A Brief History of the Rainbow Cake

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high - there’s a land that we’ve heard of once in a lullaby; a land full of beautiful rainbows, filled with sugar, and cream coloured skies. This land made of colours and dreams is where we’re transported to with just a slice or a simple sight of one of the most iconic cakes today - the rainbow cake. Where does this cake with layers of colour and magic come from? Today, we’re here to share the magic of one of our favourite cakes with you. 

To understand the history of this beautifully baked delight, we’re going to have to start from the beginning. The history of cake decoration goes back to the mid 17th century, when the masters of culinology and desserts - the French, started to get creative with their sugary confections. Deserts were first introduced as a separate course at this time - and thus, started to become more elaborate and visually appealing, especially for wealthy guests at fancy restaurants, banquets and dinner gatherings. 

As the years went by, culinary schools started specializing in dessert decoration, teaching the art of beautiful cakes to budding patissiers, and cook books specifically written on the art of cake decorating and confections revolutionized the world of desserts forever. Over the years, cake decorations went from simple cream flourishes and fondant art to towers of sugar and cream that could resemble architecture, magical creatures and even human beings, with intricate mechanics and moving parts, and bursts of colour layered upon one another.

The rainbow cake found its humble beginnings in the sentimental story of Kaithlin Flannery and her friend. Kaithlin, a passionate baker, writer and friend decided to do something special for her friend who was about to move cities to make her farewell a truly memorable one. What better way to do that than to honor everything her friend loved? Rainbows, colour and a whole lot of sugar! This idea sparked an experiment and eventually created the iconic rainbow cake that we know and love today - with layers of beautiful colours and a burst of sugar to brighten up her friend’s day.

After a successful farewell surprise, Kaithlin saw how popular her cake was amongst her friend group and decided to share her colourful creation on her blog, what she didn’t anticipate - was exactly how popular her sugary sweet invention was about to become. Kaithlin’s cake became a sensation over the internet, with people all over the world admiring her marvelous cake all around the globe - even culinary queen Martha Stewart ended up inviting Kaithlin onto her TV show to share her story and recipe!