Feast your eyes on the newest multicolor item to grace our feeds and our forks: Bouchon Bakery’s rainbow cake is just what we need right now.
The cake, developed by pastry chef Nicholas Bonamico in the summer of 2015, is a nod to both the legalization of same sex marriage and the Italian tricolore cake. Though two years old, Bouchon’s cake is finding itself at the center of renewed attention after a particularly rainbow-friendly summer. And after all this talk of unicorn Frappuccinos and rainbow bagels, I welcome this cake with a poised thumb.
The cake is truly a marvel to observe. The batter is simple (flour, butter, almond paste, eggs) but the result is decadent. Layers of primary color, in all their ROYGBIV splendor, rest delicately one above the other, interspersed with raspberry and apricot jam. On top is a plane of dusted chocolate, the dark final stop on an otherwise colorful affair.
A slice goes for $5.50, but reports say that the slice is as filling as it is flashy and recommend splitting a piece between two. If you can't make the journey, the deluge of Instagrams will just have to do. Or, check out this recipe for the Italian cookies Bouchon has been drawing inspiration from:
Do you want to taste the rainbow? Let us know in the comments.
Valerio is a freelance food writer, editor, researcher and cook. He grew up in his parent's Italian restaurants covered in pizza flour and drinking a Shirley Temple a day. Since, he's worked as a cheesemonger in New York City and a paella instructor in Barcelona. He now lives in Berlin, Germany where he's most likely to be found eating shawarma.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.