The unicorn cake is a trendy party go-to as of late. It’s surprisingly easy to make if you know the right technique. Here’s how to get that Pinterest-worthy cake for your next party.
While there are larger and more complex versions of this kind of cake out there, we wanted to create one that was doable and wouldn’t leave you stuck in the kitchen for hours on end. This design is easy to make at home and doesn’t require hard-to-find ingredients or super cake decorating skills.
To give you some decorating options, we made two different unicorn cakes — one with a buttercream exterior (the purple horn), the other covered with fondant (gold horn).
MORE: The Best Hand Mixers of 2019
To make this cake, we layered three round vanilla cake with a sweet buttercream frosting. Once the cake is frosted, we decorated with colorful fondant and sprinkles. To achieve the colorful horn, paint a waffle cone with frosting and roll in the sprinkles of your choice. We chose purple and gold for our two designs.
To make these affordable unicorn cakes, you can start with your favorite white cake recipe (we used Sally’s Baking Addiction’s Vanilla Naked Cake). Add food coloring (we used pink) to color the layers of cake. For the icing, we used Sally’s silky and sweet buttercream frosting.
Looking for other celebration recipes? Try these!
>> Click here to jump straight to the recipe
Make cake batter as directed
Add food coloring to turn the batter into your desired color
Pour cake batter into baking pan lined with parchment paper on the bottom
Spread batter smooth and bake
Begin buttercream frosting by adding butter to mixer
Add confectioner’s sugar and other ingredients to frosting
Mix buttercream to proper consistency for this unicorn cake
Slice a thin layer off the top of each cake to create a flat surface
Remove the top layer of cake
Add a small amount of buttercream to parchment paper on cake stand
Place first cake layer onto frosting on the cake stand
Spread frosting evenly on top of first cake layer of unicorn cake
Place second cake layer on top and repeat frosting
Spread frosting evenly on final cake layer
Apply buttercream frosting to sides of cake
Smooth buttercream on all surfaces and begin decorating, OR…
For a smoother look, place fondant over entire surface of cake
For this method, drape fondant over entire pink unicorn cake
Smooth the fondant down the sides of the cake
Use side of hands to press edges of fondant in at base of cake
Cut excess fondant away from base of the unicorn cake
Remove excess fondant
Seal fondant at bottom of cake
Coat just the top of the cake with buttercream frosting
Roll out a small amount of white fondant for ears
Cut ear shapes out of fondant using cookie cutters
Roll out pink fondant for smaller part of ears
Cut ear shapes from pink fondant
Remove cut out shapes for pink unicorn cake
Apply buttercream frosting to cut out fondant shapes
Stack pink fondant shape on top of white shape to create ears
MORE: Strawberry basil kombucha waffles are brunch perfection for special occasions
For unicorn horn, apply frosting to ice cream cone
Roll cone in sparkly sugar to create the unicorn horn
Make sure entire cone is covered thoroughly with sparkly sugar
Place horn on cake, and cut slits for ears
Insert fondant ears into slits
Apply sprinkles to cake
Place candy sour straps on cake by pressing one end and twisting
Layer candy sour straps to create mane on pink unicorn cake
Apply sugar sprinkles or beads to base of cake
How adorable is this pink unicorn cake?!
More ideas on this theme — and the cake recipe!
If you want more unicorn-themed fun, check out these unicorn noodle spring rolls, some rainbow-colored pasta — plus a huge collection of 100 (free!) magical unicorn coloring pages you can print, and these 10 affordable unicorn crafts!
Pink unicorn cake with buttercream frosting
Yield 12 servings
Ingredients
- 3-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, a tablespoon!)
- 1-3/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 5 drops red food coloring
Vanilla buttercream:
- 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 to 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- 5 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Unicorn decorations:
- 1 package fondant icing
- Pink food coloring
- Black food coloring
- Edible sparkly sugar
- Ice cream cone
- Assorted sprinkles
- Candy sour straps
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pans.
- In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
- Using handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula as needed.
- On medium-high speed, add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula as needed.
- With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in three additions alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, and mixing each addition just until incorporated.
- Add 5 drops red food coloring to turn batter pink. Do not overmix this batter. It should be smooth, velvety and slightly thick.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans. (Each layer will be about 2-2/3 cups.) For extra precision, use kitchen scale and weigh filled cake pans (about 1 pound 6 ounces each.)
- Bake for 25–26 minutes or until cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert toothpick into center of cake. If it comes out clean, it is done.
- Allow cakes to cool completely in pans set on wire rack. Cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- In large bowl, using handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. With mixer on low, add 5-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 5 tablespoons heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt.
- Once moistened, increase mixer to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin. Add 1 tablespoon cream if frosting is too thick. Add pinch more salt if frosting is too sweet. Yield: about 4-1/2 cups frosting.
- To assemble and decorate cake: Using large serrated knife or cake slicer, slice thin layer off tops of cakes to create flat surface. (Save these cake scraps to crumble over ice cream.)
- Place 1 cake layer on cake stand, turntable or serving plate. Spread 1-1/2 cups of frosting evenly on top.
- Top with another cake layer and evenly cover top with 1-1/2 cups of frosting.
- Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting on top and all around sides using an icing spatula. For light layer of frosting, use bench scraper to smooth out frosting on sides of cake.
- Dust flat surface with powdered sugar. Knead small amount of white fondant until smooth. Using rolling pin, roll out fondant until 1/4-inch thick. Place 1 cookie cutter in shape of leaf (ear) on dough. Press out two pieces. Set aside.
- Wearing gloves (to prevent staining on skin), color small amount of white fondant with pink food coloring. Cut out two smaller sized leaves (ears) with cookie cutter, making two smaller pieces.
- Spread bottom of smaller leaf (ear) with a bit of reserved buttercream. Press in center of larger leaf. Repeat process, turning other leaves in opposite direction to resemble unicorn ears.
- Add black food coloring to very small portion of fondant. Roll out very thinly to create two lines, and four eyelashes.
- Dab frosting all over pointed ice-cream cone. Place edible sparkly sugar on plate and roll ice cream cone in sugar.
- Place cone on center of cake top as a horn.
- Place ears next to horn, one on each side.
- Add generous amount of assorted sprinkles (we used Fancy Sprinkles) to top of cake.
- Add candy sour straps to top and sides of cake, placing straps twisted and flowing from top to bottom of cake. Form curly mane, pushing through buttercream frosting to secure.
- Place 1 line of black fondant on cake to make eye, then add two smaller pieces above eye to create eyelashes.
- Add generous amount of assorted sprinkles in various sizes around base of cake, extending up about 2 inches.
- Refrigerate cake for 2 to 3 hours or up to 1 day before slicing and serving. If chilling for more than a few hours, loosely cover with plastic wrap after 1 hour of refrigeration. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Make ahead tip: You can store baked, cooled cake layers overnight at room temperature, tightly covered -- same with frosting. Assemble and frost cake next day when you are ready to serve. Frosted cake can be refrigerated for up to 1 day and frozen up to three months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Make your own buttermilk: You can substitute whole milk mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice for buttermilk.
Courses Desserts
Unicorn cake is even better with our healthier homemade Wendy’s Frosty! Bonus: We show you how to dye it rainbow colors!