Somewhere over the rainbow: Rainbow Cake recipe

Baking has never been my forte. It's one of those past times which, if I'm being frank, is the bain of my life when I try and attempt it- exactly why I never do it.

So when I do bake something, and it actually turns out like what it's meant to, there's no chance I could miss the opportunity to scream, shout, and let it all out, about this once in a lifetime experience. Fancy impressing your family and friends with a show stopper even Mary and Paul would be proud of (if they were judging a child's baking competition that is), well then, this Rainbow Cake recipe is for you...

What you'll need for the cake mix:
The following ingredients create seven cake sponges (which need to be seperated out equally throughout the baking process)

• 437.5g butter (softened) with a little extra for greasing the tins
• 337.5g plain flour
• 525g golden caster sugar
• 11 medium eggs
• 3.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 3.5 tsp baking powder
• Edible food colouring in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink
• A few pinches of salt

And for the icing:

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 350g icing sugar
• 3 x 250g tubs cream cheese (or mascarpone)

Ready, set, bake!

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C and grease two 20cm round sandwich tins well. Pour all of the sponge cake ingredients, except from the food colouring, into a large mixing bowl. Beat the ingredients with an electric whisk until smooth. 

2.  As quickly as possible, weigh out half of the mixture into another bowl. Choose two of the colours and stir a little into each mix. You can add as much colouring in as you like - the more colour, the brighter the cake, and if you're anything like me you'll add lots!

Pour the different mixtures into the cake tins, spreading the mixes as smoothly as you can. Bake both cakes on the same oven shelf for 10 - 12 minutes (bake until you can poke a skewer into the middle  of the cake and it comes out clean).

3. Once the cakes are baked, gently turn the cakes out onto a wire rack, allowing them to cool. Next, thoroughly wash the cake tins and the bowls and start from step 1 all over again - using two different colours of course! Repeat one more time, and then use the final cake mix left over to create the last cake. Leave them to cool off.

4. Now on to the icing...

Briefly beat the vanilla extract and cream cheese with an electric whisk until smooth. Gently sift in the icing sugar, slowly folding in with a spatula (although I used a wooden spoon). It's important to be careful with the icing, as the more you work it, the runnier it will get!

5. Place a wee bit of icing on a plate, or a cake stand if you have one, to stick the first sponge too. Starting with the red sponge, spread icing all over it to the edge and repeat, sandwiching the other colours on top. Following a 'traditional' rainbow the next colour should be orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink to finish it off. Spread any remaining icing all over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle hundreds and thousands all over the cake to finish it off nicely. You can even add edible glitter if you're feeling adventurous!

6. Finally, slice, plate up, and devour. Job done.

  For Now...

Just Julia

CUP: Aberdeen

This Alice in wonderland meets pastels and porcelain little slice of girly heaven, is not your average tea room; taking you to a world so far away from reality, you'll forget you were ever in Aberdeen...

Established in 2013, this artisan tearoom has been one of my top places to grab a hot chocolate or a quick bite to eat for the past two years. Its reputation in Aberdeen proceeds itself and I would quite happily stay there all day accompanied by a good magazine or book in hand.

The attention to detail within the four walls of Aberdeen's cutest tearoom, CUP, is every Pintrest fans dream dining destination. From the stunning duck egg 'map of the world' blue wall, to the delicate salt and papers shakers, to the decorative teacups and saucers guests are treated to, and the exciting journey through an unknown world of mischief to the bathroom, this place truly is adorable.

Not only is the aesthetic and interior a huge talking point of the tearoom, the food and drinks selection is also deliciously divine, and in my opinion, the proof of the pudding for this quirky premises.            

I've visited this cute local establishment plenty of times, with many waffles and hot chocolates consumed, and I must confess, they have some of, if not the finest waffles I have tasted in the Granite City. The atmosphere is always buzzing in CUP (not dependent on how much coffee you drink), and whether you visit on a Wednesday morning or Saturday afternoon, this place is always busy.

Not only are the thatched delights (yes I'm referring to the waffles here) something I tend to waffle on about to friends, but the soup and sandwich menu is also very varied, offering a wide selection of tasty sandwiches to meet all preferences. What I love about the sandwich dishes is the healthy portion of crisps which comes on the side. The small taster of the soup of the day is also a nice touch. Although I've never experienced it yet, I've heard the all day breakfast is what dreams are made of. 

Another aspect to the tearoom which has always stuck with me, is the way they present their flavoured teas. Below, you can see my flavoured berry ice tea, with timers at the ready, to help me brew the perfect cup of tea. I'm not a coffee fan; the stuff really doesn't agree with me at all, so anytime I'm out and about I enjoy trying out new hot or cold beverages, which can tantalise my tastebuds and make my company jealous. I think CUP have nailed this in a oner with their iced teas and pink lemonade. This little fantasy world away from home is somewhere I urge every Aberdonian to try out, and if you're not a local get your ass to Aberdeen, trust me, it's totally worth it for the waffles alone.

  For now...

Just Julia

Have your CAKE and eat it

Recently I was presented with a gift soo gooey and delicious that if I hadn't have experienced it myself, I would never have believed something so divine could be delivered to my door in record time.

In the name of market research, I offered my tasting services to the lovely artisan cake shop, CAKE, providing them with my guinea pig ways to give them vital feedback on a new service they were to provide to the public, home delivery. 

Now I don't know about you but when Jen, the owner and pastry chef of CAKE, presented me with the opportunity of complimentary chocolate which would be delivered straight to my door (and most importantly would be home by the time I arrived back from work), was simply an opportunity I couldn't refuse.

CAKE, which is based in Aberdeen city centre, is a small artisan cake shop which prides itself on high quality, home-baked goodies. The ethos of the brand oozes Jen's obvious passion for baking, and it is extremely refreshing to see such raw talent catering for a wide audience, especially as she offers a scrumptious gluten-free range too.

I'm not going to lie, I've never been one to fuss over gluten-free products, however on this occasion, I was quite looking forward to sampling my first ever gluten-free brownies.

Only expecting one brownie in my mysterious box, I was pleasantly surprised by its size. Laying seductively on my bed, those brownies were ready for me to devour them. Opening the box I was presented with FOUR strategically placed brownies, hidden slightly by internal packaging, to ensure they would survive the journey.

Included were three different flavours; Chocolate orange, chocolate marshmallow and chocolate caramel, all gluten-free.

As expected, I couldn't bring myself to demolish all four brownies in one sitting. So one by one, throughout the week they quickly disappeared. On feasting, all of the brownies were moist on the inside and crisper on the outside, and extremely chocolatey - which is exactly how I like them. The marshmallows were gooey and the taste of orange was strong, yet not over-powering. I was surprised how well they kept due to the fact it took me a wee while to get through them, this told me a lot about their ingredients and packaging - high quality.

I am no brownie expert by any means, but in my eyes, they were very well baked, well packaged, and  were on my mind for days after consumption. The brownies are very rich and filling and one could easily be shared between two, not that I was going to share. CAKE really did hit the nail on the head with these bad boys. They have since then launched their Christmas cakes and have stocked up big time on their brandy. As far as quality and taste goes, Jen, keep doing what you're doing.
P.S. thanks for the brownies!

  For now...

Just Julia