‘Rainbow Cake’ Articles at Sweetnicks

End-of-School Year Rainbow Cake Party {2013}

July 8, 2013 · Narrative

Every year, we change the Rainbow Cake Party in some way. Either adding or subtracting different types of food. Changing the guest list. The format. This is our fourth year doing it. The first two years, we did a party to celebrate both the End of School and the Beginning of School. Last year, I changed it to just the End of School, and did the same this year. Last year, the party was crazy. This year, it was crazy, but in a different way. After each one, the kids and I sit down and hash out what we liked, what we’d change, what are must-haves for the following year. Next year, I want to do something completely different.

I just haven’t figured out what.

In the meantime, some pictures?

Instead of doing a rainbow fruit platter, I did rainbow fruit kabobs. A little more time consuming, but way neater and slightly more fun? The only drawback is you will invariably get kids that don’t like every kind of fruit on the stick. And by kids, I mean Nick. And a few of the littles.

The week before, ok it was really the day before, when I was planning the menu, Madeline informed me that the rainbow chocolate covered Oreos are her favorite part of the food spread. So it’s a given that they will forever be on our menu (and for the record, Nick’s favorite part is the fruit, which is all sorts of awesome).

One of my friends offered to help on the day of the party, and being a seasoned hostess, I know better than to turn down any offers of help. And since I mostly didn’t start making anything before 11 pm the night before, the help was greatly appreciated.

I found these rainbow puff decorations at a party store a month or two ago. And then I promptly stashed them somewhere where I wouldn’t see them again until the morning of the party.

Yeah, that was a close one.

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End-of-School Rainbow Cake Party {2012}

July 12, 2012 · Narrative

So yeah, it’s that time again. A few weeks ago, we had our twice-annual Rainbow Cake Party, celebrating the end of another school year. I think we ended up with 10 kids and just as many adults. Only one child was in tears, which is an improvement from the last party. There were quite a few moments where you wouldn’t have even known that there were 10 kids in the house. I try to use those opportunities to convince Mystic that more kids would be good, but I have not been successful yet. Their ages ranged from 4 to 18, and surprisingly, even with that great a span, they all get along really well.

Nick and Madeline had just come back (the day before) from spending a week with their Dad. For a good several days after, Madeline was literally glued to my legs. I don’t think she realized quite how much she missed me until she came home. So that meant I had a lot of extra help in the kitchen prepping for the party. And it turns out, she is an expert at coloring the cookies, so she has found herself a new job for future rainbow cake parties.

Just go ahead and ignore the pile of (clean) laundry in the background. This is real life, not any fancy food styling photo. As if.

One of the guests colored the below picture for my fridge. Though I’m not sure who.

I think it should become the invite for September’s Back-to-School Rainbow Cake Party.

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Recipe: Marshmallow Frosting

July 7, 2011 · Narrative

When I was planning the desserts for our recent End-of-School Year Rainbow Cake party, I added cupcakes to the list because, truth be told, the rainbow cake is not the easiest thing to cut, and I would need at least two or three of them if everyone had a slice, so cupcakes are a perfect additional dessert. Last June, I made rainbow cupcakes, and loved them. The problem? They were just a little too labor intensive this go ’round since I had a long list of other things to make for the party as well.

What to do?

I remember seeing a picture somewhere of cupcakes that had a rainbow on top of them, using the Airheads candy as the rainbow. Brilliant! And super easy. Bonus? That I found packages of the Airheads in Target’s Dollar Spot the week before our party. Two packages were enough (with leftovers) for 36 cupcakes.

My cousin, Alexandra, was staying with us the party weekend, so I set her and Nick to work on making the frosting and putting together the cupcakes.

If you make these cupcakes, I have two notes for you. One, be careful if you’re using the frosting in warm weather because it gets real soft real quick. And two, the Airheads tend to be a little floppy. Originally we snipped the size we needed and inserted the ends into the frosting. Once I saw how floppy they were, for the remaining cupcakes, I made a small slit in the top of the cake and slid the end of the Airheads in for a little more stability. You may discover an even better way.

Beyond that, have at it! This frosting is super simple to make and perfect for fluffy white clouds on your rainbow cupcakes. Or any other cupcake or cake, for that matter. Enjoy!

July 7, 2011 – Bonus Photo

Spied a little glitter on my co-workers’ nails this morning – love this trend!

