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unicorn cake

🦄 Unicorn Cake Recipe – A Magical Birthday Treat

This Unicorn Cake is a whimsical, colorful, and fun centerpiece perfect for birthdays and special celebrations. It’s a layered vanilla cake with rainbow-colored buttercream, decorated with a unicorn horn, ears, eyes, and a swirled mane. Both kids and adults will adore this magical creation!
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Decorating Time 1 hour
Course Dessert, Celebration Cake
Cuisine American
Calories 650 kcal

Equipment

  • 3 (8-inch) round cake pans
  • electric mixer
  • Mixing bowls
  • Offset spatula
  • Piping bags and star tips
  • Gel food coloring
  • Fondant tools or cutters

Ingredients
  

For the Vanilla Cake (3 layers):

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole milk

For the Buttercream Frosting:

  • 2 cups unsalted butter softened
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 4 –5 tbsp heavy cream or milk
  • Gel food coloring pink, purple, blue, yellow, etc.

Decorations:

  • Gold fondant unicorn horn
  • White fondant ears
  • Edible eyes or black icing
  • Sprinkles or edible glitter

Instructions
 

Step 1 – Make the Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch cake pans.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.
  • Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the batter, starting and ending with flour. Mix until combined.
  • Divide batter evenly into the pans and bake for 25–30 minutes. Let cakes cool completely.

Step 2 – Make the Frosting:

  • Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar gradually.
  • Mix in vanilla and cream. Beat until fluffy.
  • Divide into bowls and tint each portion with gel food coloring.

Step 3 – Assemble:

  • Stack the cake layers with white frosting between each layer.
  • Apply a crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes.
  • Pipe colorful swirls of frosting on top and down one side as the unicorn mane.
  • Add fondant ears, horn, and pipe on the eyes with black icing.

Notes

Use gel coloring for vibrant tones without thinning the frosting.
Chill the cake before decorating for better stability.
Make the horn and ears 1 day ahead so they harden.