 g) cups granulated sugar
5 eggwhites (150 g)
2 tsp. vanilla
1- 1/2 cups (375 ml) milk
Gel colours (I used red, orange, yellow,green, blue and purple)
Food flavourings to correspond each color (optional)

RAINBOW FROSTING
1 lb. (454 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, sifted
4 tbsp. heavy cream or milk
2 tsp. (8 g) vanilla extract or flavorings of choice
pinch of salt

METHOD

CUPCAKES

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare pan with cupcake liners.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy ( about 2 minutes on high speed).
Add in eggwhites and vanilla and whip for another minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in a gradual alternation with the milk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture, and beat until just combined.
Divide the batter equally into six separate small bowls using a scale or approximately a cup of batter for each colour.
Apply gel food coloring to each bowl in shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Gel food colors will give the most vibrant colors without changing the consistency of the batter.
Mix in the flavors, if using, that correspond to each color.
Use a about a tablespoon of each color to each cupcake. Begin with purple, then blue, then green, yellow, orange then lastly, red. Or do the reverse, starting with red then so on.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
The cupcake is ready when an inserted wooden skewer or cake tester comes out clean or when it springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Take the cupcakes immediately out of the pans and cool completely before frosting.

RAINBOW FROSTING

Place the butter in a large bowl and whisk for a minute. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and whip until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add half the powdered sugar, start mixing at the lowest speed at first, then increase the speed as soon as all the icing sugar is incorporated in the butter.
Add the vanilla, salt and 2 tbsp of cream with the last addition of the powdered sugar. Whip until it is all smooth. Scrape down the sides , add another 2 tbsp of cream and whip another minute. Adjust the consistency with more cream as needed.
For piping consistency, the buttercream should be thick and can hold a stiff peak when lifted from a spatula.
Divide the frosting into 6 bowls and add color. You a can also add a different flavor that corresponds to each color. Place each color in its own pastry bag.
To create and icing plug of rainbow colors, take a large piece of plastic wrap and place it flat on a surface. Pipe a line of each colour in the center of the plastic wrap. Fold one side of the wrap over the buttercream and roll to make a tube. Twist the ends of the plastic like candy. (For a visual guide, refer to the provided pictures and video).
Prepare a pastry bag fitted with 1M pastry tip. Cut one side of the icing plug and drop the cut side down the pastry bag. Twist the end of the pastry bag to close and secure it.

Pipe a swirl on each cupcake. Serve and enjoy!

Yield: 24 cupcakes

cut rainbow cupcakes with rainbow frosting

The images, tutorials and content on make-fabulous-cakes.com are protected by copyright laws. DO NOT distribute or copy the content without written permission. DO NOT edit, crop, or remove watermarks from any image or video. If you intend to use any of the text, templates or images within, it must be linked back to this site with credit given to www.make-fabulous-cakes.com. For questions contact us HERE.

Disclosure: Please note some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. This doesn’t cost you anything additional and I truly appreciate this support, thank you!