These magical recipes include rainbow desserts, pots of gold, shamrock sweets, and enough green treats to keep you from getting pinched! You’re guaranteed to find a recipe you’ll love to complete your St. Patrick’s Day menu.

Rainbow Desserts for St. Patrick’s Day

Pot of Gold St. Patrick’s Day Cake Cups

Find the magic at the end of the rainbow with these Pot of Gold Cake Cups! These dessert cups are served in mini black kettles, filled with cake cubes and frosting, and decorated with gold sprinkles and buttercream rainbows. Since the decorations are the star, you can use a cake mix to make this even easier.

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Frosting

This swirled rainbow frosting adds a bright, cheerful pop of color to all kinds of St Patrick's Day desserts. It’s perfect for birthday cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookie sandwiches, and so much more.

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Cake with Rainbow Frosting

This gorgeous Rainbow Cake has a surprise inside! The fluffy white cloud-like meringue frosting, made with egg whites, hides bright stripes of rainbow buttercream frosting. Make it for a special birthday, party, or St. Patrick’s Day!

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Mousse Cake

The only thing luckier than a four-leaf clover? This Rainbow Mousse Cake, with seven gorgeous layers of cake and mousse in vibrant, fruity flavors. This rainbow cake recipe is a festive desert that's perfect for a St. Patrick's Day party or any celebration!

Get the recipe!

Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake

If you’re looking for an over-the-top St. Patrick's Day celebration cake, this Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake is your new good luck charm. It features eight layers of lemon cake, seven layers of rainbow frosting, and one incredible assortment of edible golden goodies.

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Cake Push-Up Pops

Rainbow Cake Push-Up Pops are bright, cheerful, and a fun twist on the usual cake and buttercream. Layers of rainbow cake and vanilla frosting are served in push-up pop containers. They're small, single-serving, and portable, perfect for parties!

Get the recipe!

Buttercream Rainbows

Give your desserts a splash of color with these 3-D Buttercream Rainbows! These fun frosting rainbow toppers are surprisingly easy to make, and they look SO fun on top of cakes and rainbow cupcakes.

Get the recipe!

Fondant Rainbow

Want to make a rainbow cake? Then you might want a rainbow cake topper as well! This homemade fondant decoration is easy, bright, colorful, and such a fun idea! Make it for parties, St. Patrick’s Day, or a rainbow party!

Get the recipe!

Fun Green Treats for St. Patrick’s Day

Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake

This Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake is a mint lover's dream come true! Chocolate cake layers with Andes mint pieces and mini chocolate chips, plus a silky-smooth mint buttercream with lots of flecks of mint chocolate chips. Peppermint extract gives this cake a nice punch of mint flavor.

Get the recipe!

Pistachio Marzipan Brownie Tart

This Pistachio Marzipan Brownie Tart starts with a chocolate brownie tart crust that is filled with homemade pistachio marzipan. It makes a fantastic St. Patrick's Day dessert when topped with pistachio ice cream and warm hot fudge sauce!

Get the recipe!

Shamrock Shake Shots

Shamrock Shake Shots are the BEST way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Everyone’s favorite minty green milkshakes get a big buzz from the addition of crème de menthe and whipped cream vodka. Top them with a pinch of fold or green sprinkles for the perfect finishing touch!

You can also make them without alcohol, or fill the cups with pudding, mousse, or hot chocolate.

Get the recipe!

Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse Brownies

Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse Brownies just might be the best brownie variation ever! A dark, fudgy brownie is topped with light and fluffy mint chip mousse, then finished with chocolate glaze and green candies for good measure. 

Get the recipe!

Fresh Mint Grasshopper Pie

Nothing is more refreshing than a Fresh Mint Grasshopper Pie. This frozen, minty pie has a light, herbal mint filling and a thick chocolate Oreo crust! It's an easy dessert and tasty treat that everyone will love.

Get the recipe!

Pistachio Pie with Lemon Whipped Cream

This Pistachio Pie with Lemon Whipped Cream is one of our favorite unexpected St. Patrick's Day desserts. It’s mild with a mellow sweetness and an almost floral flavor, paired amazingly with the lemon cookie crust and slightly sweet lemon whipped cream. Perfect for people who love pistachio pudding or cream pies.

Get the recipe!

Pistachio Orange Cake

This Pistachio Orange Cake has pistachio cake layers, rich pistachio buttercream, and a hidden layer of orange frosting! It's wonderfully light and springy!

Get the recipe!

Mint Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

Why settle for the usual chocolate chip cookies when you could feast on Mint Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies instead? These classics feature moist, cakey chocolate cookies and a rich mint chocolate chip buttercream filling. They make a perfect dessert for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the year you feel like getting lucky.

Get the recipe!

Chocolate Profiteroles with Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream

Chocolate Profiteroles with Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream are a festive treat for St. Patrick's Day. If you've been looking for a reason to bright out the ice cream maker, this gourmet homemade ice cream gives you a great excuse! Enjoy it plain, or take it to the next level by sandwiching it in chocolate profiteroles.

Get the recipe!

Toasted Coconut Lime Meringue Tart

This Toasted Coconut Lime Meringue Tart is full of all kinds of good stuff, like a buttery crust, a tangy lime filling, and clouds of toasted meringue on top. Keep it natural, or use a touch of green food coloring to boost the St. Paddy's Day vibe.

Get the recipe!

Pistachio Cake with Blackberry Sauce

This Pistachio Cake with Blackberry Sauce has a strong nutty flavor, an unbelievably tender crumb, and just a hint of orange zest. I served it with a chunky, tart blackberry sauce and mounds of softly whipped cream, what more could you ask for!? Bonus: it's naturally gluten-free, so it's a great option for a variety of dietary needs.

Get the recipe!

Pear Pistachio Tart with Rosemary Crust

This Pear Pistachio Tart with Rosemary Crust starts with a buttery, flaky sweet crust with just a hint of rosemary, followed by fresh herbs that a little floral flavor without over-doing it.

Get the recipe!

Lime-Coconut Pie

If the idea of bright green foods doesn't appeal to you, this Lime-Coconut Pie has more subtle green touches. It's part of a long tradition of Southern-style baked custard pies. The filling is baked until it’s firm enough to slice, but it still has a creamy, custardy texture with a chewy top layer from the shredded coconut.

Get the recipe!

Fresh Mint Semifreddo

This Fresh Mint Semifreddo is refreshing without being overwhelmingly minty. It’s an elegant frozen dessert that is simple to make and makes a stunning presentation. Just try not to eat the whole thing!

Get the recipe!

Peppermint Patty Flourless Chocolate Cake

This refreshing Peppermint Patty Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe has fudgy chocolate cake, a surprise layer of rich, white-chocolate-mint ganache, and a shiny chocolate glaze. It's ultra moist texture is pure decadence!

Get the recipe!

Chocolate-Pistachio Sandwich Cookies

These Chocolate Pistachio Sandwich Cookies are a pistachio lover’s dream come true! Chewy, soft chocolate cookies are paired with pistachio frosting to make gourmet Pistachio Oreos.

Get the recipe!

More St. Patrick’s Day Treats

Baileys Chocolate Caramel Tarts

No St. Paddy's Day would be complete without boozy desserts! These chocolate caramel tarts showcase Bailey's Irish cream liqueur in both the chocolate and caramel tart filling. With their crispy and buttery tart shell, luscious caramel filling, and glossy chocolate topping, they are absolutely gorgeous and packed with Irish cream flavor.

Get the recipe!

Pin this recipe for later!

🍀 Rainbow Cake Cups for St. Patrick’s Day

Forget catching a leprechaun this St. Patrick’s Day – we’re gonna make our own magic this year. And by “magic,” I mean, of course, we’re gonna make delicious cake cups, decorated to look like mini pots of gold.

What’s in a Pot of Gold Cake Cup?

These cake cups could also be described as individual, single-serving trifles. They feature layers of cubed cake and buttercream, assembled in candy kettles to look like leprechaun pots, and decorated with shiny gold dragees, buttercream rainbows, and frosting clouds.

These wee pots of gold are super cute, eye-catching, and of course absolutely delicious, because how can you go wrong with a cup full of cake and frosting?! So read on to learn what you’ll need, how to make them, and tips and substitutions in case you need to make adjustments.

If you are as obsessed with rainbow desserts as we are, you won’t want to miss some of our all-time most popular rainbow cakes, like this Rainbow Cake with a surprise rainbow inside, Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake, and the spectacular Rainbow Mousse Cake.

