Italian Rainbow Cookie Cake

This is hands down my all time favorite cake.  It has always been my favorite cookie and the cake tastes just like the cookie.  I've had these since I was probably 10 years old. There would always be one or two of them added to an assortment of cookies that my uncle would get from a local bakery.  We'd have them on Sunday afternoons after we had our weekly macaroni and meatball dinner at my grandparents home.  My cousin Bobbie and I both love them so we would be waiting anxiously for my uncle to open the box so we could make sure we got our cookie....

I made this cake especially for my middle son Brandon this Christmas.  He loves these cookies just as much as I do.  I surprised him with this cake. He thought it was just a chocolate cake and the expression on his face was priceless when I slowly cut a slice of it and pulled the slice away from the cake.  He dug right in and gave me a thumbs up sign.....said it was "great.....the best cake ever."  Did that make my Christmas? You bet it did!!!!!  I found this on Joanne's food blog and even frantically emailed her while I was making the cake. I was so nervous since I never worked with almond paste before or even much with food coloring for that matter.  The almond paste was a bit of work to grate but thankfully any larger clumps of it did bake right into the cake so there were no clumps.  Only the delicious almond flavor!  Thank you so much Joanne for a delicious cake that I know will always be my favorite!!!

          3 sticks butter, softened
              1 1/2 cups sugar    
              6 large eggs
              12 oz almond paste, grated
              1 tbsp pure almond extract
              3 cups AP flour, sifted
              3 tsp baking powder
              red, green and yellow coloring gels or liquid coloring 
              1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
              1/4 cup apricot preserves
              1 cup heavy cream
              12 oz semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)

Instructions

1. Grease three 9-inch cake pans and line with a round of parchment paper on the bottom.
2. In the base of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat for 3 more minutes. Add the grated almond paste and almond extract and beat until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder then slowly add to the almond paste batter and mix until combined.
4. Separate the mixture evenly into three bowls. Dye each bowl a different shade (one green, one yellow, one red).
5. Pour each color of the mixture into individual pans making sure to smooth out the top. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely.
6. While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache by heating 1 cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan just until bubbles start to form around the edge. Turn off the heat and pour over the chocolate in a large bowl. Stir continuously until melted completely and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
7. Start with the pink layer of the cake and spread with the raspberry jam until it nearly reaches the edges of the cake. Top with the yellow cake. Spread this with the apricot preserves. Top with the final green layer.
8. Use a spoon to pour the ganache over the cake, using an offset spatula to even the sides and make sure the cake is completely covered. Use as much ganache as you need. Let sit at room temperature in a cool spot for 1-2 hours until completely set.