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Back-to-School Rainbow Cake Party and the Pajama Program

August 29, 2010 · Narrative

A little switch up from the usual Weekend Photos in Review to celebrate Rainbow Cake goodness!

How is it possible that we are already celebrating with our Back-to-School Rainbow Cake Party? It seems like just yesterday we were kicking off the summer with our End-of-School party! But it wasn’t. Reality sets in. It’s back to the books. But not without a little multi-colored madness to set us off on the right path first.

This time, I decided to do something a little different. When the invitations went out a few weeks ago, I asked guests to bring a pair of brand new kids’ pajamas, so we could pack up a box and ship them off to the Pajama Program. It’s a New York-based program that we support regularly, and I thought it would be a nice tie-in for our little party. “Danger season” is coming up, and with the temperatures starting to drop, warm toasty pajamas are needed now more than ever.

As the kids came over, we put all the pajamas in a box and I passed out coloring pages for them all to work on. As an aside, this web site is a great spot to find coloring pages — the wonderfully detailed pictures take up the whole page and they print without advertising and extra junk on it. I thought including coloring pages in the pajama box as a little something extra for the kids on the receiving end would be a nice small gesture.

The menu tonight was simple. Fresh fruit. Vegetable chips and dip. Honest Kids juice (love them!) and, of course, Rainbow Cake. This go ’round, I did the traditional six layer cake and then I also did a 9×13 cake pan as well. Although I loved the cupcakes I made back in June, I didn’t love the time they took. Too fiddly. This longer sized dish worked out beautifully. I just put one layer of batter on top of the other and baked it. It looks a little more tie-dyed than rainbow-like, but that’s ok.

Vegetable Chips …

Recipe: Lemony Egg Salad with Basil and Capers

August 19, 2010 · Narrative

A low-fat healthy lunch that is quick to make and full of flavor.

Lemony Egg Salad with Basil and Capers

I tend to have a very fickle relationship with egg salad. I probably last had it a good six months ago, if not longer. I like it just fine, but I don’t go looking for it very often. I need to be in the mood for it. Or, as the case may be today, be inspired by a recipe for it.

Do we really need a recipe for egg salad? No, not if we’re making the basic standard version. This is not that. This recipe for Lemony Egg Salad with Basil and Capers is one of those unique combinations that I never would have thought to put together. Lemon juice? Capers? With egg salad? But then you have it, and can’t imagine how you got by without it.

Between the creaminess of the egg salad, the slight sharp tang of the lemon juice, and the salty bite of the capers … it’s an unusual combination that just works. You’ll have to trust me.

The recipe only calls for a tablespoon of mayonnaise, and I used low fat since I’m not really eating mayonnaise these days. Served on a slice of dark toast, and a clean eating lunch doesn’t get much better … and simpler … than this.

Project 365
August 19, 2010, Photo #148

Rainbow Cake Party Invite

How is it possible that it’s already time to send out invites for our Annual Back-to-School Rainbow Cake party? It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the end of the school year, and here we are, ready to start a new year already. I’ve actually never sent out formal invitations, but I was inspired and wanted to do something a little different this time around. Let the fun begin!…

End of School Rainbow Cake 2010

June 21, 2010 · Narrative

A little switch-up tonight on picture topics. Friday was our Rainbow Cake party. Nine kids and six adults, though at point I might have lost track. It was happy craziness. There’s something about it being easier to handle a gaggle of kids versus one or two. They were in the backyard, the front yard, the living room, happy to be celebrating the end of another school year.

This time, I added Rainbow Cupcakes to the tradition, though I’m not sure they will continue. They are way more time consuming than the cake, because you’re making 24 little rainbows instead of just one. I made the cupcakes in the morning, before heading to Nick’s school for their class party. When I got there, the other Class Mom looked at me and started laughing.

“Cate, your face! What have you been doing?”

Ooops. Seems I had a little green dye on my nose. And my chin. And, of course, wiping it off with the stained fingers I knew I was already sporting didn’t help!

If you are lucky enough to have a Sous Chef like me, it’s best to keep her busy with other things that look like it’s the same thing you’re doing … but isn’t. This way she’s happy, and you’re happy. Happy, happy, happy. Look at those adorable little baby arm muscles. I just want to take a little bite of them.

Loved the cupcake wrapper – too pretty! A few of the girls even wanted to take the wrappers home.