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients & Substitutions

The ingredient list is short and sweet, because this recipe is less about the baking and more about the decorating. Here’s a few things to keep in mind as you gather ingredients, and you can find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below. (Amazon links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Cake mix: Because this recipe is heavy on the decorating, I like to keep things simple with the other components. You can use a cake mix to speed things up, or your favorite sheet cake recipe, or even prepared cake or cupcakes you’ve purchased from the grocery store.
• Pasteurized egg whites: My favorite frosting recipe calls for pasteurized egg whites, which can be found in a carton in the egg section. It is important that they are pasteurized, because they are uncooked, so using pasteurized whites makes them safe to consume. Alternately, you can buy pasteurized eggs and separate out the whites yourself, or use a different frosting recipe altogether, like my Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
• Gold dragee sprinkles: I love the sparkle and bling these ultra-shiny sprinkles add, but you can use any type of gold sprinkles, or even gold-wrapped candies like Rolos instead.
• Buttercream Rainbows: Let’s face it, those free-standing buttercream rainbows are the CUTEST part of the cups, hands down! They can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator or freezer until you’re ready to assemble. If you don’t want to make them, you can swap in rainbow sour belt candies, or go non-edible and use rainbow cupcake picks.

Supplies

Here are the tools and decorations you’ll need to make these cute Pots of Gold! (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Black candy kettles: You can’t make pots of gold without the, you know, pots! These mini kettles are the PERFECT single-serving size. They’re also quite sturdy, so you can wash them and re-use them year after year–I’ve had mine since 2016 and use them for a variety of St. Patrick’s Day desserts and Halloween desserts (they also make awesome witch cauldrons).
• Medium round piping tip: to make the fluffy clouds, you’ll want a medium round tip like Ateco #12.
• Piping bags:I always have a ton of these clear piping bags on hand. They’re great quality and I often wash and re-use them again and again to cut down on waste.
• Blue food coloring: To give the clouds that dreamy blue-streaked tint, use a bit of sky blue food coloring.

📋 Instructions

Here’s a quick photo guide to making these Pot of Gold cake cups. For the full instructions, see the recipe card below.

• Make a yellow cake (or another flavor of your choice) and bake it in a rectangular pan.
• Let the cake cool completely, then cut it into small cubes.

• Put white buttercream in a piping bag with a 1/2-inch round tip.
• Add a single layer of cake cubes to the bottom of your candy kettles. Cover with a layer of buttercream.

• Add one more layer of cake cubes, then top with another layer of buttercream. You should end up with 2 layers of each.
• Smooth out the buttercream on top – it doesn’t need to be perfect, just enough to seal the cake in so it stays moist.

• Fit a piping bag with a medium round tip. Spread a few streaks of blue buttercream on the inside of the piping bag, then fill the rest of the bag with white buttercream. Massage the bag between your hands to mix the white and blue colors a little bit.
• Pipe two fluffy piles of buttercream on either side of the candy kettles so that they look like clouds.

• If you want to decorate your cups with buttercream rainbows, follow the Buttercream Rainbows recipe here to make the rainbows. Lay them out on a baking sheet and freeze until firm.
• If you don’t want to make the buttercream rainbows, you can use rainbow cupcake toppers or rainbow sour belt candies instead.

• When the buttercream rainbows are firm, peel them from their parchment backing and firmly press them into the top of the candy cups.
• Finish by piling a glittering mound of gold sprinkles in the center to complete the pot of gold look!

Buttercream Rainbows

Give your desserts a splash of color with these Buttercream Rainbows cake toppers! These fun frosting rainbow toppers are surprisingly easy to make, and they look SO fun on top of cakes and cupcakes.

View Recipe

Rainbow Cake with Rainbow Frosting

This gorgeous Rainbow Cake has a surprise inside! Underneath the fluffy white cloud-like frosting are bright stripes of rainbow buttercream frosting. Make it for a special birthday, party, or St. Patrick’s Day!

View Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 12 votes

Pot of Gold St. Patrick’s Day Cake Cups

Pot of Gold Cake Cups are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or anytime you need a little rainbow magic in your life! These dessert cups are served in mini black kettles, filled with cake cubes and frosting, and decorated with gold sprinkles and buttercream rainbows.

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Cooling Time30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: St. Patrick’s Day, St. Patricks Day dessert

Dessert Type: Cupcakes

Servings: 20 servings

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (16 oz box), plus ingredients needed to make it

For the frosting:

• 4 oz pasteurized liquid egg whites see Note below
• 1 lb powdered sugar (4 cups)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 lb unsalted butter cubed and at room temperature
• 1.5 TBSP vanilla extract
• blue gel food coloring

For assembly and decoration:

• 20 plastic candy kettles washed and dried
• ⅓ cup gold pearl sprinkles
• 20 buttercream rainbows or other rainbow cupcake toppers

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

Make the Cake:

• Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C) and line a 9×13-inch rectangular cake pan with parchment or foil. Spray the pan well with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with homemade cake goop.
• Prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the box. Scrape it into your prepared pan and bake it according to the box directions, about 30-35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely before assembling the cake cups.

Make the Frosting:

• While you wait for the cake to cool, prepare the frosting. Combine the whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar is moistened and no dry patches remain. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed. Beat on medium for 5 minutes until white, shiny, and thick.
• Switch to a paddle attachment and turn the mixer to medium-low. Start adding the softened room temperature butter in large chunks, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more. It is normal for the frosting to look lumpy or broken at this point.
• Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes. At the end, you’ll have a frosting with a wonderfully light and creamy texture.
• Remove ¼ cup of frosting and color it with blue food coloring until it is a light sky blue. Take a piping bag and fit it with a medium round tip, like Ateco #12. Smear a thin layer of blue frosting on the inner surface of the piping bag. Add white frosting to fill the bag, and massage the bag between your hands so the blue and white frosting gets mixed.

Assemble and decorate:

• Once the cake is completely cool, flip it out of the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the cake into thin strips, then cut the strips into small ½-inch cubes.
• Fill the bottom of a candy kettle with a layer of cake cubes. Press down or break the cake into smaller pieces if needed to make sure the bottom of the kettle is covered.
• Pipe a layer of buttercream on top of the cake, then top the buttercream with another layer of cake cubes. Finally, top the cake with a second layer of buttercream, coming up to the top of the kettle. Smooth the buttercream into an even layer that’s flush with the kettle top.
• Pipe two round swirls of frosting on top of the kettle on opposite ends to represent clouds. If you are using buttercream rainbows, make sure the rainbows are frozen, then peel one off of the parchment backing and press it firmly into the buttercream clouds. Alternately, use a paper rainbow cupcake topper or a rainbow candy strip on top.
• Finish by adding gold dragee sprinkles in between the clouds. Repeat to assemble the remaining cake cups. Serve these Pots of Gold at room temperature. The buttercream rainbows might start to droop after several hours if the room is warm, so these are best served within an hour or two of assembly. Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Video

Notes

• About pasteurized egg whites: this recipe calls for pasteurized egg whites. It is safe to consume egg whites without cooking them, as long as the whites you buy are pasteurized. To save time, I buy them in a carton–look for 100% egg whites, not liquid egg substitute. If you cannot find them in a carton, you can buy pasteurized eggs and separate them yourself. You’ll need about 4-5 large eggs to get the amount called for in the recipe.
• About the rainbow toppers: if you don’t want to make the buttercream rainbows for these cake cups, you can either use cardboard rainbow cupcake picks, or rainbow striped candy belts.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 373mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 567IU | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg

Pin this recipe for later!

🌈 COLORFUL RAINBOW DESSERTS 🌈

We’ve rounded up 23 of our FAVORITE rainbow dessert recipes & ideas that are sure to make you smile — click here to get all the recipes!

🌈 How to Make Rainbow Icing

Is there anything better than a cupcake topped with a big, bold swirl of rainbow frosting? I’ve long been obsessed with bright colors and fun desserts, and rainbow-frosted cupcakes are the perfect marriage of the two!

The beauty of this rainbow icing technique is that it works for so many different events: kids and adult birthday parties, baby showers, spring and summer parties, St. Patrick’s Day, Pride events, and so many other occasions! It can be customized with any colors you’d like, and best of all, it looks complicated but is actually super easy to achieve. Read on to learn all my best tips and tricks for rainbow frosting!

If you’re looking for more rainbow desserts, you’ll love my Rainbow Cake with Rainbow Frosting, Rainbow Mousse Cake, or Pastel Rainbow Gelatin Cups. Be sure to check out these colorful birthday present mini cakes too!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Here’s a short list of everything you’ll need to make rainbow-frosted cupcakes. (Shopping links are affiliate links)

• 8 cups of white buttercream (I’m sharing my recipe in the recipe card below, but you can swap in your own if you have a favorite!)
• 6 gel food colors (more info down below)
• Plastic wrap 
• Piping bags
• A large star tip  (I used Ateco #849)
• Baked and cooled cupcakes or cake!

What Food Coloring To Use

I strongly recommend using gel food coloring over the liquid food coloring you can buy in a grocery store. Gel colors are more concentrated, so you won’t have to use as much coloring to get a bright, vibrant color. (Bonus: you can hopefully avoid the “food coloring aftertaste” if you use good-quality gel colors!) 

I recommend Americolor brand food coloring, or the Wilton ColorRight system. Here are the colors I used in these photos (these are affiliate links):

• Red gel food coloring
• Orange gel food coloring
• Yellow gel food coloring
• Green gel food coloring
• Blue gel food coloring
• Purple gel food coloring

📋 Rainbow Frosting Instructions

Step 1: Make your buttercream

The first step to making this colorful rainbow icing is to prepare your buttercream.  I’m sharing a delicious American buttercream frosting recipe in the recipe card down below, but you could also use Swiss Meringue Buttercream, my Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or a favorite recipe of your own.

