Rainbow Piñata Cake

Rainbow Piñata Cake

This is one of those cakes that makes everyone in the room go absolutely wild the moment you cut into it. We're talking six layers of rainbow-coloured sponge hidden inside a gorgeous frosted cake, with sweets tumbling out of the middle like a proper party moment. We love making this for birthdays, celebrations, or honestly any occasion that deserves a bit of drama. The sponge is light and fluffy, the frosting is rich and creamy, and the whole thing looks like it came from a fancy bakery even though you made it yourself. Trust us, the look on people's faces when you slice into this makes every minute of effort completely worth it.

Cook: 115 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • 6x20cm cake tins greased & lined with baking paper
  • Stand mixer with mixing jug
  • 6 mixing bowls
  • Cake stand (spinning)
  • Cookie cutter
  • Chill cake in fridge for 30 minutes
  • Chill ganache in fridge for 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp vanilla essence
  • 300g plain flour
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 180ml sunflower oil
  • 420ml soy milk mixed with 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 6 ½ tsp food colouring in different colours
  • 1 tbsp vanilla essence
  • 180g plant-based butter
  • 180g plant-based shortening (aka Trex)
  • 720g icing sugar
  • 15g coconut oil melted
  • 30ml agave syrup
  • 15g cocoa powder
  • plant-based sweets
  • plant-based sweets

Method

1

First, make the cakes

  • Sift the flour, caster sugar, raising agents and salt into the food mixer jug, put the jug on the mixer and turn it on
  • Pour the vegetable oil, soy milk with white wine vinegar and vanilla extract into the mixer and mix it until you have a good batter
  • Pour equal amounts of the mixture into 6 separate mixing bowls
  • Mix the 6 food colourings into the 6 separate bowls to create coloured cake mixture
2

Then, bake the cakes

  • Pour the mixtures into 6 separate cake tins and bake the cakes for 180℃ for 25 minutes (it could be wise to bake two at a time so you get an even bake as oven temperatures vary from shelf to shelf)
  • Take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool down to room temperature
3

Then, make the icing

  • Put the dairy free butter and the shortening into the mixer and mix them together until you have a thick, even cream
  • Pour the rest of the ingredients into the mixer and whizz them together until you have a nice, thick icing.
  • Put the first cake on the spinning cake stand and use a cookie cutter to cut out a hole in the middle of the cake.
  • Cover the top of the sandwich with a layer of the icing sugar.
  • Put the second cake on top of the first and then repeat the process until all the cakes, apart from the top layer, are stacked on top of each other with icing in-between the cakes.
4

Next, hide the sweets in the cake and ice

  • Pour loads of sweets into the hole in the middle of the cake (make sure it’s full of sweets)
  • Spread icing over the top of the cake and put the last layer of cake on top
  • Ice the whole cake, making sure you ice the sides slightly so you can see the colours of the cake popping through
  • Put the cake in the fridge for around 30 minutes
5

Then make the ganache, decorate and serve!

  • Mix the ganache ingredients together in a mixing bowl so you have a nice thick creamy sauce
  • Pour the ganache into the middle of the top of the cake and very carefully spread it to the edges of the cake
  • Very carefully spread the ganache off the sides of the cake so it dribbles down the sides (be careful here - less is more in this instance)
  • Sprinkle sweets all over the top of the cake and put it into the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up the ganache
  • Take the cake out of the fridge and cut it carefully - be sure to get your phone ready because it’s going to be VERY instagramable

Tips & Variations

  • Colour intensity matters: Use gel food colouring rather than liquid if you can. The colours come out so much more vivid and you won't throw off the consistency of the batter.
  • Get your layers even: We weigh the batter into each bowl rather than just eyeballing it. It takes an extra two minutes and makes the finished cake look so much more professional.
  • The piñata filling: Load the hidden centre cavity with whatever sweets you fancy. Mini marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate buttons, all fair game. The more the better honestly.

Why This Works

The trick here is getting the batter split evenly across all six bowls so each coloured layer bakes up the same thickness. We also add white wine vinegar to the soy milk to make a quick vegan buttermilk, and that's what gives the sponge its lovely soft, tender crumb. Don't rush the layering either, make sure each cake is fully cooled before you stack and frost or the whole thing will slide around on you.