The Clever Rainbow Buttercream Hack You Need To Start Using
We don't know about you, but we're seeing rainbows everywhere these days: in the sky, on flags, and, dearest to our heart, desserts and other baked treats. Rainbow-themed desserts have earned their stripes as a trend that's here to stay (per 12 Tomatoes and Food Network). The vibrant sweets have surfaced in new and creative ways on social media platforms like Tik Tok (where a rainbow dessert pizza has even gotten some play, per Delishably).
There is something about a multi-colored glow that really appeals to both our inner child and our full-grown creative side. Whether that rainbow is full of bold primary colors or the softer hues reminiscent of sidewalk chalk or a mermaid's tail, rainbows really speak to us before we sink our teeth into them. But aficionados of rainbow baked goods (especially ones with frosting) know that all that color comes at a price. When you're done decorating your beautiful treats there is still a lot to do — like washing all those bowls.
Anyone who's ever painted knows the hassle of dealing with the clean-up, and anyone who's ever baked knows the allure of the one-bowl recipe. Enter the rainbow buttercream hack of your dreams, ready to bring your colorful fantasies to life without dooming you to spend the rest of your life at the sink. The best part? It channels the artist within.
One bowl to rule the world
Executing a rainbow-frosted confection involves a steady hand and a stream of colors, typically six: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. In order to pipe your frosting properly, you need to mix each color separately (usually, in 6 different bowls) and then add it to a pastry bag fitted with a tip (per Mom Loves Baking). But per Kitchn, Gianna Thompson of G Baby Cakes was getting a little tired of the bowl drudgery this created. She pioneered another, better method on her Instagram. Instead of mixing each color separately, by dyeing the frosting in the proper order, you can mix everything in just one bowl. This is no magic bowl, either; you are simply utilizing color theory and the right pigments to your advantage, incorporating the remnants of one color as part of the next. The order of colors is essential, of course: you must mix in this sequence: yellow, orange, red, green, blue, and finally purple.
Thompson adds all the different colors to just one pastry bag for a multi-hued bit of frosting in every bite, That means her method requires just one bowl and one bag (plus a bit of plastic wrap to get those colors from a to b without getting mixed up). All in all, her hack is a liberating and glorious sight for sore eyes — and tired hands.