The Italian bakery cookie’s iconic almond flavor and colorful stripes are on display in this giant-sized twist on the dessert. Store-bought almond pastry filling takes the place of almond paste here, offering extra richness and a superbly moist texture.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- One 12-ounce can almond cake and pastry filling, such as Solo brand (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon green liquid food coloring
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow liquid food coloring
- 1/4 teaspoon red liquid food coloring
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry or apricot jam
Instructions
- Make the ganache: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over the chocolate. Shake the bowl so the chocolate is fully submerged in the cream, then let stand 1 minute. Using a small rubber spatula, slowly stir the chocolate and cream in the center of the bowl until it forms a shiny, smooth ganache. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and let stand in a cool place in your kitchen until it is thick like pudding, but still pourable and spreadable, up to 2 hours. (See Cook’s Note about timing.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut three 8-inch circles out of parchment paper. Using 2 tablespoons butter, grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Combine the sugar and remaining 14 tablespoons butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the almond filling, lemon juice and almond and vanilla extracts and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture, then stir with a rubber spatula until the batter is combined.
- Divide the batter equally among 3 bowls. Add the green, yellow and red food colorings to the batter in their separate bowls, then stir the colorings. Scrape each batter into a prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula or rubber spatula. Bake until the cakes are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, 20 minutes.
- Transfer the cake pans to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the cake pans and discard the parchment paper rounds. Let the cakes cool completely, about 30 minutes. Flip the cakes right-side up and trim the top of each cake with a serrated knife so that it is flat, if necessary.
- Place the green cake on a cake stand and spread 1/4 cup jam evenly over the top. Place the yellow cake over the green and spread the remaining 1/4 cup jam evenly over the top. Place the pink layer on top, then loosely wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Unwrap the cake and scrape the ganache on top (the ganache will be the consistency of thick pudding). Using an offset spatula, spread the ganache evenly over the side and top of the cake, leaving a slightly thicker layer on top. Once the ganache is smooth all around, drag the tines of a fork in a wavy pattern across the top of the entire cake. Refrigerate the cake to set the ganache, about 30 minutes. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 609 |
| Total Fat | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 58 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 36 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 126 mg |
| Sodium | 282 mg |
Reviews
Hi! Can you make this in 9 inch pans? Anyone tired this and have feedback? Thank you in advance!!
I made this for a friend we had a piece at a restaurant near my home. I was concerned because the layers didn’t seem to rise a lot but after the cake was put together and cur it was beautiful. And delicious! This is one I will definitely make again!
I made this for the family and got a thumbs up from everyone. Like the rainbow cookies, this cake is dense. There is no baking powder, so it won’t rise much. So like the other comments, don’t expect your cake to rise much. The only change I made was whipping the chocolate ganache so it’s a fluffier frosting, Being a big fan of the rainbow cookies, I would still prefer to eat the cookies if given a choice between the two. However, this recipe is still a keeper, and I will still make this for the family.
This cake is delicious! My son-in-law loves the Italian cookies and this cake made him HAPPY!
My husband stumbled across a can of the almond paste and brought it home so I tried to make this cake again. It has turned out the same as last year. The batter is so sticky and very hard to spread in the pans. The cake is dense and hasn’t risen much and is as flat as a pancake. I thought I screwed something up last year but I followed the recipe exactly again and I have the same results. It tastes good but I won’t make it again. It doesn’t even look like a cake. I have to wonder if its the “softening” of the butter. My butter was spreadable “soft” but not super soft and creamy, room temperature in December not July. I wonder if that’s why it makes such a dense flat cake? Hope this helps someone.
Amazing! This was so incredibly delicious and close to the rainbow cookie taste. Followed the directions exactly.
I couldn’t have been happier with how this cake turned out!! I’m by no means a baker and an even worse cook and this recipe was so easy to make!! The amount of cake you get for the price is unbeatable. This cake would easily be $60-$70 in bakeries by me. I’m in charge of the cake at future gatherings and I don’t mind at all!
We love the Italian triple layer cookies and this cake came close. I will definitely make it again but next time using semisweet chocolate. The bittersweet chocolate is too bitter. I do use it when I make the cookies but here the frosting is too thick. If you choose to make it as the recipe reads space the frosting out over tops and sides.
Awesome flavor. I was worried about texture as the cake itself didn’t really rise much in the oven. Tasted great and will make again for sure!
This cake was beautiful and delectable. It is a keeper. I used raspberry jam, but I think it would be better with apricot. Also, I would use just a quarter teaspoon of salt in the ganache.