Italian Rainbow Cookie Cake

By francesn

This fun cake can be customized to whatever event you're celebrating. Think shades of green for St. Patrick's Day or pastel colors for Easter.

Ingredients

• GANACHE:
• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 12 ounces of almond paste, grated with a box grater
• 1 tablespoon pure almond extract
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• red food coloring
• green food coloring
• yellow food coloring
• 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounce semisweet chocolate

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 150mins

Preparation

Step 1

Special equipment: Three 9" round pans, buttered and floured, with a circle of parchment paper on the bottom
makes one 9" round layer cake

In the base of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. About 5 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat for 3 more minutes. Add the grated almond paste, almond extract, and milk, and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder then slowly add to the almond paste batter and mix until combined.

Separate the mixture evenly into three bowls. Dye each bowl a different shade (one green, one yellow, one red).

Pour each color of the mixture into individual pans making sure to smooth out the top. Bake at 350°F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache by heating 1 cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan just until bubbles start to form around the edge. Turn off the heat and pour over the chocolate in a large bowl. Stir continuously until melted completely and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

Use a spoon to pour the ganache over the cake, using an offset spatula to even the sides and make sure the cake is completely covered. Use as much ganache as you need. Let sit at room temperature in a cool spot for 1 to 2 hours until completely set. Decorate the cake as desired (optional).