Rainbow Meringues

More About This Recipe

• This beautiful birthday cake by Fork to Belly inspired me to make this pink velvet cake with rainbow meringues. I’ve been somewhat obsessed with meringues lately, so this idea to use them as cake toppers tapped right into that preoccupation. Plus, rainbow. Plus, pink velvet cake. So the whole combination is like riding a unicorn. “Pink velvet cake” is a bit of a diversion from traditional red velvet cake. Red velvet cake dates to the 18th century when bakers added cornstarch and cocoa powder to cakes to make a finer textured cake. Red velvet cake contains vinegar and buttermilk to bring out the “red” in the cocoa powder. (The reason red food coloring is added, by the way, is thanks to Texan John A. Adams, owner of the Adams Extract Company, who wanted to sell more food coloring. During the Great Depression era, his company offered recipes with their products, including a red cake.) Some believe the increased popularity of red velvet cake in the States in the last couple decades is thanks to the groom’s armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias. Admittedly, I remember that cake well, and it’s the first I ever heard of red velvet, so I’m a believer. While cousin to red velvet, “Pink velvet cake” is more akin to “white velvet cake,” which is light and buttery. And of course, it doesn’t contain the signature cocoa powder. So here, I’m turning cake mix into a combination of all the velvets to create a smooth, rich cake. Really, it’s pretty much cake dyed pink. Before we make the cake, let’s take care of the rainbow meringue toppers, which can be made the day before. As beautiful as they are, they are surprisingly easy to make. Here, I halve the recipe I used for the melting snowman meringue cookies, since we don’t need that many meringues. And there will still be plenty of extra for you to enjoy. To make the cake, preheat the oven and follow the instructions on the box of Betty Crocker cake mix, but substitute buttermilk for the water. Choosing the White Cake mix would be closer to true white velvet and would make a prettier pink, but I prefer yellow cake, so I’m using the Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Yellow Cake Mix. Mix the cake mix, cup of buttermilk, half cup of vegetable oil and three eggs according to the directions. Stir in a few drops of pink gel paste food coloring, adding more drops as needed until you reach the desired shade. Pour into your greased and floured baking pans and bake according to the package directions. Here, I used three six-inch pans because I wanted a tall cake. But the standard pair of nine-inch pans would work beautifully. Let the cakes cool. Frost the cakes with vanilla Betty Crocker frosting. Top with your rainbow meringues. Go share with unicorns. If you're not into pink cake, feel free to add your pretty rainbow meringues to any cake or dessert you want!