Lucy Schaeffer
Italian Rainbow Cookies always catch our eye when we see them packed in a shop or behind a glass counter in a bakery. The truth is that the grocery store version never lived up to our expectations. This, however, surprised us. Almond-flavored cake sandwiched between chocolate with a layer of raspberries and apricot jam. The process for this will take some time, but it is by no means difficult. They just need a lot of chilling, but it also helps you follow your own pace. They stay fresh for days, which makes them great to make ahead of time and they make a lot of it so if you sneak a box or two before you plan to serve them, no one will know! We have a few tips to help make it a success!
Use a stand mixer
If you have it. Stand mixers are more robust than hand mixers and much easier to beat almond paste (not marzipan!) And sugar together. A hand mixer can be used, but it takes longer. You want to try and break up as much of the almond paste as you can here so you don’t end up with chunks in your final product. Beat until they become pea-sized chunks.
A quarter sheet pan helps a lot
We tested this recipe using a 9 “-x-13” pan and quarter sheet and both will work here. The quarter sheet baking sheet is slightly smaller than the 9 “-x-13” baking sheet so you have a slightly thicker layer of cake and because of the shallow side it is a little easier to get the cake layer out of the pan. We know most home cooks are more likely to have 9 “-x-13” pans so we wrote recipes using that. Don’t worry if you don’t have 3 pans. You can bake in batches as needed.
Don’t take too long to rip your layers of cake
Because the cake layer is so thin it can be baked quickly and it’s easy to do. You are looking for a coating that is no longer lustrous and still soft when you poke it gently with your finger. If you overcook it, your coating can become very tough when set, so make sure to pull it off while it’s still soft. They may look a little undercooked, but will continue to harden when cold. Better to withdraw one minute too soon than one minute late.
Tempering your chocolate
This is perhaps the most complex step in the whole process, but it’s worth it. Forging the chocolate will allow you to hold the cake in your hand without it melting on your fingers. The chocolate will hold the warmer temperature for longer, making it better to eat.
You will need an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of your chocolate. Melt 3/4 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Once the chips are completely melted, start checking the temperature. Aim somewhere between 113 ° and 118 °. If necessary, you can microwave it in 5 second bursts to help reach the temperature mark. This will take patience. Once you reach 113 °, you will start to “sprinkle” your chocolate. Do this by adding in the remaining half cup of chocolate chips a little at a time. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted before adding more and check your temperature after each addition. You need to lower the temperature of the chocolate to 89 °. Adding more chocolate and stirring helps it cook quickly which is essential for softening chocolate. If you let it cool down naturally and at room temperature it won’t set properly in the end. This is a method you can use on all chocolate covered desserts, like Oreo Truffles.
If you don’t want to soften the chocolate, you can simply microwave all of the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until chocolate is soft. The chocolate coating on your cake will melt more quickly in your hands, but will still be just as delicious.
Have you tried it? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
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Result:
28
Preparation time:
0
hour
10
min
Total Time:
4
hour
30
min
almond paste, cracked
(2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
granulated sugar, divided
all-purpose flour
preserved apricots, warmed
preserved, warmed raspberries
half-sweet chocolate chips, divided
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- Preheat oven to 350 °. Grease three 9 “-x-13” pans with cooking spray and cover with parchment paper leaving a 2 “leftover on each side. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat almond paste and 1/4 cup sugar until the almond paste lightly breaks into pieces. small and looks crumbly. Add butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and almond extract, beat until combined. Add flour and salt and beat until well blended.
- In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, then put the remaining granulated sugar ¼ cup slowly while beating and continue to beat until stiff. Add about ⅓ of egg whites to the mixture and slowly add until combined, then add the remaining egg whites and continue stirring gently until well blended.
- Divide the dough evenly into 3 separate bowls. Color one bowl of dough red and the other bowl green, leaving the third plain. Add the batter to the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer.
- Bake until it is no longer shiny and feels slightly tender when pressed with fingers, 12 minutes. The cake should begin to peel off the edges and get almost no color. Let it cool for 10 minutes in the skillet, then use the parchment to help lift it and place it on a cooling rack. Cool completely.
- To arrange the cake, place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the green layer, then turn the layers onto the board. Peel off the top parchment paper. Apply warm apricot preservative over the green layer.
- Turn the white layer onto another board and peel off the parchment paper. Slide it slowly over the green layer. Apply warm raspberry preservative over the white layer. Finally, turn the red layer onto another board, peel off the parchment and slowly slide it over the white layer. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the red layer, then place the baking sheet on top of the parchment.
- Weigh the pan with a can and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to coat the chocolate, remove it from the refrigerator when you soften the chocolate. To soften your chocolate, place 1/4 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is smooth and reaches between 113 ° and 118 °. Microwave in 5 to 10 second bursts as needed to reach your desired temperature. Add in the remaining ½ cup of chocolate chips a little at a time, stirring until completely melted between additions. Keep stirring until your chocolate reaches 88 ° or 89 °. You can add more chocolate as needed to help cool your chocolate, making sure the new chips are completely melted before adding more.
- Add about half of your tempered chocolate on top of the red layer, and work quickly so it doesn’t harden, using an offset spatula to spread it over an even layer. Refrigerate until chocolate is completely set, 30 minutes.
- If your chocolate hardens when the first layer cools, microwave in 10 seconds until smooth and chocolate reaches another 89 °. Once the chocolate has hardened, flip it over to another board and spread the remaining chocolate over the green layer. Cool until chocolate is hardened or until ready to serve, another 30 minutes.
- Using a large knife, trim the edges of the cake to get clean sides, then cut it into 28 pieces.
Lucy Schaeffer
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