Material list:

Cake
Buttercream Icing
Turntable or Lazy Susan
Angled Spatula
2 Cardboard Cake Circles (Ideally the same size as your cake but no less than 1” smaller and definitely not larger)
Cake lifter
Large Shallow Tray
Approx 1kg Rainbow Sprinkles (I recommend this amount! Leftovers can be stored for future use)
Spoon
Small Rice Bowl (or similar)

1. Begin with the cake you wish to cover and place it on a cake circle base.

2. Creating a nice crisp finish, coat the outsides of the cake with a reasonably thick layer of icing. Only coat the outside making sure to take the icing above the top rim of the cake.

3. Bring the icing into the center of the cake and remove excess. We are not looking to ice the top of the cake at this stage. Using the cake lifter, lift the cake off the turntable and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

4. While waiting for the cake to chill pour the Rainbow Sprinkles into a large shallow tray. As stated in the material list, the 1kg amount isn’t strictly necessary but I find it’s much easier to have more rather than less so to avoid any chance of the cake touching the bare base of the tray and disturbing the finish of the buttercream.

5. Remove the cake from the freezer and place the 2nd cake circle on top of the cake.

6. Using the cake lifter, lift the cake and gently lay on it’s side in the tray Sprinkles. Supporting the cake with your hands on either side, roll until you have an even layer of Sprinkles adhered to the Buttercream.

7. Place the cake back on the turntable.

8. Next blob a generous amount of Buttercream on top of the cake.

9.Smooth evenly with the angled spatula, removing any excess. Chill in the freezer for a further 5 minutes.

10. Upturn the small bowl and place in the center of the Sprinkle tray.

11. Remove cake from freezer and place on top of the upturned bowl, being careful to balance the cake correctly.

12. Spoon a large amount of Sprinkles on top of the cake and smooth around to edges using the angled spatula, pressing gently as you go to make sure they adhere to the Buttercream.

13. Neaten up any missed areas around the edge using the spoon and spatula as shown.

14. Admire your finished cake! This fun cake is sure to brighten up any day.

15. If you are feeling adventurous why not create 2 or more tiers and finish with some bright ribbon and a gumpaste rainbow for a super cheerful effect! (Please see my ‘Gumpaste Rainbow Tutorial’ here)

This tutorial first appeared in a varied format on Half Baked – The Cake Blog. Thanks for looking!
Kate <3

Gather your materials (add a ruler or straight edge to this list!)

Knead in a little tylose powder to your coloured fondant. My ratio is 1tsp tylose to 250g of fondant. Roll ropes of fondant (now gumpaste!) to desired thickness. Keep one rope a little thicker than the rest. Here the green is slightly larger. This will help when it’s time to insert the toothpick supports. When you have all of your ropes, roll over them with a fondant smoother to neaten and to remove any finger indentations.

Use a circle cutter (any size you like – here I am using a 2” cutter) to help support the assembly of your rainbow. Paint the joining edge of each coloured rope with a little edible glue (tylose mixed with water). Plain water will also work fine.

Start joining your ropes together pulling down gently at the ends to secure the adhesion.

Admire how pretty it’s looking :)

Lay a ruler or straight edge along where you want the base of your rainbow to be and make a nice neat cut with a sharp knife.

This ensures your rainbow with stand nice and straight.

Dampen the end of a toothpick (with your glue or water) and insert dampened end into either end of the larger rope. Allow to dry laying flat like this overnight.

Once your rainbow is firm and dry, stand it up and insert into a foam block. Add some cute little clouds by rolling various sized balls of white gumpaste and adhering to the base of the rainbow with a little tylose glue or water. Adding the clouds to both sides of the rainbow looks nice and also adds extra support. Allow to dry in the foam block overnight.

You can now add your finished rainbow to your cake – it is sure to brighten up any creation!