Madeline, ok and maybe me too, tend to get the batter everywhere, but when clean-up looks like this, you can’t help but smile.

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Sleepover Food: Rainbow Pancakes

March 22, 2010 · Narrative

With our penchant for the occasional six-layer Rainbow Cake and fun Fourth of July cupcakes, it was only a matter of time before Rainbow Pancakes found their way into our kitchen. I saw them on Ohdeedoh (love that site!) by way of Amanda from I Am Mommy last month and made a mental note to make them. This past weekend, Nick had a sleepover and I thought it would be a perfect morning-after breakfast.

I didn’t tell the kids what I was doing, and as soon as they saw the pancakes, they were high-fiving each other and yelling “awesome!” Madeline took one look at them and said “party!” I don’t think I’ve heard her say the word party before, but love that she associated these with party. Happy pancakes.

Very simple to make and not time consuming at all. Maybe 20 minutes start to finish. With one batch of basic pancake batter, I was able to get three sets of rainbow pancakes made. Once you have your regular go-to pancake batter made, divide it into six little bowls. I don’t use regular food coloring. Like the Rainbow Cake, I use the coloring gel instead. A little goes a long way and you get more vibrant colors. You can get it from your local arts and crafts store (use those 40% off coupons that come out in Sunday’s paper). One little drop of food coloring in each bowl and away you go.

I got three pancakes made from each color. One suggestion, make the pancakes in the order of the colors of the rainbow, so when you’re stacking them, you’re doing them in order, without having random colored pancakes sitting on the counter while you wait to build the rainbow. Speaking of order, the table discussion during breakfast was that I had the order wrong. The kids swore it was green, blue, purple. I swore it was blue, green, purple. Leave it to me to debate with a couple of seven-year-olds. Turns out they were right. Now to reprogram my 39-year-old mind. If you do three pancakes from each color bowl, they will be smaller in size, so while the kids are eating six pancakes, they’re really more like three regular size pancakes.

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Saying Yes More and Cowardly Lion Cookies

November 2, 2009 · Narrative

Or the alternate title … creative uses for the Mini M&Ms in your kids’ trick-or-treat bags.

When it comes to being a parent, the word “no” freely flows out of your mouth without hesitation.

“Mom, can we…?”

No.

“Mom, can I…?”

No.

No. No. No.

It’s too late. We have things to do. That’s not what I planned. I don’t want to. The reasons are endless. Almost as endless as the questions coming from the kids. As a parent, we have a schedule (whether loose or tight) and a routine, and deviation from that could be disastrous. But what if …

What if we said “yes” more? “Yes” to a quick game of hide-and-seek even though dinner is nearly ready? “Yes” to one more book at storytime? “Yes” to the kids helping to make dinner? “Yes” to the kids emptying the dishwasher, even if things don’t end up in the right place?

I know I am just as guilty as the next parent. Nick usually wanders into the kitchen near dinnertime and wants to help. I’ve got everything under control and sometimes the help just isn’t, well, helpful. It slows things down. It changes the process. You know.

But I try. I try to say “yes” more. “Yes” when it’s really ok. When five minutes won’t make or break anything. When that little something extra makes a whole lotta difference. Just yes.

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Back to School Party

September 8, 2009 · Narrative

It was a semi-last minute idea, but I decided to have a small Back to School party for Nick. I quickly fired off an email to a few friends before I could change my mind and start to worry about all the boxes still left to unpack. Considering we only moved three weeks ago, I think the house is in pretty good shape … and what better way to kick it into high gear than to entertain?

While making an effort to keep the shindig small, I also wanted to keep it simple. There are still kitchen items I have yet to uncover, so I didn’t want to go crazy with an all-out affair. Definitely not ready for that yet. The first thing decided was dessert (but of course!). After all, if I think Rainbow Cake is the perfect way to end the school year, it stands to reason that it’s the perfect way to begin it as well, no? (Hence the pretty stack of dirty dishes in last night’s photo round-up) To both serve as an activity and make sure the kids had something fun to eat, I went with make-your-own pizzas for dinner. Menu aside, I think the biggest surprise for everyone was the fact that I don’t have a rolling pin. No, it’s not lost. Not still in an unpacked box. Just.don’t.have.one. When it comes to kitchen things, I don’t like having a lot of extra things in terms of tools, gadgets, machines and what-not. The main uses for a rolling pin (aside from the need for it last night with the pizza dough) is for making bread and rolling out cookie dough for cut-out cookies, neither of which I really do. A plastic cylindrical cup did the trick nicely for the pizza dough and was really easy for the kids to handle. A little tomato sauce, heaps of mozzarella and a smattering of mini pieces of pepperoni and into the oven it went. For the grown-ups, I made a version with pesto and fresh mozzarella from the farmer’s market. By the end of the night, every last speck was gone. My kind of clean-up!

