Italian Rainbow Cookies

Italian Rainbow Cookies are more like a small cake slice- they are so pretty and delicious and I think they’re the perfect holiday treat. These cookies are made up of tri-colored almond cake layers that get sandwiched together with raspberry jam (or apricot, or both), and then topped with melted chocolate.

If you’re a fan of almond flavored desserts, this one is for you. It’s a little bit of a process to put the whole thing together, but you end up with lots of beautiful cookies (cakes?) that taste and look amazing. Let’s get to it!

How to Make Italian Rainbow Cookies

This is a fairly classic recipe, and I’ve adapted a version from Serious Eats to be high-altitude-friendly for this one. I don’t always adapt from another recipe, but in this case Italian Rainbow Cookies are made in a pretty standard way across most recipes that I found, so I knew I wanted to start with a classic method. This recipe uses pretty standard ingredients with a couple of additions- almond paste, food coloring, and cake flour.

We’re starting off by whisking together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder until well combined. Cake flour can get a little clumpy sometimes, so be sure to whisk everything together well at this stage. Then it’s time to beat together the sugar, almond paste, and butter.

Since almond paste can clump up, you want to really give this mixture a few minutes to come together into almost a thick paste itself with no clumps of almond paste running through it. Then it’s time to start adding in your eggs one at a time, being sure to mix well between each addition. Be sure to scrape down your bowl a few times during this process.

Then add in your vanilla and almond extracts and the milk and mix until everything is just combined. From there it’s time to beat in the flour mixture until you have a smooth, well-combined batter. You want to avoid over mixing at this stage, but there should be no big lumps in the batter.

Divide the batter into three bowls and color one bowl of batter red and one bowl green, leaving the last third uncolored. You can either bake the cakes in batches in one 13×9 inch cake pan or quarter sheet pan, or if you have three pans you can bake all three at once. Spread each color of batter into the pan in a thin but even layer and bake until the cake is set.

Be sure to cool the cake layers completely before filling them with jam. I like to do this on a large sheet pan so it’s easy to move the cookies into the fridge to chill. You want to start with the red layer of cake and then add a thin layer of jam before topping it with the white cake layer and repeating the process. Top the cookies with the green layer, and then wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap to chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Finally, we’re spreading the chocolate over the top of the green layer and letting it cool completely. Optionally, you can use a fork to make little squiggly designs before the chocolate is fully set.

To cut the cookies, I recommend running a large knife under hot water, and then drying it off between each cut. The process takes a little time, but warming the knife will help you cleanly cut through the set chocolate layer, and if you don’t do it, the chocolate layer will crack in wonky patterns. And then you serve and store these cookies at room temp.

Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for High-Altitude Italian Rainbow Cookies

Here are some tips and tricks to help you along the way!

• Do I have to use almond paste? Yes, the recipe was developed using almond paste and I do not recommend substituting it. It is pretty readily available in grocery stores in my neck of the woods, or it’s easy to find online!
• My almond paste only came in a 7oz package. That’s ok, you can simply use 7 oz in your cakes without any noticeable difference in quality or texture.
• Why does the recipe call for vanilla and almond extracts? The flavor combo of using both extracts is really lovely and balanced. If you prefer, you can omit the vanilla extract here for a more almond-forward flavor.
• Do I have to use cake flour? Yes, I would recommend cake flour here as it has a big impact on the texture of this cake, and the protein levels vary dramatically from all-purpose flour. I have not tested this recipe using all-purpose flour.
• Can I make these if I only have one pan? Yes, you can bake the layers in batches if needed, cleaning your pan and re-lining with parchment between each bake.
• How do I know when the layers are finished baking? The cake layers should be lightly golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer should come out clean.
• Do I have to use raspberry jam? No, you can use any jam you like. It’s very common to use apricot for one layer and raspberry for the other, but I went raspberry for both layers in mine.
• Do I have to use dark chocolate? I would recommend using dark or semi-sweet here to balance the sweetness of the cake.
• Do I have to chill them before topping with chocolate? Yes, you want the layers to have some time to set completely and cool down so they are easy to slice into cookies.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

High-Altitude Italian Rainbow Cookies

Servings 48 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1 8 oz package almond paste cut into small pieces
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tbs. milk
• Red & green food coloring
• 3/4 cup raspberry jam
• 8 oz chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line three quarter-sheet pans with parchment paper, three 13×9 inch cake pans, or simply use one pan and bake in batches.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder, and then set this mixture aside.
3. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the butter, almond paste, and sugar. Beat this mixture on medium speed for about 6-10 minutes, or until the mixture is lightened in color and the almond paste is well combined throughout.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts along with the milk.
5. Add in the flour mixture, mixing until just combined and using a spatula to ensure there are no dry pockets of flour remaining.
6. Divide the batter into three equal portions- this doesn’t have to be perfect but you can weigh the batter if preferred.
7. Color one of the portions of batter red- you want to get a fairly deep color here, but the amount of food coloring can vary based on the type of coloring you use. Stir until just combined and worked through. Repeat this process with another portion, making it green. Leave the third portion uncolored.
8. Spread each portion of batter into a prepared pan (or bake the portions one at a time, cleaning and re-greasing and lining the cake pan each time).

9. Bake the layers for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.

10. Once the layers have cooled completely, carefully remove the red layer from the pan and transfer it to a large baking sheet and remove any parchment liners. Spread a thin layer of the jam all over the cake layer.
11. Repeat the process with the white cake layer and then the green cake layer on top with no jam on top of this layer. Wrap the entire pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill the cake for at least two hours.
12. Once the layers have chilled, melt your chocolate by placing it into a microwave safe bowl and cooking for 30 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted.
13. Spread the chocolate into an even thin layer over the top of the green cake layer. Let the mixture set for about 10 minutes before using a fork to make lines in the chocolate layer. Let the chocolate set for about 30 minutes or until it’s completely cooled and hardened.
14. Slice off the edges of the bars to make clean edges for each cookie, and then slice as desired. To get clean cuts, clean off your knife with hot water and dry off between each cut- this will help you slice through the chocolate easily. You want your cookies to be about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Enjoy!

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!