For this technique, you can use any white frosting recipe with a pipeable consistency. You’ll want about 8 cups of frosting to frost 20-24 cupcakes.

Avoid this mistake:
Don’t use canned frosting purchased at the store, because it is too soft to pipe well and won’t make the gorgeous cupcake swirls we’re looking for.

Step 2: Color the Buttercream

The first thing to do is color the buttercream an assortment of rainbow colors (or whatever your color scheme is!)

Divide your white frosting equally between 6 bowls. No need to measure, eyeballing it is fine. Add a different color of gel food coloring to each bowl and stir well, adding more if necessary until you get a vibrant color.

Tip for red food coloring:

It is notoriously hard to get a bright red buttercream color! My best tips are to use a good-quality gel brand, and warm up a small amount (~2-3 TBSP) of buttercream in the microwave until warm but not hot. Mix a generous spoonful of red gel in with the warm buttercream, then mix THAT into the whole bowl. Starting with this small concentrated red portion helps the color disperse better throughout the batch. The color will also deepen as it sits, so if possible, mix up your red color the day before you need it so it has time to deepen.

Step 3: Put the Buttercream in Piping Bags

Place each color of frosting into its own piping bag, and snip a 1/2-inch opening in the end of each bag. No piping bags? No problem! You can substitute gallon-sized zip-top bags with a hole snipped in the corner instead.

Step 4: Pipe stripes of colors

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on your counter. Start by piping a long line of red food coloring on the plastic wrap. Leave a margin of a few inches from the sides and bottom of the wrap. Next, pipe the orange frosting right next to the red.

Continue to pipe the colors in a row on the plastic wrap. Depending on how thick you pipe them, you can either fit one line of each color on the wrap, or repeat the pattern and make 12 stripes. Just make sure you leave a margin and don’t go all the way to the edge of the plastic wrap.

Step 5: Roll up the plastic wrap

Now, fold the plastic wrap over lengthwise and roll the frosting into a cylinder. Grasp the ends of the plastic wrap in each hand, and twirl it quickly so the frosting is burrito-shaped and the ends of the plastic are tightly twisted.

Step 6: Place the rainbow frosting in a piping bag

Fit a piping bag with a large star tip – I like the size of Ateco #849. Snip off one of the plastic wrap “tails,” and insert the frosting cylinder into the piping bag, snipped-side down.

Your piping bag is now ready to go! Give it a little squeeze, because sometimes it takes a minute for all of the colors to come out together.

You’re now ready to make rainbow swirls on your cakes, cupcakes, or other desserts! Please share pictures if you give it a try, and don’t miss these other fun rainbow desserts!

Rainbow Cake with Rainbow Frosting

This gorgeous Rainbow Cake has a surprise inside! Underneath the fluffy white cloud-like frosting are bright stripes of rainbow buttercream frosting. Make it for a special birthday, party, or St. Patrick’s Day!

View Recipe

Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake

If you’re looking for an over-the-top celebration cake, this Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake is for you! It features eight layers of lemon cake, seven layers of rainbow frosting, and one incredible assortment of edible golden goodies. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any big party!

View Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 12 votes

Rainbow Frosting

This swirled rainbow frosting adds a bright, cheerful pop of color to any dessert. It’s perfect for birthday cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookie sandwiches, and so much more.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: rainbow dessert

Dessert Type: Frosting

Servings: 18 servings

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

• 4 TBSP milk at room temperature
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract or other flavoring
• ½ tsp salt
• 8 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 8 oz shortening can replace with equal amount butter if desired
• 28 oz powdered sugar (7 cups), sifted
• Gel food coloring in six rainbow colors I recommend Americolor

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

• Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a small bowl, and stir them together to dissolve the salt and set aside.
• Place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed, until the butter is lighter in color and creamy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• Add the shortening and the milk mixture, and use a splatter guard over your bowl or place a towel over the top of the mixer to prevent splatters. Run the mixer on low until the liquid starts to incorporate, then turn it to medium until everything is well-mixed and smooth (20-30 seconds). Scrape down the bowl again.
• Keep the towel over the mixer, leaving only a small opening in front, turn the mixer to low, and add the sugar to the bowl in a steady stream. Once all of the sugar is incorporated, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, and turn the mixer to medium-low for 30 seconds to mix the frosting well.
• Divide the frosting equally between 6 bowls. Add a different color of gel food coloring to each bowl and stir well, adding more if necessary until you get a vibrant color. Place each color of frosting into its own piping bag, and snip a 1/2-inch opening in the end of each bag.
• Lay out a piece of plastic wrap about 16 inches long. Start by piping a long line of red food coloring on the plastic wrap. Leave a margin of a few inches from the sides and bottom of the wrap.
• Next, pipe the orange frosting right next to the red, and continue to pipe each color in a line. Depending on how thick you pipe them, you can either fit one line of each color on the wrap, or repeat the pattern and make 12 stripes. Just make sure you leave a margin and don't go all the way to the edge of the plastic wrap. (If you have extra colors left over, you can do this a second time to make another rainbow piping bag.)
• Now, fold the plastic wrap over lengthwise and roll the frosting into a cylinder. Grasp the ends of the plastic wrap in each hand, and twirl it quickly so the frosting is burrito-shaped and the ends of the plastic are tightly twisted.
• Fit a piping bag with a large star tip. Snip off one of the plastic wrap “tails," and insert the frosting cylinder into the piping bag, snipped-side down.
• Squeeze the bag for a moment until all of the colors come out together, then your rainbow piping bag is ready! This recipe makes enough to frost 18 cupcakes with large swirls, or 24-28 cupcakes with small single-layer swirls.

Video

Notes

This recipe makes enough to frost 18 cupcakes with large swirls, or 24-28 cupcakes with small single-layer swirls.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 10mg | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Pin this recipe for later!

This collection of bright and cheerful rainbow dessert recipes, ideas, and pictures is sure to make you smile! You’ll find colorful recipes for all of your favorite rainbow sweets – including rainbow cakes, rainbow frosting, rainbow cupcakes, and more!

Rainbow Cake with Rainbow Frosting

This gorgeous rainbow-topped cake has a surprise inside! Underneath the fluffy white cloud-like frosting are bright stripes of rainbow buttercream frosting. Make it for a special birthday, party, or St. Patrick’s Day!

Get the recipe!

Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake

If you’re looking for an over-the-top celebration cake, this Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake is for you! It features eight layers of lemon cake, seven layers of rainbow frosting, and one incredible assortment of edible golden goodies on top.

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Mousse Cake

This Rainbow Mousse Cake has seven gorgeous layers of cake and mousse in vibrant, fruity flavors. This rainbow cake recipe is perfect for any party or celebration!

Get the recipe!

Pot of Gold St. Patrick’s Day Cake Cups

Pot of Gold Cake Cups are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or anytime you need a little rainbow magic in your life! These dessert cups are served in mini black kettles, filled with cake cubes and frosting, and decorated with gold sprinkles and buttercream rainbows.

Get the recipe!

Buttercream Rainbows

Those Pot of Gold Cupcakes above are rocking the ultimate edible accessory – 3-D Buttercream Rainbows! These fun frosting rainbow toppers are surprisingly easy to make, and they look SO fun on top of cakes and cupcakes!

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Swirl Frosting

Like rainbow desserts? Then you will LOVE this colorful rainbow frosting for cakes and cupcakes! This decorating trick is gorgeous, and super easy to do–you can make this bright buttercream icing in under 10 minutes.

Get the recipe!

Fondant Rainbow

Want to make a rainbow cake? Then you might want a rainbow cake topper as well! This homemade fondant decoration is easy, bright, colorful, and so fun!

Get the recipe!

Striped Buttercream Balloon Cake

Is there anything more fun than buttercream stripes?! For this Striped Buttercream Balloon Cake, we paired buttercream stripes with candy balloon lollipops, for the ultimate colorful birthday cake!

Get the recipe!

Homemade Rainbow Ice Cream

If you need a cold sweet treat, try this fun rainbow ice cream. Homemade, no-churn, vanilla-flavored ice cream with swirls of neon color!

(via bitzngiggles.com)

Get the recipe!

Unicorn Milkshakes

These Unicorn Milkshakes are pure MAGIC! A rich, thick strawberry milkshake is topped with a rainbow of different sprinkles and candies to make a delicious drink fit for a unicorn. 

Get the recipe!

Birthday Present Mini Cakes

These cute mini layer cakes are decorated with fruit roll-up pom-poms on top to look like mini gifts! They're perfect as a birthday cake recipe, or for any party or celebration.

Get the recipe!

Fun Piñata Cupcakes

This Piñata Cupcake recipe is SO FUN! Pack these delicious homemade vanilla cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles and watch them spill out when you take a bite.

