Divide the cake batter into separate bowls, one for each color you want to use. Add the dyes to each bowl as appropriate and make sure they’re each well-mixed. Keep in mind that the colors will often intensify when baked.

Then, using spoons for each color, drop spoonfuls one at a time of random colors into the prepared cake pan. Think about the layering vertically and how you’d like those colors to show. For the cow cake I left it with just blocks of chocolate and vanilla, and did not swirl it. It depends on the effect you want.

If it is a very deep pan, then pause when you’ve got half the batter in and use a clean spoon to gently swirl the colors together a little. Be subtle, go slow, and stir very modestly lest it mix together into mud. But you’ll see the swirly pattern showing up. Then fill up the rest of the batter in this one-colored-spoonful at a time way, and do some more gentle swirling. Move the spoon up and down as well as just around, to get some vertical swirls as well. Touch the sides of the pans occasionally. After you’ve done this a couple times you’ll learn what techniques work for you.

Then, baked as usual! I always trim the whole outer ’skin’ of the cake so there’s no browned layer. Then when to slice the layers for the cake, mix up their order - even turn some upside down. It adds extra randomization for when the cake is finished and cut into. I usually pay attention to where colors are so I can avoid large patches of the same color on several layers.

You can even do this to marble flavors, like chocolate and raspberry cake, or orange and vanilla cake! Options are limitless. Enjoy! Post up the link to whatever you make, I’d love to see it!

The rainbow explosion inside was perfect, the birthday boy was trying to figure out how it was done.

Thanks for the great cake!
loved it.