Rainbow Bundt Cake
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Posted: 02/21/24
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Cut open this delicious semi-homemade Bundt cake and find a fun rainbow inside! This Rainbow Bundt Cake is so fun to make and surprise people with. It’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, spring or a rainbow themed party.
From the outside, this bundt cake looks like a just that — a normal bundt cake. But slice into it and you’ll see a sweet surprise on the inside! Rainbow bundt cake is business on the outside, party on the inside. It’s like the bundt cake version of a mullet! This super fun recipe is just the coolest thing to serve at parties and make “just because” when you want an extra special treat.
Every time I make bundt cakes, I can’t help but think of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The scene with the bundt cake and the “there’s a hole in this cake” line crack me up every time! So adding something extra fun to the cake with a hole in it is even more exciting in and of itself. Once you try this rainbow bundt cake recipe, you’ll see what all the fun is about!
Why You’ll Love this Rainbow Bundt Cake
- It only takes 20 minutes to prep this cake! Then you just bake it and impatiently wait for it to cool. Frost it, slice it, and serve — then watch your guests oo and ah.
- While baking a cake from scratch is delicious, this recipe uses boxed cake mix and is still just as tasty. Super easy, less of a mess to clean up and it turns out perfectly moist and fluffy.
- You can make a bakery-quality dessert for a fraction of the cost. This fun treat is an affordable way to have a fun sweet treat.
Ingredients for the Rainbow Bundt Cake Recipe
- Pound cake mix – Grab your favorite brand of pound cake mix to make this recipe! Since the mix is specifically for a pound cake, your bundt cake will be a bit small. If you would like for your cake to be larger, feel free to double the recipe — just make sure you add extra bake time.
- Vanilla pudding mix – Not only does this add some flavor to the cake, but it helps to keep the cake moist too!
- Large eggs – Allow your eggs to come to room temperature before mixing them into the cake batter for ease of mixing.
- Half and half – You can use a mixture of heavy cream and milk if you don’t have half and half, and 2% milk will work too!
- Salted butter – I prefer to use salted butter in this easy rainbow bundt cake recipe, but unsalted butter will work as well. Just add a pinch of salt with unsalted butter.
- Food coloring – I used red, yellow, green, and purple but you can choose whichever colors of the rainbow that you want! We find that gel food coloring works the best.
- White vanilla frosting – Any color and any flavor of frosting will work, it doesn’t have to be white vanilla frosting. Just make sure that it is thin enough to drip down the sides of the cake for a cool effect.
Helpful Tools
How to Make a Rainbow Bundt Cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then start on the cake batter.
Beat together the pound cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, half and half and melted butter in a large bowl with hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together until thoroughly combined and the batter is thick.
Then remove 1/3 cup of the cake batter and place it into a separate mixing bowl. Add red food coloring and mix until you have the desired shade you want.
Repeat this process with yellow dye, green dye, and purple dye until all rainbow colors are complete.
Spray a bundt cake pan with cooking spray and then scoop 3/4 of the plain cake batter into the pan. Smooth it out gently with a silicone spatula.
Scoop the red cake batter into a piping bag or sandwich bag and cut off the tip. Pipe the red batter in a circle in the center of the plain batter. Then use a spoon or silicone spatula to spread out the red batter. Leave about 1/2 inch around the edges.
Repeat this process with each color until all have been added.
Take the remaining plain batter and gently scoop it on top of the colored batter. You can also use a piping bag to pipe it on.
Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes and then allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out onto your desired serving dish or cake platter or a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Once the rainbow bundt cake is fully cooled, mix together the frosting and half and half until it is a pourable consistency.
Pour the frosting glaze over the cake and let it slowly drip down. Top with rainbow sprinkles and serve!
How to Store Leftover Rainbow Bundt Cake
Store leftover rainbow cake at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, for up to 3 days.
FRIDGE: Extend the life of your cake by storing it in an airtight container or covered tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerating it.