(via littlesunnykitchen.com)

Get the recipe!

Colorful Unicorn Cakes

These cute mini layer cakes are decorated with fruit roll-up pom-poms on top to look like mini gifts! They're perfect as a birthday cake recipe, or for any party or celebration.

Get the recipe!

Unicorn Rainbow Donuts

Soft, perfectly sweet with a hint of citrus flavor, these Mini Unicorn Rainbow Donuts are colorful and gorgeous inside and out, with a swirled rainbow dough of different colors and a dreamy pastel glaze.

(via theflavorbender.com)

Get the recipe!

Rainbow S’mores Dip

This rainbow s’mores dip is everyone’s favorite! It’s super-crazy delicious, colorful, EASY to make, and needs only a few ingredients. This will be your family's new favorite colorful dessert! You could even shake it up by using white chocolate instead of the typical semi-sweet.

(via thedecoratedcookie.com)

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Swiss Roll

This Rainbow Swiss Roll Cake is the ultimate colorful rainbow dessert! It's vibrantly beautiful, and has a light, soft texture. An easy and foolproof recipe to celebrate everything rainbow colored and spirited.

(via theflavorbender.com)

Get the recipe!

Pastel Rainbow Gelatin Cups

Looking for an easy spring dessert? These Pastel Rainbow Gelatin Cups are simple, kid-friendly, and so beautiful! Serve them plain, or top them with whipped cream and sprinkles! 

Get the recipe!

Rainbow-Topped Cupcakes

Turn a box of cake mix and some food coloring to create rainbow colored batter for these easy rainbow cupcakes, complete with a candy rainbow on top!

(via crayonsandcravings.com)

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Unicorn Cake

Cut into this Rainbow Unicorn Cake to reveal a swirl of brightly colored cake hiding inside. It's the perfect cake for birthday parties and pride month celebrations.

(via hungryhappenings.com)

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Cake Push-Up Pops

Rainbow Cake Push-Up Pops are bright, cheerful, and a fun twist on the usual cake and buttercream! Layers of rainbow cake and vanilla frosting are served in push-up pop containers. They're small, single-serving, and portable, perfect for parties!

Get the recipe!

Fairy Bread Lamingtons

These rainbow fairy bread lamingtons are the ultimate marriage between two classic desserts. Perfect for any day you need some sunshine and sprinkles in your life!

(via aussiehomecook.com)

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Fruit Dip

Rainbow Fruit Dip – A gorgeous pink lemonade rainbow swirl dip that pairs perfectly with fresh fruit or graham crackers. Serve it in a small bowl for individual dips, or one big bowl for a party.

(via bitzngiggles.com)

Get the recipe!

Rainbow Cupcakes

Celebrate any special occasion with these Rainbow Cupcakes that are filled with vibrant colors. Light, buttery, and moist, these colorful cupcakes have a delicious vanilla flavor.

(via lifebeginswithdessert.com)

Get the recipe!

Marbled White Chocolate Truffles

Marbled White Chocolate Truffles are a delicious homemade candy! White chocolate truffles are coated with a marbled swirl of pastel colors to make these gorgeous treats.

Get the recipe!

🌈 Fun and Colorful Mousse Cake

Nothing says “party” more than an over-the-top rainbow cake. The layers! The sprinkles! The punch-you-in-the-eyeballs colors! To me, nothing feels more celebratory than a big ole dessert packed with layers of bright colors. Some of my favorite cakes I’ve made over the years have been rainbow themed – like this surprise-inside Rainbow Cake, this Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake, or these super clever Buttercream Rainbows (see them in action on these Pot of Gold Cupcakes).

Today’s cake is another entry in the Rainbow Dessert Hall of Fame (and yes, I am the only member and the only inductee.) This version is a seven-layer beauty alternating layers of moist butter cake and rich mousse.

The BEST part? Each colorful layer is a different fruit flavor, so this cake is bursting with bright, sweet-tart flavor. I thought about calling it a “Taste the Rainbow Mousse Cake,” but it doesn’t actually contain Skittles (plus I’m scared of getting on the wrong side of the powerful Big Candy industry) so I kept things simple. But if you love light and fluffy mousse cakes, and you enjoy playing with color and flavor, this cake’s for you!

This year’s version is a seven-layer beauty alternating layers of moist butter cake and rich mousse. Each colorful layer is a different fruit flavor, so this cake is bursting with bright, sweet-tart flavor. I thought about calling it a “Taste the Rainbow Mousse Cake,” but it doesn’t actually contain Skittles (plus I’m scared of getting on the wrong side of the powerful Big Candy industry) so I kept things simple.

🍓 Rainbow Mousse Fruit Flavors

Here’s the actual breakdown of the cake flavors, listed from top to bottom:

• lime cake
• blackberry mousse
• blueberry cake
• cranberry mousse
• raspberry cake
• passion fruit mousse
• lemon mousse

The layers are flavored with a mix of extracts, zests, fruit purees, and powdered freeze-dried fruit. (Oh freeze-dried fruit, I wish I could quit you!)

Although it could be made with just extracts, I love that each layer contains actual fruit products in the form of juice or puree or powder, so each has a different bold, vibrant realistic taste. You’ll notice that I used a lot of tart fruits, which went a long way toward keeping this cake from being too sweet, cloying, or overwhelming.

The cake is topped with a quick buttercream, lots of colorful sprinkles, and every rainbow candle and lollipop I could find. After all, you can’t spell “over-the-top rainbow cake” without “star-shaped rainbow lollipops,” right? (Riiiiiight)

This cake is as fun to eat as it is to look at! It’s sweet, for sure, but also refreshing in the way that the best fruit desserts are. One of our favorite ways to eat it is to mix-and-match the flavors, trying new combinations of fruits, just like you might do with a handful of Skittles. And of course, since it’s such a tall cake, it serves a ton of people, making this perfect for a big celebration.

💡 Tips and FAQs

Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake

If you’re looking for an over-the-top celebration cake, this Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake is for you! It features eight layers of lemon cake, seven layers of rainbow frosting, and one incredible assortment of edible golden goodies. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any big party!

View Recipe

Buttercream Rainbows

Give your desserts a splash of color with these 3-D Buttercream Rainbows! These fun frosting rainbow toppers are surprisingly easy to make, and they look SO fun on top of cakes and cupcakes!

View Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Rainbow Mousse Cake

This Rainbow Mousse Cake has seven gorgeous layers of cake and mousse in vibrant, fruity flavors. This rainbow cake recipe is perfect for any party or celebration!

Prep Time1 day d

Cook Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 54 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Rainbow mousse Cake

Dessert Type: Cake

Servings: 20

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Cake Layers:

• 14 oz granulated sugar 2 cups
• 16 oz cake flour 4 cups
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 11 oz full-fat sour cream 1 1/3 cup, at room temperature
• 12 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 lemon large
• 1 tsp lime extract
• 2 limes large
• 1 oz freeze-dried raspberries 1 cup
• 1 oz freeze-dried blueberries 3/4 cup
• Assorted gel food coloring I used Americolor brand: Lemon Yellow, Leaf Green, Deep Pink and Regal Purple

For the Passion Fruit Mousse:

• 9 oz white chocolate chopped
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream divided use
• 1/2 cup passion fruit puree I used Goya brand, from the freezer section, defrosted
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
• 2 tbsp cold water
• Orange gel food coloring I used Americolor brand.

For the Cranberry Mousse:

• 9 oz white chocolate chopped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream divided use
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 cup freeze-dried cranberries
• Red gel food coloring I used Americolor Super Red.

For the Blackberry Mousse:

• 9 oz blackberries fresh or defrosted from frozen
• 9 oz white chocolate chopped
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream divided use
• Pinch salt
• 2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
• 2 tbsp cold water
• Blue gel food coloring I used Americolor brand.

For the Vanilla Frosting:

• 12 oz powdered sugar 3 cups, sifted after measuring
• 4 oz unsalted butter 1 stick, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp milk plus more if necessary
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or other flavoring extracts
• 1/8 tsp salt

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Cake Layers:

• Preheat the oven to 300 F. (That is not a typo—I use a low and slow bake time for these, to help prevent the cakes from doming.) Line four 9-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and spray the parchment and pan sides with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for about a minute to combine the dry ingredients.
• Lightly whisk together the eggs and 1/3 cup of sour cream, and set aside for now.
• Add the remaining 1 cup sour cream and the softened butter to the large mixing bowl and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for a minute and a half.
• Add the egg mixture in three batches, mixing for 20-30 seconds after each addition, until you have a smooth batter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and give the batter a few more stirs to make sure everything is incorporated. Divide the batter into four equal portions—if you are using a kitchen scale, this will be about 15 oz of batter per bowl.
• To one portion of the batter, add the zest from one large lemon, 1 tsp lemon extract, and a few drops of yellow food coloring. Taste, and add more extract if desired, then scrape into one of the cake pans and smooth.
• To the second portion of the batter, add the zest from two large limes, 1 tsp lime extract, and a few drops of green food coloring, with an additional drop or two of yellow. Scrape into the second cake pan.
• Place the freeze-dried raspberries in a food processor and process until they’re a fine powder. Add the raspberry powder and some pink food coloring to the third portion of batter, and gently stir until it’s incorporated. Try not to over-mix, or your cakes will be tough. Pour into the third cake pan.
• Process the freeze-dried blueberries in the food processor, and add the blueberry powder and purple coloring to the final portion of batter. Pour into the fourth cake pan.
• Bake the cakes at 300 F for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway throughout, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then gently turn them out and let them cool completely. If you are making these in advance, they can stay in the freezer for up to several weeks.

