Rainbow Cupcakes

Every St. Patrick’s Day I have some people over and we have a traditional Irish dinner…. corned beef, soda bread, stout, and some kind of funky dessert. I like the dessert to be a little silly, because after all, St. Patrick’s Day is about laughter and goofiness. In the past I’ve made a pistachio torte, lime tart, and even a shamrock-shaped cake. This year, I saw a link for these rainbow cupcakes (which really are meant for kids, but who cares) and decided to go for it.

As you can see, when you cut into them they really look like a rainbow. If you look close enough you can see each of the colors. I served these cut in half like this with a dollop of whipped cream. It was a hit! Besides that, they were a blast to do.

First, you need to make a regular old white cake mix. (I used the white mix from Aldi and it was delicious.) Then, you divide the batter among the bowls and dye it according to the instructions on the recipe. As you can see, I got the generic food coloring at Walmart. (Yes, frugal is my middle name!)

The whole dessert cost me $2 to make. I had feared that perhaps the cake would taste a little tart (like when you add too much food color to something) but it didn’t. When you get the batter dyed you add it layer by layer into cupcake papers. It’s a little putzy, mostly because you want to make sure you have the same amount in each one. Then, just bake and you’re done.

You could probably do a whole cake like this, but cupcakes are definitely easier. You could also vary the colors if you wanted. While this recipe is clearly for kids, I served it at a dinner party for adults. Don’t be afraid to get a little bit silly sometimes!