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Unicorn Cake Design
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Unicorn Cake Design

This Unicorn Cake Design is simple and it's the perfect cake for special occasions, such as a child’s birthday or a whimsical baby shower.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword birthday cake, cake, unicorn
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 736kcal

Equipment

  • Offset spatula
  • Piping bags and tips
  • Cake pan set
  • Blue powder
  • Red powder
  • Unicorn horn cake topper and eyelashes

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • cup milk
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Frosting:

  • 1 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
  • 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pink frosting color: 2 teaspoons beetroot powder or more if desired

    Blue frosting color: 2 teaspoons butterfly pea powder or more if desired

      Purple frosting color: 1 teaspoon each butterfly pea powder and beetroot powder or more if desired

        Instructions

        • Preheat the oven to 350°f.
        • In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
        • Add the milk and sour cream and whisk to combine.
        • In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
        • Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until it becomes smooth batter.
        • Coat the two 6” cake pans with shortening or butter and then evenly divide the batter between the pans.
        • Place the pans on a baking sheet for convenience and bake at 350°f for 20 minutes. Test the center of the cakes with a toothpick to be sure they’re fully cooked. Or they should spring back when gently pressed in the center with your finger.
        • Once baked, remove and set aside to completely cool before removing the cakes from the pans.

        Frosting

        • While the cakes are cooling, whip the butter in a mixing bowl until creamy.
        • Gradually beat in 3 cups of the confectioner’s sugar, and half of the cream until whipped and creamy.
        • Quickly beat in the vanilla and then increase the speed to high and whip the frosting for 5 minutes.

        Decorate

        • Divide the frosting in half. Cover and set aside 1 half.
        • Divide the other half into thirds. You will use each third to make the pink, blue, and purple frosting colors.
        • To mix the pink color, add the beetroot powder 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired color has been reached.
        • Blue color, add butterfly pea powder 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired color has been reached.
        • Purple color, add 1 teaspoon beetroot and 1 teaspoon butterfly pea, and until the desired color has been reached.
        • Divide the remaining white buttercream into thirds and set aside ⅓ of it for any touching up later on.
        • Once the cakes are fully cooled, use a cake or bread knife and slice off the dome center of the cakes making them flat on top.
        • Place the bottom layer on a flat surface such as a cake plate or cardboard round. Add a dollop of white frosting and evenly spread to a 1/2” thickness.
        • Flip the other cake upside down and place it on top of the filling.
        • Completely frost the two layers of cake with a thin layer of white buttercream frosting. You can freeze the cake for about 30 minutes at this stage. It will make the additional decorating a bit easier - but it isn’t necessary for the decorating process.
        • Add more buttercream frosting to thicken the layer and form the base of your cake.
        • Insert the cake topper in the center of the cake. Place the eyelashes on the front of the cake - center to the cake topper. I used tweezers for this.
        • To pipe the unicorn mane, add the three colored frostings to the piping bags and use decorative piping tips.
        • For the pink, and purple, I used the drop flower piping tip. For the blue, I used the small round tip.
        • Pipe in a large rounding motion, to create a large, round flower.
        • Slowly continue to pipe the frosting colors in the open spaces until they have been filled to your liking.
        • Continue to pipe floral dots flowing from the back of the topper down and swooping to one side as a mane would lay. Randomize the placement of the colors.
        • Chill until ready to serve.

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1g | Calories: 736kcal | Carbohydrates: 102g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 85g | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbohydrates: 41g