To Assemble:

• Prepare your pan. You need a 9-inch pan with tall sides, and the ability to remove the bottom. Either a cake pan with a removable bottom or a springform pan will work. Place a cake cardboard in the bottom of the pan. Tape two long strips of an acetate cake collar together, to make one 8-inch tall strip of acetate. Line the inner wall with your extra-tall acetate collar. Make sure the acetate is long enough so that it overlaps itself. I strongly recommend using acetate—it will provide you with a firm structure in which to build your cake, and clean edges along the sides. If you don’t have acetate collars, you can try using a double layer of heavy-duty foil, 8 inches tall, to wrap around the inside of the cake pan. This should be stable enough, but it won’t produce the clean edges that acetate does.
• Set your lemon cake layer in the bottom of the cake pan on the cardboard. Prepare your passion fruit mousse (instructions below), pour it on top of the lemon cake, and smooth it into an even layer. You’ll notice that the mousse is somewhat loose and fluid, which is why it’s so important to have a stable layer of acetate or heavy duty foil around the sides of the cake, to prevent the mousse from overflowing the sides.
• Chill the cake for 10 minutes, so the mousse just starts to set but is still tacky to the touch. Add the raspberry cake layer on top, and return to the refrigerator while you prepare the cranberry mousse layer (instructions below).
• When the cranberry mousse is done, pour it on top of the raspberry cake, and spread it into an even layer. Chill the cake again for 10 minutes, then add the blueberry cake on top. Refrigerate again while preparing the final mousse, the blackberry layer (instructions below.)
• When the blackberry layer is done, pour it on top of the blueberry cake and smooth it. Chill for 10 minutes, then top with the final lime cake layer. Refrigerate the cake for at least 6 hours (longer is okay!) to firm up all the mousse and make it a stable, solid cake.
• To serve, remove the cake from the cake pan, then carefully unwrap the acetate or foil collar from around the cake. Top with vanilla frosting (recipe below) or whipped cream, and lots of sprinkles and candles! This cake is easiest to cut when it’s straight from the refrigerator, but I like it best when it’s sat at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, so the cake is not completely cold.

To Make the Passion Fruit Mousse:

• Combine the white chocolate, passion fruit puree, 1/4 cup of cream, and salt in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Let it cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. It should not be warm to the touch at all.
• While you wait for the white chocolate mixture to cool, prepare the gelatin. Whisk together the gelatin and the cold water in a small bowl, and set it aside to let the gelatin absorb the water. When the chocolate is at room temperature, microwave the bowl of gelatin for 15 seconds, until it is melted. Whisk the melted gelatin and white chocolate together. Add several drops of orange food coloring, and stir them in. The color will get very diluted when you add the whipped cream, so go darker than your intended color.
• Whip the remaining 1 cup heavy cream to firm peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the white chocolate, and once it’s incorporated, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Try not to fold more than necessary, or the mousse will start to get grainy and break. Use immediately after it’s made.

To Make the Cranberry Mousse:

• Follow the instructions for passion fruit mousse, but with a few small changes: combine the white chocolate, 1/2 cup cream, and salt and microwave together. Use red food coloring instead of orange, and add enough to make a very bright red color. Place the freeze-dried raspberries in a food processor and process until they’re a fine powder. After you fold in the whipped cream, add the cranberry powder and stir it in gently.

To Make the Blackberry Mousse:

• First, blend the blackberries in a blender or food processor, then strain them to remove the seeds. Measure out 1/2 cup puree (save any additional puree for another use) and combine 1/2 cup puree, the white chocolate, and the salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Follow the instructions for the passion fruit mousse, but use blue food coloring instead of orange.

To Make the Vanilla Frosting:

• Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sugar is moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat again on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. You can add more milk or sugar, if desired, to get the consistency you want.

Notes

 If you want to spread out the work, I recommend baking the cakes a day in advance and keeping them well-wrapped until you’re ready to assemble the cake. The cake will have to chill for at least 6 hours to set after you finish assembly, so factor this into your time estimate. The assembly process itself takes some time, because the mousses have to be made as you’re assembling and chilling it between steps—because they start to set quickly, they cannot be made in advance. I recommend reading through the recipe several times before beginning, to make sure you understand the flow and have all the components ready at the right time. Also, see the Note below for suggestions for simplifying the process. Finally, I used the purees and freeze-dried fruits that I had access to. Feel free to experiment and switch up the layers depending on what ingredients you have available! This cake is a big commitment, but there are a few ways you can simplify it! Consider using whipped cream instead of frosting on top. You can also use just extracts instead of the zest and freeze-dried fruit in the cake recipe (add 1 tsp extract of choice to each portion of batter. No need to make any other changes to the recipe.) You can also try using a cake mix to speed up the process. For the mousses, you can omit the freeze-dried fruit and purees by following the instructions for the cranberry mousse, but omit all freeze-dried fruit and just use extracts and food coloring. These changes will not give the cake the same realistic fruit flavor, but they will greatly simplify the process and reduce expenses.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 842kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 66g | Vitamin A: 1520IU | Vitamin C: 10.8mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Pin this recipe for later!

🌈 COLORFUL RAINBOW DESSERTS 🌈

We’ve rounded up 23 of our FAVORITE rainbow dessert recipes & ideas that are sure to make you smile — click here to get all the recipes!

🌈 3-D Rainbows Made of Frosting

Rainbow frosting is one of my favorite ways to add color and cheer to cakes and cupcakes. These Rainbow Swirl Cupcakes are a party on a plate, my Gold-Topped Rainbow Cake a party in a cake, and this stunning cake with a hidden rainbow inside never fails to make me smile. So this year, when I was thinking about new rainbow desserts, I wanted to keep with the rainbow buttercream trend, but with a twist.

After a little experimentation–and a lot of eating frosting straight out of the bag–these 3-D Buttercream Rainbows were born!

These adorable mini rainbows are the perfect edible cake or cupcake topper. They have the bright colorful stripes and semicircular shape you’d expect from any rainbow, and the fondant haters in your life will appreciate that they’re made entirely of delicious buttercream. See them in action on these adorable Pot of Gold Cupcakes I made for St. Patrick’s Day. (If you’re Team Fondant, you should also check out my Fondant Rainbow Cake Topper for another fun rainbow option!)

As with any buttercream decoration, it may take a few tries to nail the design, but once you get comfortable with the piping process, you can crank out dozens of these babies in a short time. Read on to learn what tools you’ll need, the best buttercream and food coloring for the job, and step-by-step instructions of how to make them!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Here’s a list of everything you’ll need to make these cute buttercream rainbows. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Buttercream: Plan on getting about 10 rainbows from 1 cup of frosting, because the process of coloring, transferring, and piping the different frosting colors leaves some frosting behind during each step. More information about what buttercream to use can be found below.
• Gel food colors: You’ll want 5-7 gel food colors in bright rainbow colors. More info about choosing food coloring down here.
• Piping bags: One piping bag to hold each color, plus a bag for the striped rainbow frosting.
• Large round piping tip: I recommend Ateco #809
• Large flower nail: this is a MUST! And the larger the flower nail, the easier this process will be.
• Parchment paper: cut the parchment paper into 2-inch squares
• Plastic wrap

The perfect buttercream for rainbows

These buttercream rainbows work best with a moderately stiff frosting recipe. I recommend American buttercream, because it forms an outer crust as it dries and this makes the rainbow shapes more sturdy.

Non-crusting frosting recipes, like Italian meringue or Swiss meringue, can also be used, but be aware that the rainbows might droop as they sit at room temperature. If you want to use a meringue recipe, I recommend keeping the rainbows in the refrigerator until shortly before serving so they don’t collapse.

I’m sharing a delicious American buttercream frosting recipe in the recipe card down below, but you can swap in your own favorite stiff buttercream if you prefer. You’ll want at least 2.5 cups for 24 rainbows.

Avoid this mistake:
Don’t use canned frosting purchased at the store, because it is too soft to pipe well.

Food coloring for bright colors

I strongly recommend using gel food coloring over the liquid food coloring you can buy in a grocery store. Gel colors are more concentrated, so you won’t have to use as much coloring to get a bright, vibrant color. (Bonus: you can hopefully avoid the “food coloring aftertaste” if you use good-quality gel colors!) 

