The inspiration for this clay cake comes from this lovely rainbow cake. It looked awesome and I wanted to see if I could make one in clay form! I love these mini cakes and so many people asked me to make one for them that I thought I would post an instructable on how to do them. As with anything, it is the tiny details that make it look realistic, so it is worth taking the time to get right!

Step 1: Gather Materials and Equipment

The clay:

Polymer clay of your favoured brand (I use Sculpey Premo) in the following colours:

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
White - you can buy glittery white or add your own glitter (I prefer to add my own)

Rolling pin
1 1/2 inch / 4cm circle cutter
Steel ruler
Clay sculpting tools
Scraper
Any fixings you wish to use
Fine piping nozzle
Oven and non-stick surface to bake the clay

Step 2: Create the Rainbow Cake Layers

First, you will need to create each of the rainbow layers that make up the inside of the cake. Roll out and cut a circle each of seven rainbow colours, using a circle cutter of 1 1/2 inch or 4cm, to a thickness of approximately 1 1/8 inch or 2-3mm (I use the thickness of a £1 coin as my guide). Stack the rainbow of colours on top of one another in the correct order.

Step 3: Ice Your Cake!

Next, we need to add the white 'icing' that surrounds the cake. I like to add some iridescent glitter to mine, but this is a matter of preference. You can also choose to use glittery clay if you prefer. I like to add my own so that I can control the level of sparkle. For the top and bottom, cut two circles of white clay as you did in the previous step and add them to the top and bottom of the layer cake. Roll a thin strip, trim it to the height of your cake, then roll it around to cover.

Next, you need to smooth away any seam lines where you added the icing. This is why I like Sculpey Premo - it blends very easily.

Step 4: Slice It!

Once you are happy with your cake, it is time for the moment of truth... slice your cake and reveal the layers!

I like to slice mine into six layers to make jewellery and keyrings. If you prefer you can cut out just one slice and leave the rest of the cake intact.

Step 5: Add Fixtures

Next, add any fixings you wish to add. Because I am using my cake slices for jewellery, I am adding an eyelet to each. You can just push an eye pin straight into your cake - I prefer to use a little transparent gel just to ensure that it fixes into place.

Step 6: Texturing the Cake

Next, we need to texture the cake layers so that they look like actual cake. To do this, use a needle or podger to fluff the surface up in tiny circles. Once done, the clay will look like it is made of sponge! Do this for all of the sponge layers, but not the white iced areas.

Step 7: Add Iced Decoration!

You can bake your cake as it is now - but I like to ensure that my cake is properly decorated! Use a small piping nozzle to pipe tiny amounts of icing. I like to add extra glitter into the clay I use for this step. Place carefully onto the top of your slices of cake.

Alternatively, add a few balls of coloured clay or small beads to the top of each slice.

I like to glaze my cake. You can drizzle with liquid gel as-is, but I like to add a tiny amount of powdered art pastel to add a little depth.

Step 8: Bake!

Now, your clay is fully formed, it is time to bake your work! Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your chosen clay. I used a halogen oven at our local makerspace, you can of course use a normal kitchen oven also.

Step 9: Good Enough to Eat!

Once the clay has been removed from the oven and allowed to cool down, your clay rainbow cake is ready! It looks good enough to eat, though it is not of course ;-) I would recommend making multiples because everyone will be asking for them!