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–+ servings

Rainbow Cheesecake

All the colors of the rainbow in this cheesecake with orange and lemon zest
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 21 minutes
Cooling Time in Oven 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 51 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 615 kcal

Equipment

  • 10-inch springform pan
  • 7 equal-sized cereal bowls or equivalent
  • 1 11 x 13-inch baking dish filled halfway with water

Ingredients
  

Almond Crust
  • 1 ¼ cups almond flour
  • ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake
  • 2 ½ pounds cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 7 food coloring gels: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and black (See note below)

Instructions
 

Almond Crust
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients together and stir.
  • Grease the bottom and inside ring of the pan. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan.
  • Bake for 6 minutes. Cool.
Cheesecake
  • Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place a pan of warm water on the lowest shelf in the oven.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times to dislodge any unbeaten cream cheese.
  • Mix in the sugar and flour and beat until smooth.
  • Add the lemon and orange zest and the vanilla. Stir just until mixed.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until thoroughly mixed.
  • Stir in the heavy cream and mix until just blended. Do not overbeat.
  • Divide the batter equally between the seven bowls. To the first bowl, add the red gel coloring. To get a deep, rich red color, add approximately 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Red usually takes the most color to make a vibrant red color. Stir well to blend.
  • To the second bowl, add orange gel coloring. Add enough orange gel to achieve the same depth of color as the red batter. Stir until well blended. Add additional coloring as needed.
  • In the third bowl, add yellow gel color. Add enough coloring to reach the same depth as the other two colors. Stir to mix.
  • Add the green gel coloring to the fourth bowl, again matching the color depth as the previous colors. Stir well.
  • In the fifth bowl, add the blue gel color. This color should be vibrant sky blue. Stir well.
  • To the sixth bowl add twice the amount of blue added to the fifth bowl. Stir well. This blue color should be twice as dark as the blue in the previous bowl. If not, add a little more blue gel coloring. Now add a small amount of violet gel coloring and a small amount of black gel coloring. Stir. This color should be a dark indigo color.
  • In the seventh bowl, add violet gel coloring. It should match the depth and vibrancy of the other colors. Stir well.
  • To assemble the cheesecake, start with the red batter and pour it into the center of the crust. Let it spread on its own.
  • Next, pour the orange batter directly on top of the red batter. Do not spread out the batter to prevent the blending of colors. Continue adding the batters (yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) one on the other without spreading them.
  • Bake at 475 degrees F for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for 1 hour. When finished baking, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in it for 2 hours. Do not open the oven door during this time.
  • Remove the cheesecake and let cool. Refrigerate for several hours. Serve cold.

Notes

Wilton colors used:

  1. Red - Red (No Taste)
  2. Orange - Orange
  3. Yellow - Lemon Yellow
  4. Green - Leaf Green
  5. Blue - Royal Blue
  6. Indigo - Royal Blue (double the amount of the previous blue) + Violet + Black
  7. Violet - Violet

Natural Food Colorings

If you prefer to use all-natural food coloring, here are two sources. Click on each name to go to the websites.
Suncore Foods and Ultimate Baker.
These colorings usually make a pastel-colored cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 615kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 12gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 218mgSodium: 353mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 2gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 1588IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 140mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Rainbow Cheesecake, Rainbow Food
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