I recommend Americolor brand food coloring, or the Wilton ColorRight system. Here are the colors I used in these photos (these are affiliate links):

• Red gel food coloring
• Orange gel food coloring
• Yellow gel food coloring
• Green gel food coloring
• Blue gel food coloring
• Purple gel food coloring

Tip for red food coloring:

It is notoriously hard to get a bright red buttercream color! My best tips are to use a good-quality gel brand, and warm up a small amount (~2-3 TBSP) of buttercream in the microwave until warm but not hot. Mix a generous spoonful of red gel in with the warm buttercream, then mix THAT into the whole bowl. Starting with this small concentrated red portion helps the color disperse better throughout the batch. The color will also deepen as it sits, so if possible, mix up your red color the day before you need it so it has time to deepen.

📋 Step-by-Step Instructions

Here are the step-by-step instructions showing how to make buttercream rainbows! There is also a video below in the recipe card if you find videos more helpful.

Step 1: Pipe on plastic wrap

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on your counter. Start by piping a long line of red food coloring on the plastic wrap. Leave a margin of a few inches from the sides and top of the wrap. Next, pipe the orange frosting right next to the red.

Step 2: Continue piping the colors

Continue to pipe the colors in a row on the plastic wrap. Repeat a second time so each color appears twice and you have 12 lines total. (If you have extra colors left over, you can do this a second time to make another rainbow piping bag.) Make sure you leave a margin and don’t go all the way to the edge of the plastic wrap.

Step 3: Roll up the plastic wrap

Fold the plastic wrap over lengthwise and roll the frosting into a cylinder. Grasp the ends of the plastic wrap in each hand, and twirl it quickly so the frosting is burrito-shaped and the ends of the plastic are tightly twisted.

Step 4: Place the rainbow frosting in a piping bag

Fit a piping bag with a large round tip – I like the size of Ateco #809. Snip off one of the plastic wrap “tails,” and insert the frosting cylinder into the piping bag, snipped-side down.

Step 5: Cover a flower nail with parchment

Take a flower nail and add a dab of buttercream on top. Place a 2×2-inch square of parchment on top of the nail and press down gently, so the parchment sticks.

Step 6: Start piping the rainbow

Hold the piping bag in your dominant hand, and the flower nail upright in the other. Curl the hand holding the piping bag around, palm up, so that the tip of the bag is pointing back towards you. Start squeezing the piping bag so that a thick frosting rope is piped onto the parchment square.

Step 7: Finish piping the rainbow

As you squeeze the buttercream out, slowly turn the flower nail so that the rope is curved into a rainbow shape. All of the movement comes from the flower nail, the bag should stay stationary. When you’ve made a rainbow shape, stop squeezing the bag and flick it downwards to cut off the frosting edge. It’s fine if the bottom of the rainbow is not completely neat, because it will be covered when you put it on a cake.

Step 8: Freeze the rainbows

Carefully pull the frosting square off of the flower nail and place it on a baking sheet. Continue piping rainbows until the baking sheet is filled.

Freeze the rainbows until completely firm, at least 20-30 minutes. At this point, you can use the rainbows to decorate, or transfer them to an airtight container for later use. Make sure you put layers of waxed paper or parchment paper between the layers of rainbows. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

Step 9: Decorate with them!

When you are ready to decorate, slide an offset spatula between the rainbow and parchment to release the parchment. Gently press the rainbow into frosting on top of your cake or cupcakes. How! cute! are! they?!?

💡 Tips and FAQs  

A weather warning:
These rainbows should hold up well at cool room temperature. At hot temperatures, or in direct sunlight, the frosting might soften and the rainbows could droop or collapse, so these decorations are best suited for cool room temperatures, or applied shortly before serving.

Using a fairly stiff American buttercream helps make them more sturdy, and if you need a little insurance, you can swap in half shortening for half of the butter in the frosting, and adjust the milk/powdered sugar until you’re happy with the texture.

Pot of Gold St. Patrick’s Day Cake Cups

Pot of Gold Cake Cups are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or anytime you need a little rainbow magic in your life! These dessert cups are served in mini black kettles, filled with cake cubes and frosting, and decorated with gold sprinkles and buttercream rainbows.

View Recipe

How to Make Fondant Rainbows

Want to make a rainbow cake? Then you might want a rainbow cake topper as well! This homemade fondant decoration is easy, bright, colorful, and so fun! Make it for parties, St. Patrick’s Day, or a rainbow party!

View Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Buttercream Rainbows

Give your desserts a splash of color with these 3-D Buttercream Rainbows! These fun frosting rainbow toppers are surprisingly easy to make, and they look SO fun on top of cakes and cupcakes!

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: rainbow dessert

Dessert Type: Frosting

Servings: 24 rainbows

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Equipment

• Piping bags
• Large round tip
• Flower nail
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP milk at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or other flavoring
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz unsalted butter (1.5 sticks), at room temperature
• 10 oz powdered sugar (2.5 cups), sifted
• Gel food coloring in six rainbow colors I recommend Americolor

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

• Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a small bowl, and stir them together to dissolve the salt and set aside.
• Place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed, until the butter is lighter in color and creamy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• Add the milk mixture. Run the mixer on low until the liquid starts to incorporate, then turn it to medium until everything is well-mixed and smooth (20-30 seconds). Scrape down the bowl again.
• Turn the mixer to low, and add the sugar to the bowl in a steady stream. Once all of the sugar is incorporated, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, and turn the mixer to medium-low for 30 seconds to mix the frosting well.
• Check the texture: if the frosting is too stiff, add up to another 1 TBSP of milk to thin it out. If it is too soft, add additional powdered sugar to make it stiffer. Adjust until you have a frosting that holds its shape well but is not dry or hard to stir.
• Divide the frosting equally between 6 bowls. Add a different color of gel food coloring to each bowl and stir well, adding more if necessary until you get a vibrant color. Place each color of frosting into its own piping bag, and snip a 1/2-inch opening in the end of each bag.
• Lay out a piece of plastic wrap about 16 inches long. Start by piping a long line of red food coloring on the plastic wrap. Leave a margin of a few inches from the sides and bottom of the wrap.
• Next, pipe the orange frosting right next to the red, and continue to pipe each color in a line. Repeat a second time so each color appears twice and you have 12 lines. (If you have extra colors left over, you can do this a second time to make another rainbow piping bag.)
• Now, fold the plastic wrap over lengthwise and roll the frosting into a cylinder. Grasp the ends of the plastic wrap in each hand, and twirl it quickly so the frosting is burrito-shaped and the ends of the plastic are tightly twisted.
• Fit a piping bag with a large round tip (Ateco #809).
• Snip off one of the plastic wrap “tails," and insert the frosting cylinder into the piping bag, snipped-side down. Squeeze the bag for a moment until all of the colors come out together, then your rainbow piping bag is ready!
• Place a dot of frosting on top of a large flower nail, and press a square of parchment onto the top so it adheres.
• Hold the piping bag in your dominant hand, and the flower nail upright in the other. Curl the hand holding the piping bag around, palm up, so that the tip of the bag is pointing towards you.
• Start squeezing the piping bag so that a thick frosting rope is piped onto the parchment square. As you squeeze, slowly turn the flower nail so that the rope is curved into a rainbow shape. All of the movement comes from the flower nail, the bag should stay stationary.
• When you've made a rainbow shape, stop squeezing the bag and flick it downwards to cut off the frosting edge. It's fine if the bottom of the rainbow is not completely neat, because it will be covered when you put it on a cake.
• Carefully pull the frosting square off of the flower nail and place it on a baking sheet. Continue piping rainbows until the baking sheet is filled.
• Freeze the rainbows until completely firm, at least 20-30 minutes. At this point, you can use the rainbows to decorate, or transfer them to an airtight container for later use. Make sure you put layers of waxed paper or parchment paper between the layers of rainbows. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
• When you are ready to decorate, slide an offset spatula between the rainbow and parchment to release the parchment. Gently press the rainbow into frosting on top of your cake or cupcakes.
• These rainbows should hold up well at cool room temperature. At hot temperatures or in direct sunlight the frosting might soften and the rainbows could droop or collapse, so these decorations are best suited for cool temperatures or applied shortly before serving.

Video

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

🌈 COLORFUL RAINBOW DESSERTS 🌈

We’ve rounded up 23 of our FAVORITE rainbow dessert recipes & ideas that are sure to make you smile — click here to get all the recipes!

🥧 Easy Chocolate Tarts with Baileys Caramel Filling

I love every recipe I share here with you, but I am especially excited to share these gorgeous mini tarts today. They’re made with Baileys Irish Cream, so you can call off the hunt for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert now.

But there’s no law that says we can only enjoy Baileys one holiday a year (thank goodness!), so I’m sharing these with you in the hopes that they become your new favorite go-to whenever you need a sorta fancy, but also really easy, tart recipe. 

For those who don’t want to use alcohol, never fear! I also have some substitutions down below, so you won’t be left out of the chocolate caramel love fest.

If you love the sound of these tarts, don’t miss my Grapefruit Tarts, Strawberry Rose Tarts, or Chocolate Raspberry Tarts.

