Rainbow Cake for Little Leprechauns

I have these times where I feel like all I say is "no" to my kids.  It's not that I'm particularly mean or contrary, it's just that they ask me things like this:

Can we have candy for breakfast?
Can I wear pajamas to the store?
Can I skip brushing my teeth and washing my hands?
Can I drive the car?  Okay, then sit in the front without a car seat? Pour water on my sister? Give the baby some candy?  Drink a soda? Give the baby a soda?

You get the gist.  So, every now and then when it's not convenient or exactly how I had planned, I just have to say yes.  Like today:  I took all three girls to the grocery store, Target, on a bike ride and to the park.   Before noon.  Then I come home, put the baby down for a nap, start making lunch and planning how I can get the big girls to do something quietly so I can sit down and grade the last 15 papers and they ask me, "Can we please make that rainbow cake now?"

Yes.

It was worth it - they loved using food coloring and making the colored layers and I frosted and assembled it later without them so that when I cut into it to make the first slice they were awestruck.  And, shortly after, running around like leprechauns happy from the sugar high.

This rainbow cake was inspired by the rainbow cupcakes I once attempted and the new cake pans I got with a birthday gift card to Sur La Table (Thanks K & S!).  I made Little's birthday cake in the pans and was wanting to try something else.  Here's what the cake pans look like:  At 6 inches, they make the perfect little cake and the bonus is that one boxed cake mix works to fill all 5 pans.

Rainbow Cake (makes 1 6 inch round, 5 layer cake)

White cake mix
White frosting
Food coloring

Make the white cake batter according to package instructions.  Evenly divide the batter into 5 small bowls (I used a kitchen scale).  Using your food coloring, dye the batter 5 different colors.  We used 10 drops of food coloring for the red, green, blue, and yellow and then 7 drops yellow and 3 drops red to make orange.

Pour the batter into greased cake pans and bake for 14-17 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes, turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.  Layer and frost the cake.  Prepare to amaze your friends and leprechauns!  (One note:  While one box of white cake mix was enough, one can of prepared frosting was not . . . buy 2!)