Over the Rainbow Bundt Cake

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  After some house cleaning and sewing  (I'll show you tomorrow what I'm making!), today became a marathon of baking and cooking--starting with this Rainbow Bundt Cake.

I love rainbows; their vibrant colors taught me the colour wheel.  I photographed these last summer~

My mom always had crystals hanging in her kitchen window and I do too so I can catch rainbows on my walls.  That's what inspired me today.

RAINBOW BUNDT CAKE
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest and juice of one Lime
2 3/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Gel food colors (you will need Red, Yellow & Blue)
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 T very hot water
1 T Light Karo Syrup

Sparkling Sugar in Red, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Purple, Green

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Spray a bundt pan with a baking spray; I used a new "Blossom" bundt pan.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Add the lime zest, juice and vanilla and mix again.  Don't worry if the batter looks a little "curdled."

 Whisk together the dry ingredients and add them alternatively with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat 1 minute more.

Use a large scoop to place 3 scoops of the plain batter in the bundt pan.

In a separate small bowl, add 1 scoop of batter and tint with red gel.  Use a small rubber spatula and scrape the red batter in between. Add more batter to the same bowl and tint with yellow and a little red to make orange.  Scrape that into the pan.

Clean the bowl and add a scoop of batter, tint yellow and add to the pan.  Then, use a knife and "marble" the colors.

Add 3 scoops of plain batter on top, then, start the process by mixing blue gel into 1 scoop of batter. Add a scoop of plain to the bowl you mixed the blue in; add yellow and a 1 or 2 drops of blue to make green.  Clean bowl.  Add a scoop of plain batter, mix 2 blue and 1 red to make purple.  Use the knife to marble.

 Add the remaining plain batter and smooth the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes until golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out cleanly.

Let rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert on a serving platter.  Cool completely.

I tucked some wax paper under the cake so the platter would stay nice.  After mixing the glaze, I place it in a squeeze bottle so I could decorate the "petals".  Glaze, then sprinkle with sparkling sugars in the color of the rainbow.

When I skyped with my grandson this afternoon, I showed him the cake and he said, "Mimi, save me some!"  Well, it looks like we have another rainbow hunter in the family:-D

Then I made my Savory Soda Bread today with a little change.  I found this unusual cheese at Costco--it's a mixture of three cheddars--Whiskey flavored, Beer flavored, and Cheddar. The colors of the Irish flag.

Substituting this for the regular cheddar made for a very colorful bread to go with our soup.

I also made~
Kale Chips
3 bunches of curly Kale, washed and remove water in a salad spinner
Use a paring knife to remove the hard stem then, dry in a towel.   Place the kale in a large bowl.
Sprinkle with 2 T olive oil and toss with your hands.
Mix 3 T Vermont Cheddar Cheese Powder with 2 T Parmesan Cheese. Add 1/4 tsp. garlic powder.  Sprinkle over the kale and toss once again with your hands.

Place kale on two parchment paper-lined baking sheets and place in a preheated 225F-degree oven.  The chips will bake about 45 minutes, but check on them every 15 minutes, using tongs to stir.

They were particularly yummy in our soup~Potato/Leek/Corn Chowder.

I'm completely exhausted and still have a ton of work to do.  I hope you all had a wonderful day, full of good food, family, and friends. Enjoy!