Rainbow Layer Cake – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 175°C (345°F) and grease 3 round pans.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Whip the soft butter with the sugar, until pale and fluffy.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Cream the butter soft, at room temperature: cold butter doesn't take in air, and melted butter doesn't hold it.
3. 3
   Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until absorbed.

   💡One egg at a time, and only when the previous one is absorbed: that way the emulsion holds and the batter doesn't split into curds.
4. 4
   Add the vanilla and mix.
5. 5
   Add the flour and baking powder alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour, and Fold gently, just until no dry flour remains.

   ⚙ FoldingSilicone spatula

   💡Fold with a spatula, in broad strokes from the bottom up, and stop when there's no dry flour: vigorous mixing of a batter with flour develops gluten.
6. 6
   Divide the batter among 6 bowls, tint each with a different food coloring and pour each color into the pan.

   BowlRound pan
7. 7
   Bake each layer separately 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 8
   Whip the soft butter on its own, until fluffy and pale.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Room-temperature butter whips into a smooth cream: cold butter stays lumpy, and melted butter won't hold the air.
9. 9
   Add the powdered sugar in two or three additions, then the milk and vanilla, and keep whipping until the cream is smooth.

   Hand mixerorStand mixer
10. 10
    Let the layers cool completely and stack them, with a layer of cream between each two. Cover the whole outside of the cake with the rest of the cream.

    Offset spatula