I was apprehensive when I first tried to prepare prime rib because it was expensive and I didn’t want to mess it up. Prime rib is quite simple to make, but a good thermometer is a need. The beef likely cost you more than $30. Save your money and, if you don’t already have one, spend an additional $25 on a reliable thermometer with a probe and an alarm. This recipe can be scaled by adhering to the temperature rule. Remove the bones from the bottom of the roast, and either serve them separately or store them for later. If preferred, cut the roast into slices and serve with creamy horseradish.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 5 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 1 3-layer cake |
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- red, yellow, and blue food coloring
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- orange, green, and purple food coloring
- 1 cup white corn syrup
- 2 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the sides of three 9-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper.
- Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Mix in vanilla extract. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 of buttermilk.
- Divide batter among 3 bowls. Tint one bowl red, one yellow, and one blue. Scrape each into one of the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Peel off parchment paper and let cool for 30 minutes before frosting.
- Beat unsalted butter and salt together in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in confectioners’ sugar alternately with cream, making 3 additions of sugar and 2 of cream. Mix in vanilla extract. Divide butter icing among 3 bowls. Tint one orange, one green, and the other purple.
- Place red cake layer on flat serving plate; spread top with orange icing. Top with yellow layer; spread green icing on top. Add the blue layer and cover it with purple icing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until icing is firm.
- Place corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until frothy in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Beat in the corn syrup in a thin, steady stream until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat and beat in vanilla. Top cake with fluffy icing.
- Use milk instead of cream if you like.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 590 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 87 g |
| Cholesterol | 113 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Sodium | 272 mg |
| Sugars | 59 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |