Tiffanie Nickkia Bonneau (New York, New York)
Yields 1 Bundt cake
My family is originally from Saint Croix in the Virgin Islands. As a child, I remember my grandmother making this beautiful, four-colored cake for everyone’s birthday. She called it the “rainbow cake.” It has a strong almond flavor and vibrant colors. Red is used for the radiance of Saint Croix, yellow for the shining sun, green for the lush hills, and blue for the crystal blue waters. Now, my family resides in a section of New York City called Harlem, along with many other Caribbean families who migrated to the Northeast.
3 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons shortening
2 cups sugar
1 (3 oz.) box instant French vanilla-flavored pudding mix
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream (or ½ pint heavy cream)
2 tablespoons pure almond extract
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Red, yellow, green, and blue food coloring gel
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add shortening, sugar, instant pudding, eggs (one at a time), sour cream, and extracts. Continue creaming the ingredients together. Add the flour mixture gradually (½ cup at a time). Evenly distribute the prepared batter into four bowls. Using a toothpick, put a different color dot of each food coloring into each of the bowls. Stir each until well blended. Spray bundt pan generously with baking spray; evenly pour the bowls, side by side, around the pan. Put in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.