I've been admiring these cupcakes ever since I saw them posted: http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1735450

So thought I'd take them to work tomorrow as a birthday shout. I have also been dying to try out the rainbow cake mixture.

So I made some rainbow cupcakes. I learnt that I should probably have only used four colours instead of five, as there didn't appear to be enough of each colour for the twelve cupcakes. I also found that (as expected) the yellow batter messed with the colours, but I have not been successful at finding a white batter recipe.

As you can see from the photo, they only bear the remotest resemblance to the ones I have been admiring. And the rainbow looks naff. Despite there being the same amount of green batter as every other colour, they're mostly green. And to be honest they don't taste that hot either, I'm telling myself it's due to the food colours.

Is there anything you can tell me that might help me do better next time, either in regards to the rainbow thing, or the froggie thing? I'm pretty sure my tips weren't right, it looks like the ones I admired were made with a bigger tip, but I used the biggest one I had. Also I'm aware that her eyes were better, but this was a last minute thing, I had nothing laying about to make them similar looking. I don't really think white eyes would have saved them though, to be honest. The piping was my downfall....

I'm no pro, but I will try to offer a few suggestions.
For a WHITE batter, you will have to use egg whites, as opposed to whole eggs. The yolk is going to make your batter slightly yellow. I have tried the rainbow layered cake myself, and a few cupcakes as an experiment and the colors turned out fine. I DID use yolks, so not sure what to tell you about that. I just wanted to let you know how to make it white, if thats what you are looking for. I wouldn't imagine that the food coloring would make them taste bad exactly. I didn't have any issues with taste. I used a regular vanilla WASC recipe, and it tasted exactly the same with and without dye.
Personally, I would use only 3-4 colors max on a cupcake, since they are so small. You'll get more definition of color that way. It does look like the tip that the original poster used for the frogs was a large round tip. It also appears that the OP's frosting was a bit stiffer than yours, thus holding it's shape better. The piping problems can only be solved one way though. =) Best of luck to you. It does get easier!

Oh, by the way, I think your rainbow looks cool. It looks like tie-dye! I like it.

i think you have identified the difference your self - a different sized tip and the piping, and having the white for the eyes. just wondering if your bc was maybe a bit soft as well?

rainbow cakes... only done a few, usually single coloured cupcakes. did a large rainbow cake and the same thing happened with the batter as with your cupcakes. dont know how or why! but i figure rainbow cake, who cares!
as for the taste, try natural food dyes, or using fruit, berries for red, oranges for the orange sort of thing. weaker colours, and a fruitier taste, so you need to weigh up what you want.
xx

Thanks ladies...

I have been wondering about the egg thing. I lived in America for about a year and a half, and quite a few foods were different. For example the cheese is almost orange compared to our cheese, and the butter is almost white compared to ours (which is very yellow). And the eggs yolks weren't as orange either, so I'm wondering if my egg yolks and butter might be letting me down. But I'm glad to hear that using egg whites on their own is an option. I've no idea what the yolks contribute to the recipe?

Also I have seen the WASC acronym come up quite a few times, this is the first time I've taken notice. I shall have to hunt down the recipe, sounds yummy.

I have never thought about using a different buttercream recipe, I only know one!! Do people use different ones for different purposes?

What bc recipe do you use? To make bc stiffer you normally just add more sugar, u don't need to switch recipes.

Interesting factoid - happier healthier hens (as free range rather that caged or factory) = yellower yolks.
xx

I've made the Tye Dye cupcakes a few times with a regular white cake mix and they always tuen out fine!!They will for you too!!

1/2 cup butter, 3 cups icing sugar, boiling water as needed. Beat until fluffy.

The ladies at my local cake shop told me that their motto when it comes to icing is 'simple is best', and this is about as simple as it gets! Is there another recipe that is generally accepted as the tried and true, best buttercream recipe, or do most folk just go their own way?

Perhaps I added too much boiling water.

I think you're right about the eggs, my Mother keeps a couple of chooks, and their yolks are blindingly orange compared to the free-range ones I buy at the supermarket. It's been a long time since I cracked a battery hen egg, I can't bring myself to buy them.