FREEZER: You can freeze rainbow cake too! Wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What kind of bundt pan should I use?
No matter what bundt pan you use, make sure it is good quality! This easy rainbow bundt cake turns out best when I use a heavyweight, aluminum, bundt pan. If you don’t have a bundt pan, then try making this Rainbow Layered Cake instead.
Be sure to spray any pan well, and do it just before you add your cake batter. Don’t spray it early and let it sit, or the oil will run down and pool in the bottom of the pan.
Pro Tips for the Best Rainbow Bundt Cake Recipe
- I recommend piping the last layer of plain cake batter on top of the colors. It keeps the colors looking better and won’t smush them down.
- It is really important to let your cake fully cool before icing it. Make sure it is completely cool so that it doesn’t get too thin on top of the cake.
- You can totally change up the flavor of cake mix you use, the icing flavor, and the toppings!
This adorable rainbow bundt cake will come in handy when you need a fun and easy dessert to make!
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- Christmas Poke Cake is another super easy cake with an extra fun surprise on the inside!
- My favorite summer cake is this Strawberry Lemon Cake! So easy to make and so light and refreshing.
- Chocolate Sheet Cake may just be my favorite way to eat a chocolate cake.
- This Pineapple Cake is tart, sweet, and oh so delicious! You’ve gotta give it a try.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Rainbow Bundt Cake
A delicious Rainbow Bundt Cake that starts with a box of cake mix and ends in a fun rainbow inside when you cut it open!
Ingredients
- 16 ounce box pound cake mix
- 3.5 ounce vanilla pudding mix
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup half and half
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- 4 colors of food coloring I used red, yellow, green and purple
- ½ cup white frosting (premade in the tub)
- 2-4 Tablespoons half and half
- Rainbow sprinkles optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You will be using a bundt pan but will want to grease it just before pouring the cake into it so do not prepare it yet.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl use a hand or stand mixer on low to beat together the pound cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, half and half and melted butter just until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Beat the mixture for an additional 1-2 minutes or until it is a thick, light batter.
- Remove ½ cup of the batter and place it into a small mixing bowl and add red food coloring. Mix well until you have the shade of red you desire.
- Remove another ⅓ cup batter and do the same with the yellow food coloring.
- Remove ⅓ cup of batter, place in a small bowl and add the green coloring.
- Finally, remove one last ⅓ cup and add the purple coloring.
- Spray the bundt pan well with cooking oil and then scoop ¾ of the plain cake batter into the pan and gently even it out with a spatula or spoon.
- Place the red batter into a piping bag or disposable sandwich bag and cut off a small amount of the tip.
- Pipe the red batter in a circle in the center of the bundt pan. Use a spoon to gently spread it out, leaving an edge of about ½ an inch, between the red batter and the edge of the pan.
- Repeat the process with the yellow batter, using a spoon to spread it out but leaving a thin edge of the red showing.
- Repeat again with the green and then the purple batter. You should be able to see a little of every color and all of the purple batter.
- Gently scoop the remaining plain batter onto the top of the colored batter, or use another piping bag to pipe it on and spread it into an even layer with a spoon.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes and then turn it out, gently, onto a cake platter or serving plate.
- After the cake has cooled completely, about 45 minutes, mix together the frosting and half and half until you have a thick pourable glaze.
- Gently pour the glaze over the top center of the cooled cake and allow it to slowly drip down the cake.
- Serve garnished with rainbow sprinkles, optional.
Tips
FRIDGE: Extend the life of your cake by storing it in an airtight container or covered tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerating it.
FREEZER: You can freeze rainbow cake too! Wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1slice of cake, Calories: 277kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 46g (15%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 5g (31%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 43mg (14%), Sodium: 382mg (17%), Potassium: 61mg (2%), Fiber: 0.5g (2%), Sugar: 29g (32%), Vitamin A: 214IU (4%), Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 106mg (11%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
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