I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that tomorrow Nick is heading off to the second grade. Where the heck did time go? I still remember when he took his first steps… it’s like the first picture of Madeline from last night’s post – all the sudden she doesn’t look like a baby anymore. They’re both growing up too fast! Someone actually asked me today when she is going to go to school – ack! I am all for savoring every little bit of their childhood as long as I possibly can.

These days, with everyone being more and more conscience of spending money, this Back to School party is the perfect way to entertain. Very easy, fun, ideal for the celebration and affordable. All told, between using what I had on hand, combined with a few simple things from the store, we fed four adults and 5 kids for under ten bucks. The kids had fun, the grown-ups got adult conversation and it was the perfect way to kick-off the new school year. Priceless.

Rainbow Cake Deconstructed

June 18, 2009 · Narrative

Whoa! My e-mail box overfloweth more than usual … all about the rainbow cake! I love that one too. Every time I look at it, it just puts a big smile on my face. How could it not with those bright, vibrant happy colors? So to answer the questions in one big swoop, here are a few notes:

* The cake recipe? Two boxes of white cake mix. Total cheat city. But you know what? That’s ok. With this type of cake, where there are other details and things to take care of, I think it’s perfectly fine to cheat. I happened to use Pillsbury (with pudding in the mix), but am sure any would do, as would a cake from scratch, of course.

* Follow the directions on the cake mix, mixing the two boxes and associated ingredients together in one big bowl. Divide the batter amongst six bowls so you can color the batter.

* Now for the color. For these vibrant colors, you can’t use regular food coloring because it produces more pale colors. You need icing color, which is much more concentrated (Wilton makes some, for example). You need lots less and it goes far. You can find it in cake decorating aisles of stores like Michael’s and AC Moore (usually sold in a small box of 8-10 small containers of different colors). You really need just a speck or two of the color in each bowl. Add more as desired to get the shade you want.

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Rainbow Cake

June 17, 2009 · Narrative

“Whoa, Mom, that is totally going to fall over.”

That is definitely not what I want to hear as I’m attempting to frost a six layer cake.

Unfortunately, Nick was right. It had a serious lean. I tried to fix it as best as I could before frosting it, to no avail. I held my breath as I cut the slices, hoping I could get enough cut before the Leaning Tower of Rainbow Cake fell. As soon as I cut the first slice, I might have gasped. In fact, I’m fairly certain I did. It’s just so darn pretty inside, it’s hard not to. I think this might be my favorite “kid item” that I’ve made so far. I totally love it.

When I first saw the rainbow cake a few months ago, I knew I wanted to make it to celebrate the end of the school year. Nick’s last day of first grade is tomorrow – I can’t believe he’s going to be a second grader already! He has worked really hard this year, particularly the second half, applying himself to math, slowing down while doing his work and on making his handwriting neater. I wanted to end the year in a special way, and this cake was the perfect way to do it.

Truth be told, it’s easy to make, just a little time consuming. I made the layers last night, and put it together tonight before dinner. Every time Nick was in the kitchen, he asked me what the layers were for. I told him it was a surprise and he would see what it was when he needed to. I’m all about a need-to-know basis these days. When I told the babysitter yesterday what I was making, she said, “oh, ok.” I told her later that she did not show the appropriate level of enthusiasm for such an undertaking, kidding, of course. I think she just didn’t know exactly what I was up to. But when she saw the layers today, she got excited about it. This time at the appropriate level. :) “You’re such a fun mom,” she said. I try!

I’m a big fan of tradition. New ones. Old ones. Fun ones. Stuffy ones. I’m pretty sure we may have just found a new tradition to celebrate the end-of-school every year, and hearing the shouts of glee from Nick and The Girlfriend tonight when they first saw the cake pretty much sealed the deal.

Coincidentally, the cake just happens to match Nick’s t-shirt.

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