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St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Cake

by Jessie Daye

First published: March 16, 2020 | Updated: June 10, 2026
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In a week of so much awful, we needed some happiness so we whipped up a little rainbow cake and made a homeschool schedule for our first week of “social-distancing” at home while we are all on lockdown. Hope everyone is healthy and safe this week!

Scroll down for the recipe!

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Rainbow Vanilla Cake

Author: Jessie Daye
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Cook 30 minutes
A colorful layer cake perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any celebration.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temp.
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs room temp.
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cup buttermilk room temp.
  • food coloring or gels

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and butter two 8" round cake pans or one large bundt cake pan by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing the sides. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream together butter, vegetable oil, and sugar until well-combined.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time and mix in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Slowly alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the creamed butter mixture, mixing until just combined each time. Do not overmix!
  6. Evenly divide batter into 6 different bowls. Add your food coloring to each bowl until you reach your desired color. Pour each layer into your prepared cake pans, starting with purple and layering in order of the rainbow. Do not stir it!
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes. When the cake is done, the surface should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs.
  8. Allow cakes to cool on a cooling rack. Once cooled, add desired vanilla frosting.

Notes

You can use half of the recipe to make a small version. You can also use one box of white cake mix instead of making from scratch.

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Hi, I'm Jessie. 

Mama to three girls and a lifelong creative who loves making everyday moments feel a little more special. Here, I share whimsical recipes, holiday inspiration, and creative projects designed to bring a little more joy to your day. I hope to inspire you to get creative, celebrate the little things, and make something beautiful. Welcome!

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