Rainbow Dessert Recipes You Have To Try

Rainbow desserts don't just exist to taste good. They also inject pure delight into any occasion where they're being served. Just try not to smile when slicing into a cake that has six different brightly colored layers. Not to mention that the bigger and brighter the dessert, the more attention it's going to get on social media. Rainbow cakes, funfetti baked goods, and sprinkle-covered everything has taken over the baking world, and we couldn't be more delighted about it.

If you've been thinking about making a rainbow-inspired dessert but don't have a recipe to follow, we've got you covered. Here we've rounded up the most popular rainbow cakes, desserts, and everyday treats to make your most colorful dreams come true. If cake is your thing, we've got instructions for a rainbow funfetti cake, a six-layer rainbow cake, and a copycat Costco sheet cake that you can dress up with all of the colorful sprinkles your heart desires. There are also recipes for a fantastic cookie cake with rainbow sprinkles, better-than-the-original copycat Pop-Tarts, adorable cake pops, and brightly colored rice crispy treats made with ultra-colorful Fruity Pebbles. Grab your rainbow sprinkles, and let's go!

Rainbow cakes have completely taken over social media, which is no surprise given that the bright and gorgeous cakes are ultra-Instagrammable. Ideal for birthdays, but really for anything you're excited to celebrate, a rainbow cake can be made with the classic six colors or customized with colors of your choice. Once you master the rainbow, you can even give a gradient ombre effect a try.

While a six-layer cake may make you nervous in the kitchen, this recipe simplifies the steps to take the stress out of creating your next cake masterpiece. The cake-making process consists of whisking together all of the dry ingredients, then stirring the wet ingredients into the mix. Once the batter is done, you'll divide and dye it with food coloring to create the rainbow layers. 

Finally, you'll whip the frosting together, then fill and frost the cake before decorating it with your favorite rainbow sprinkles. You'll want to set aside a few hours to bake all of the layers and let them cool before frosting — don't frost warm layers, unless you want to see the frosting melt before your eyes. Slicing into the cake to reveal the impressive rainbow layers is going to be an absolute show-stopper.

Rice crispy treats are incredibly nostalgic for many people, quite possibly being one of the first desserts you learned how to make from scratch, since it's typically only made with two or three ingredients: cereal, melted marshmallows, and a bit of butter. Finding one tucked into a lunchbox or making a batch to take to a birthday party was once the highlight of your day. Why shouldn't you relive a little bit of that joy? These homemade rice crispy treats are all that and more with the addition of colorful Fruity Pebbles to the mix.

Just in case you've forgotten just how easy it is to make a batch of these childhood favorites, the main ingredients include butter, mini marshmallows, Rice Krispies cereal, and in this recipe, Fruity Pebbles cereal. Simply melt, stir, and spread the mixture out on a flat surface. Then exercise a little bit of patience while it cools and solidifies before cutting it into squares. This fruity and vibrant twist on the classic is perfect for any celebration that needs a little flair or even a weekday that needs a little brightening up.

The glory days of childhood birthday parties in the backyard call to you with every bite of this easy-to-make funfetti cake. But you don't have to be turning seven to enjoy the rainbow sprinkles mixed into the batter. It's pretty much guaranteed to delight you at 37 and 87 years old as well, not to mention any age. Best of all, you'll probably be happy to learn that there are no secret ingredients. And, as an added bonus, this one-bowl recipe comes together quickly and easily with a minimum of dishes at the end of the process.

Laid out in a simple step-by-step format, you'll be able to whip up a two-layer, 8-inch cake in about 45 minutes (plus a little more time for cooling your cake). If you bake semi-regularly, you may even have most of the ingredients on hand already. 

Ultimately, you don't even need a reason to make a funfetti cake. Chances are, if you make the cake, a celebration of some kind will ensue. Or just make it to celebrate yourself and have a slice every day to remind yourself how awesome you are for making such a deliciously fantastic cake.