🧾 What You’ll Need

🍫 Ingredients

As you might guess from the name, Baileys Irish Cream plays a starring role in these tarts: it shows up in both the soft caramel filling and the chocolate topping. The flavor is present but not overwhelming–you’ll get the familiar taste of Baileys, but you won’t get a buzz from eating one of these! Don’t have any on hand? See the Variations section below for some Baileys swaps.

Here’s what else you’ll need to make this recipe. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Chocolate: you’ll want to use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate in this recipe, not milk chocolate. My absolute favorite chocolate bars to use are Pound Plus bars from Trader Joe’s, because they’re a great balance of quality chocolate and reasonable price. (I recommend buying them from the store if possible, since they’re much more expensive purchased online.) Other high-quality chocolate bars, like Lindt, also work well.
• Soft caramels: these store-bought caramels are the secret to a super-fast caramel filling, and I’m not ashamed to say it! You can also use a big loaf of caramel for candy making, like Peter’s caramel. Make sure the caramels you use are fresh–if they are very old and hard, that will affect the final texture and flavor of the filling.
• Heavy cream: whipping cream or heavy cream can both be used in this recipe. Do not use half-and-half or milk, you need the fat from the cream to get the best texture in the chocolate ganache.
• Decorations: These tarts are perfect with a little sprinkle of sea salt on top, but if you’re feeling ✨fancy,✨ you can add a little gold leaf or a beautiful Lindt truffle.

🥄 Equipment

You don’t need much in the way of specialty equipment, but the one thing you absolutely can’t make mini tarts without? Mini tart shells! I love this set of 6 pans–they bake evenly and they’re the perfect size to make substantial, but still single-serving, mini tarts.

For the best results, I recommend making the tart shells in a food processor. It gives the tart dough the perfect flaky, crisp texture! This tart would also taste amazing with a chocolate cookie crust! 😉

Are you still looking for a way out of making the crispy tart? Try making this luscious dessert in a Chocolate Bowl! Just be sure the caramel and ganache are not warm to the touch before pouring them into the chocolate bowls.

📋 Tart Components

Here’s what’s going on under that glossy chocolate glaze. We have:

• a buttery tart shell
• rich, creamy caramel 
• a silky-smooth chocolate ganache
• a hefty sprinkle of flaked sea salt
• optional but awesome decorations like store-bought chocolate truffles or gold leaf

Crispy Tart Shells

Let’s break these tarts down. They start with my tried-and-true tart dough. It’s the BEST because it’s super crisp and buttery, easy to make in the food processor, and requires no fiddly rolling and chilling before pressing it into the pan.

Basically, it’s the little black dress of tart doughs, and I love any excuse to make up a batch!

This tart dough is wonderful with these chocolate/caramel flavors, but it also works beautifully with fruit, like in these Persimmon Almond Rosette Tarts, and this Candied Kumquat Tart.

If you want a chocolate tart dough variation, check out these Dulce de Leche Swirled Tarts, or these Matcha Chocolate Tarts.

Creamy Baileys Caramel

The caramel filling is made by melting together soft store-bought caramels, Baileys Irish Cream liqueur, and a pinch of salt. You will be amazed at how the somewhat stiff and waxy caramels transform into a luscious caramel that melts in your mouth!

The trick to make this caramel is to take your time. At first, when you heat everything together, it won’t melt smoothly and you’ll likely have a lumpy mess. Don’t lose faith! Keep heating, slow and steady, stirring frequently, and the mixture will eventually smooth out and become a beautiful creamy caramel.

Glossy Chocolate Ganache

I don’t know about you, but I could look at that picture of shiny chocolate pooling in the tart shell forever! No doubt, the chocolate ganache topping is the perfect finishing touch to these tarts.

My best tip for getting a smooth, shiny chocolate finish is to use a high quality chocolate (no chips please!) and to let the tarts set at room temperature overnight. Letting them set at room temperature preserves the glossy finish and gives the chocolate a wonderful smooth, soft-but-set texture.

If you do need to refrigerate the tarts, make sure you bring them to room temperature before serving.

💭 Variations

No Baileys? No problem!

• Use another cream liqueur: You can swap an equal amount of any other cream liqueur that you like.
• Make it non-alcoholic: If you want to avoid alcohol altogether, substitute an equal amount of heavy cream (5oz) for the Baileys in both the caramel and chocolate recipes. If desired, you can add additional flavoring, like Irish cream flavoring, almond extract, vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, to make up for the lack of Baileys flavor. Flavorings vary in their intensity. I’d start by adding a teaspoon of flavoring to the caramel and chocolate recipes. Taste them and then add more flavoring if needed.

💡 Tips and FAQs  

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

The tart dough can be made up to a week in advance. You have 2 choices for making it in advance:

• make the dough, form it into a disc, and wrap it well in plastic wrap. When ready to use, let it sit and soften for ~15 minutes, then press it into the shells as directed.
• press the dough into the tart shells, then wrap each shell individually in plastic wrap. Store them in the refrigerator or freezer, and bake when ready according to recipe directions.

The caramel and chocolate are both best made shortly before assembly.

These tarts can be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed up to a week after they’re made. For the best taste and texture, bring to room temperature before serving.

❤️ More Mini Tarts You’ll Love

• Chocolate Raspberry Tarts
• Strawberry Rose Tarts
• Grapefruit Tarts
• Persimmon Almond Rosette Tarts
• Dulce de Leche Swirled Tarts
• Lemon Ginger Ice Cream Tarts
• Pistachio Rose Tarts

Print Recipe

4.89 from 18 votes

Baileys Chocolate Caramel Tarts

These Baileys Chocolate Caramel Tarts are outrageously good! With their crispy and buttery tart shell, Baileys Irish Cream salted caramel filling, and glossy chocolate topping, they are delicious and absolutely gorgeous.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baileys desserts, chocolate tarts, salted caramel

Dessert Type: St. Patrick’s Day Desserts, Tarts

Servings: 7 mini tarts

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Equipment

• Mini tart shells
• Food processor
• Gold Leaf

Ingredients

For the Tart Dough:

• 10 oz all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups)
• 3 oz powdered sugar (3/4 cup)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 oz unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 2 large egg yolks

For the Baileys Salted Caramel:

• 14 oz soft caramels I used Kraft Caramels
• 5 fl oz Baileys Irish Cream liqueur (1/3 cup), see Note below
• ½ tsp salt

For the Baileys Chocolate Ganache:

• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
• 5 fl oz heavy cream (1/3 cup)
• 5 fl oz Baileys Irish Cream liqueur (1/3 cup)
• 1 TBSP light corn syrup
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 oz unsalted butter at room temperature

Optional Decorations:

• Lindt chocolate truffles
• Gold leaf
• Large-flaked sea salt
• Caramel sauce to drizzle

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Tart Dough:

• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse briefly until everything is well-blended.
• Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until it is in small pea-sized pieces.
• Add the egg yolks and pulse in long 5-second bursts until the dough starts clumping together.
• Turn the dough out of the food processor and knead it lightly several times to incorporate any extra flour. At this point, the dough can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days. If you’re ready to use it now, spray seven 4-inch tart shells (with removable bottoms) with nonstick cooking spray.
• Press the dough in an even layer into the bottom and sides of each pan. Place the shells on a baking sheet and freeze them for 30 minutes. While they’re in the freezer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray the tops of the tart dough with nonstick spray, then press a square of foil onto the shells, shiny side down, and fill the foil with dry beans, rice, or pie weights.
• Bake the tart shells for 15-18 minutes, until the sides start to take on a little color and the centers no longer looks raw, then carefully remove the foil and weights. Bake for an additional 7 minutes, until the shells turn golden brown. Let them cool completely before filling.

To Make the Baileys Salted Caramel:

• Unwrap the caramels and place them in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the Baileys and salt. Microwave the caramels in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
• At first they will resist melting, but after 1-2 minutes they will soften and melt together. Switch to a whisk once they start to melt, and whisk the caramel until smooth and free of lumps. Let it cool to room temperature before filling the shells.

To Make the Baileys Chocolate Ganache and Assemble:

• Before you make the ganache, start assembling the tarts. Remove the cooled shells from the tart pans and place them on plates.
• Divide the caramel between the shells—each shell should get about 2-2.5 oz of caramel, coming about halfway up to the top of the shell. Use a small spatula to smooth the caramel into an even layer. Once every shell is filled with caramel, make the ganache:
• Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream, Baileys, corn syrup, and salt into a saucepan and place the pan over medium heat. Bring the cream mixture to a simmer, and once small bubbles appear all along the sides of the pan, pour it over the chopped chocolate in the bowl.
• Let the hot cream soften the chocolate for one minute, then gently whisk them together, until all of the chocolate is melted and your ganache is smooth and shiny. Add the room temperature butter and whisk it into the ganache until incorporated.
• Pour the ganache on top of the caramel in the tart shells, filling each one up to the top. Gently tap the tarts against the counter to smooth out the chocolate and remove any air bubbles.
• If you’re making these in advance and have time, you can let them set at room temperature—this will keep the ganache shiny and will give your chocolate a lusciously soft texture. If you need to speed the process up, refrigerate the tarts until the chocolate is set—this is faster, but the tops of the tarts often get dull during the process of refrigeration and coming back to room temperature.
• Once the chocolate is set, decorate the tops however you’d like—add a sprinkling of large flaked sea salt, a drizzle of caramel, a touch of gold leaf, a chocolate truffle—or all of the above! For the best taste and texture, you DEFINITELY want to enjoy these tarts at room temperature.

