Somewhere over the....

Have you ever wondered what's really at the end of a rainbow? Or if it's even possible to FIND the end? My inner child still hopes that one day I'll find it with a pot of gold...and maybe a leprechaun. Or perhaps all of that in a field full of four-leaf clovers. Hey, a girl can dream.

In the meantime, lets capture the magic of a rainbow and put it in a cupcake. These cupcakes also happen to be gluten-free and vegan with vegan buttercream icing. So really, magical. Here's the end result:

The cupcakes you see here were for a taste testing. They are various icing designs so the recipient could choose their favorite.  Yellow sunshine on rainbow cupcakes if you would :)

Rather than just posting pics of this design, I'll share how you can make your own.  It's a little time-consuming, but the end result is pretty nifty. So let's go!

1. Prepare your cake batter per recipe directions.  You'll want to use a vanilla or lightly colored cake batter so the rainbow colors aren't altered in any way.
2. Evenly divide your batter between 5 bowls. You can do more if you truly want ALL of the colors of a rainbow, but I didn't think it was necessary.
3. Place a few drops of gel coloring into each bowl and mix until desired color is attained. It should look like this:

 

Now it's time to start layering each color.  

        4.   Line each baking cup with paper liners and lightly spray with cooking spray 

              so they release easily after they're baked.  Then, start the layers by placing about 

              one tablespoon of red batter into each baking cup.  Carefully spread the batter 

              around the bottom of the baking cup to ensure an even layer.  

        5.   Repeat this process with all other colors, working with one color at a time.  The order of 

              a rainbow's colors:  Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet.  (Roy G. Biv) 

              Well, we're not using all of the colors, so really ours is Roy G B....but that doesn't 

              have the same ring to it.

As you're layering, this is what you will see:

**Note:  Be VERY careful when you're spreading each layer.  You don't want the colors to mix together.

Ok so I fibbed.  I used a total of 6 colors.  The little blob you see on top is purple.  However, I think it would look just as good without the violet/purple on top.

Careful not to over-fill the liners.  They should still be 3/4 full for regular cupcakes (these were gluten-free and don't rise as much, so they're a little more full.

End result:

Ta-daa!!  So there you have it.  Rainbow cupcakes.  Sorry I don't have a picture of the inside of the cupcake.  Trust me, they looked really cool!

Have fun creating your own! And be sure to look for the pot of gold that's supposed to travel with the rainbow.  That thing's gotta be around here somewhere....