🦄 Unicorn Birthday Cake
This Unicorn Birthday Cake is a magical and colorful showstopper that’s as delicious as it is whimsical! Made with tender vanilla cake layers tinted in rainbow pastels and frosted with creamy vanilla buttercream, it’s finished with a gold horn, fondant ears, and piped buttercream rosettes for the mane. Perfect for unicorn-themed birthdays and celebrations, this cake is fun to make and even more fun to eat!
Equipment
- 3 (6-inch or 8-inch) round cake pans
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Piping bags and star tips (1M or 2D)
- Food coloring gels (pastel shades)
- Offset spatula
- Gold-painted unicorn horn and ears (fondant or edible decorations)
- Cake turntable (optional but helpful)
- cooling rack
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Rainbow Cake Layers:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
- Gel food coloring pink, purple, blue, yellow, etc.
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 1½ cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 –3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Gel food coloring for the mane at least 3–4 colors
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three cake pans with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy (3 minutes).
- Beat in egg whites, one at a time. Add vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
Step 2: Tint and Bake
- Divide batter evenly into 4–5 bowls. Tint each bowl with a different gel food color.
- Spoon dollops of each color into prepared pans to create rainbow or layered effect.
- Bake for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in pans, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Step 3: Make the Buttercream
- Beat butter for 2–3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream, beating until smooth and spreadable.
- Divide into smaller bowls and tint 3–4 portions with different pastel colors for the unicorn mane.
Step 4: Assemble the Cake
- Stack cake layers with a thin layer of buttercream between each.
- Apply a crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes.
- Frost entire cake with white buttercream for a smooth finish.
Step 5: Decorate!
- Insert a fondant unicorn horn and ears on top of the cake.
- Use colored buttercream to pipe rosettes, swirls, and stars around the horn for the mane.
- Use black gel or fondant to draw or place closed eyes with lashes on the front of the cake.
Notes
Use gel food coloring to avoid watering down your batter or buttercream.
A cake turntable makes decorating smoother and more precise.
For best results, use fondant or plastic unicorn horn and ears designed for cake decorating