Notes

Yield: This recipe yields 7 mini tarts, but they’re very decadent and many people would find half of a tart to be a satisfying dessert. So depending on your audience, this can either feed up to 14 people or 7 very happy people!

Variations:

• • Use another cream liqueur: No Baileys? No problem! You can swap an equal amount of any other cream liqueur that you like.

• • Make it non-alcoholic: If you want to avoid alcohol altogether, substitute an equal amount of heavy cream (5oz) for the Baileys in both the caramel and chocolate recipes. If desired, you can add additional flavoring, like Irish cream flavoring, almond extract, vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, to make up for the lack of Baileys flavor. Flavorings vary in their intensity. I’d start by adding a teaspoon of flavoring to the caramel and chocolate recipes. Taste them and then add more flavoring if needed.

 

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 820kcal | Carbohydrates: 115g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 1230IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 5.2mg

Pin this recipe for later!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Pistachio Frosting

Pistachios may not be the trendiest or most popular dessert ingredient, but I love them. They have a distinctive taste that’s a little sweet, so they go well in many desserts, and that green color makes them such a fun & lively addition to ice creams, cake batters, frosting, and more!

I’ve had the pleasure of making many pistachio desserts over the years, so if you’re as crazy for pistachios as I am (or if you’re just pistachio-curious) start with my pistachio chocolate chunk cookies, this fantastic pistachio cake with blackberry sauce, or decadent pistachio pie with lemon whipped cream.

Or, if you’re on the hunt for green desserts, try my Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse Brownies, Zucchini Cupcakes with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting or Key Lime Pie!

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Pistachio sandwich Cookies

These decadent sandwich cookies combine two fabulous elements:

• chewy, brownie-like chocolate cookies
• creamy pistachio frosting

These cookies are rich and fudgy, with big pockets of melted dark chocolate chunks. They need to be paired with something that’s strong enough to balance our all that gooey chocolate, but won’t overpower it or fight with the flavor. Cue the pistachio!

Pistachios actually appear in two ways in this cookie: as chunks in the cookies themselves, and as flavoring for the fluffy pistachio frosting. The buttercream is light and smooth, with a lovely pale green color and a vibrant pistachio taste. I could eat it on its own by the spoonful, so pairing it with delish chocolate cookies is just the icing on the cake. (Or the frosting on the cookie, if you will…) Read on to learn how to make these cookies!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

To make these chocolate pistachio cookies, you’ll need some common pantry ingredients and a few less-common ones. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.) In addition to the usual baking suspects, here are a few tips when gathering ingredients:

• Chocolate: you’ll want to use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate in this recipe, not milk chocolate. I like to use Pound Plus bars from Trader Joe’s, because they’re a great balance of quality chocolate and reasonable price, but you can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips if they’re good quality. All of the chocolate flavor comes from melted chocolate, so if you use cheap waxy chips, you’ll probably be disappointed in the cookies.
• Pistachio Instant Pudding: this is non-negotiable! Pistachio pudding is what gives the pistachio filling its distinctive flavor and light and fluffy texture. If you cannot find this pudding, there are suggestions for other flavors of cookies you can make in the Variations section down below.
• Pistachios: for the best flavor and texture, use roasted and salted pistachios. I’m partial to already-shelled nuts because I’m a bit (okay, a lot) lazy. If you buy unshelled nuts, make sure you measure the nuts after shelling them.

🥄 Equipment

Great news, sugar heroes — no special equipment required for these babies! All you need are some common cookie tools to make your life easier:

• Cookie scoop: I love this OXO scoop–it’s lasted me for years, and makes perfect-sized cookies, every time! This is especially handy when making sandwich cookies, because you want every cookie to be the same size and shape.
• Baking sheets: Heavy-duty baking sheets will keep the bottoms of the cookies from burning and help cookies bake evenly.
• Parchment paper: I never bake directly on my baking sheets–it’s all about the parchment, baby! Save time and cleanup by using silicone liners or parchment paper when baking cookies.
• Mixer: a stand mixer or a hand mixer will both work in this recipe.

💭 Variations

Pistachios are obviously the heart of this recipe, so it pains me to say this…but if they’re not your jam (or your nut!) you can definitely make other chocolate sandwich cookie flavors instead.

Try swapping out the pistachio instant pudding for another instant pudding flavor, like…

• White chocolate
• Coconut
• Banana
• Butterscotch
• Cheesecake
• Lemon
• …or many more!

Switching the pudding flavor will give you a whole new filling, and then you can roll the sides of the cookies in other chopped nuts, toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles. Check out my Gourmet Homemade Oreos and Mint Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies for more cookie-spiration!

💡 Tips and FAQs  

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

These cookies taste their best within 3-4 days of making them–beyond that, they start to get stale. If you want to make them ahead of time, you can make the components separately and assemble later:

• Make the dough in advance, and portion it out onto a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or parchment. Place in the freezer until the cookie dough balls are frozen.
• Transfer the cookie dough balls into a gallon-size freezer-safe plastic bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.
• When you’re ready to bake the cookies, set them on baking sheets at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to thaw before baking.
• The frosting can be made up to two weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to assemble, let it sit at room temperature until it is soft enough to spread.

💚 More Pistachio Desserts You’ll Love:

• Pistachio-Rose Tarts
• Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
• Pistachio Brownie Tart
• Gluten-Free Pistachio Cake
• Pistachio Orange Cake
• Pistachio Pie

Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies are a delicious twist on classic chocolate chip cookies. They’re slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside, with a great pistachio flavor and lots of melted chocolate chunks.

View Recipe

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

These Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are an upgraded take on the classic cookie. They have ground pistachios right in the dough, so they're sweet, nutty, and perfect for the pistachio lover. Dip them in chocolate to make them ultra-decadent!

View Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Chocolate-Pistachio Sandwich Cookies

These Chocolate Pistachio Sandwich Cookies are a pistachio lover’s dream come true! Chewy, soft chocolate cookies are paired with pistachio frosting to make gourmet Pistachio Oreos.

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Resting Time15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate sandwich cookies, pistachio, sandwich cookies

Dessert Type: Cookies

Servings: 14 sandwich cookies

Author: Elizabeth LaBau

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 1.12 oz all-purpose flour (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 14 oz dark chocolate (2 ⅓ cups), chopped, divided use
• 1.5 oz unsalted butter (3 tbsp)
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 4.6 oz granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 oz roasted salted pistachios (1/2 cup), coarsely chopped

For the Pistachio Frosting:

• 1 box pistachio instant pudding mix (3.4 oz box), do not use not sugar-free
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2.5 oz unsalted butter (5 TBSP)
• 8 oz powdered sugar (2 cups)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 2 oz roasted salted pistachios (1/2 cup), coarsely chopped

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

To Make the Cookies:

• In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside for a moment. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine 10 oz (about 1 2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate and the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Stop heating when there are still a few bits of unmelted chocolate remaining, and continue to stir the chocolate until the residual heat melts the chocolate pieces. Set aside to cool for a few moments.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed for 8-10 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow, fluffy, and voluminous.
• Add the melted chocolate and flour mixtures, and mix on low until almost combined. Stop when just a few streaks of flour remain, and add the remaining chopped chocolate and the pistachios. Stir until everything is well-combined.
• Set aside the dough at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes, to give it a chance to firm up a little. If you refrigerate the dough at this point, it will become very hard, and will need to sit at room temperature to soften before using it.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop the dough by tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. You should get about 24-28 cookies.
• Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they’re puffed and crackly on top, but still soft in the middle. Let them cool completely on the trays before removing them.

To Make the Frosting:

• Sift the dry pudding mix into a large mixing bowl—some brands (like Jell-O) include little bits of nuts, so they need to be sifted out unless you want nuts in your frosting.
• Add the milk to the pudding mix and whisk briefly, then let it sit for 5 minutes to absorb the milk and reduce the graininess of the sugar in the mix. Do not skip the sitting time!
• After 5 minutes, add the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and almond extract to the mixing bowl. Mix everything together with a paddle attachment on low speed, until the powdered sugar is absorbed.
• Raise the speed the medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Adjust the texture by adding more powdered sugar if it is too runny, or more milk if it is too stiff.

To Assemble:

• To assemble the cookies, spread a generous layer of frosting on the bottom of one cookie, and press the bottom of another cookie on top. Press down until the frosting comes all the way out to the edges.
• Immediately roll the edges in some chopped pistachios, and repeat until all sandwich cookies are assembled.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. (They will last longer, but the cookies will start to get hard and stale.)

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 292IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 4mg