If you're the kind of person who can't resist picking up one of those birthday cake pops in line at Starbucks to go along with your daily brew, it's time you learned just how convenient it is to make them yourself. This cake pops recipe takes you through the process of baking a vanilla funfetti cake, mixing your frosting, assembling and shaping the cake pops, and finally, dipping and decorating each one for an impressive final product. It's all much easier to achieve than you might think.

If you'd like to cut a few steps out of the process, you're welcome to use boxed funfetti cake mix and frosting, but the cake recipe comes together quickly for those who want to try to make to whole deal from scratch. These cake pops decorated with rainbow sprinkles will also look fabulous on a dessert table for your next celebration or can even be given as a sweet birthday gift to someone with great taste.

We don't know about you, but every time we walk by the cookie cake shop in the mall, all we can do is anxiously to count the days till our next birthday. If a traditional cake isn't really your favorite indulgence, go with what you really love and celebrate with a giant chocolate chip cookie for your next birthday instead. This cookie cake has rainbow sprinkles actually mixed into the cookie dough to make it a festive funfetti cookie cake.

What's even better about all of this is the fact that you can decorate it with as much or as little frosting as you'd like. While this recipe calls for a classically decorative cake frosting border, topped with a few more rainbow sprinkles, feel free to use your imagination when decorating your cookie. Or make decorating it a fun DIY project for everyone involved. This slightly unconventional birthday cake might just be your new favorite way to celebrate.

Depending on where you're from, you may not have encountered fairy bread before. Originally from Australia and New Zealand, fairy bread is a popular treat often served at kids' birthday parties and tea parties. An uncomplicated confection made with slices of white bread, soft butter, and multi-color sprinkles makes this magical treat come to life. 

But you don't need a special occasion to have fun making this fairy bread recipe. Surprise the little ones in your life with fairy bread for breakfast instead of toast. Or collect a variety of sprinkles, colored sugars, and cookie cutters for a no-fuss afternoon activity that ends with a sweet treat. Since the final product gets eaten, this project will cut your cleanup time in half at least. For ideas on how to customize your fairy bread, recipe developer Stephanie Rapone suggests using cookie cutters to trim the bread into shapes or be used as stencils for the sprinkles and colored sugar.

There's no denying that part of the attraction of Pop-Tarts is the hit of colorful frosting on top of an otherwise already pretty sweet and buttery breakfast pastry. More like a hand pie than a classic French tart, Pop-Tarts have been on the market and making lightning-fast breakfasts possible since 1964. With over 28 flavors available in the United States, plus limited-edition flavors and additional spin-off products, Pop-Tarts are clearly a favorite that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

With that widespread love for Pop-Tarts in mind, this recipe for copycat Pop-Tarts will absolutely delight you and anyone you serve them to. The recipe shows you how to make the pastry dough from scratch with only four ingredients, followed by instructions on how to fill, bake, and frost your copycat Pop-Tarts for a colorful and exciting homemade Pop-Tart experience. The best part is that you can customize the filling and frosting to recreate your favorite flavors or make an entirely new breakfast pastry with your own special fillings.

If you've been lucky enough to have a slice of Costco's famous sheet cake at an office party or other function with a large number of people to feed, you probably already know why they're so popular. If you haven't had a piece, know that it's one of the fluffiest, butteriest, creamiest, cakes known to humankind — at least if you ask one of this cake's many, many fans. But, at least for American shoppers, you can only get it in full sheet form and two flavors. So, unless you're planning on eating or serving 100 slices, you might want to take a look at this brilliant copycat Costco sheet cake recipe. That way, you can make yourself a small version of the real deal at home.

This recipe makes two layers of delicious yellow cake, as well as a vanilla pudding style mousse for the irresistible filling in the cake. Finally, it's topped with a sweet vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles to give it a final festive touch. For a truly authentic Costco look, you'll want to pipe a border on the top and base of the cake. However, if that's a skill set you aren't entirely comfortable experimenting with on this recipe, we're sure everyone will still eat all of the cake and probably ask for seconds.