Easy Unicorn Cake Recipe For Beginners On a Budget

What is a Unicorn cake?

A horse alongside a single horn, the unicorn is a legendary animal. Greatly fascinated by children all over the world, it has found its way to cultures and business markets in the form of new trends. It has been brought into reality in the form of cartoons, clothing, costumes, restaurant menus, birthday cakes, and whatnot. Now, rainbow unicorn cakes are one of the most popular and liked cake themes for children all over the world.

How unicorn cakes got so popular?

The first unicorn cake is thought to be made by Canadian bakers by the name of "Jenna Rae Cakes." They were the ones who brought this unique idea to have a cake that itself becomes the body of the unicorn. At the bottom, they put details that act like chic little eyelashes. The cake's peak was made with creamy swirls that look like a fluttering mane. The ears and the silver horn was the cherry on the top. The cake was highly appreciated and got viral. Since then, this delicious mythical treat is being recreated and enjoyed by massive unicorn lovers. The finished product is so adorable that it is almost too good to eat!

Easy unicorn cake recipe for beginners

While there are many elaborate and complex versions of this cake, we have brought you a one that is easier and within your capabilities. It won't frustrate you and will not make you stay in the kitchen for hours. Also, the design is easier and does not require pro decorative skills. This fun cake can be made by following our below-mentioned unicorn cake recipe for beginners.

• Serves: About 7 to 8 persons.
• Preparation time: 3 hours.
• Cook/ bake time: 15 to 20 minutes.
• The number of ingredients: 13 (including food colors.)

Ingredients:

• For the cake:

1. Two boxes of store-bought vanilla cake mix, prepare it according to packaged box instructions
2. ½ teaspoon of purple gel food coloring
3. ½ teaspoon blue gel food coloring
4. ½ teaspoon of pink gel food coloring

• For the frosting:

1. 1 ½ cup of  unsalted butter, kept at room temperature (approximately 340 grams)
2. 5 cups of finely crushed sugar (approximately 600 grams)
3. One tablespoon of a good quality vanilla extract
4. ¼ cup of milk (approximately 60 ml)

• For cake decorations:

1. One ice cream waffle/cone
2. ½ teaspoon of black food coloring
3. ½ teaspoon of pink food coloring
4. One cup of rainbow-colored sprinkle (200 grams)

Method and directions for the unicorn cake recipe

1. First of all, pre-heat your oven up to 350?Farenhiet (equals to 180?Centigrade).
2. The second step is, in a large bowl, get the cake batter ready as per packaged instructions.
3. Now, divide the batter equally into three separate medium-sized bowls. It will make almost one cup (225 grams) of batter in each bowl.
4. Now start adding a small bit of blue, pink, and purple gel food colors to 3 of the bowls. Keep adding and blending color until a deep shade of each color has been created. Keep an equal portion of batter separately and leave it plain.
5. Now, pour that leftover batter mixture into two round 8-inched (20 centimeters) baking trays. Make sure you line and grease your pans before doing so.
6. Haphazardly, place small amounts of colored batter at random places here and there on top of the plain batter.
7. With the assistance of a wooden toothpick or a skewer, gently mix them together to get a batter looking like marble.
8. Put all three cakes to bake for around twenty minutes or until done. You could check it by embedding a toothpick in the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready. Allow it to cool completely by putting on a wire rack or cooling rack.
9. Take a hand mixer. Mix together butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well until finely combined to make a nice, smooth frosting. Put aside two small bowls of your frosting and dye one with black and the other with pink color.
10. Start assembling the cake. Place one round cake piece on the serving or cake dish and evenly start spreading a portion of plain buttercream frosting on top in the form of a layer. Take the second round piece of cake and put it on top of the first.
11. To make unicorn ears, cut off two small corners of the loaf cake.
12. Begin by spreading the frosting on the inside of the ear. Once done, stick them on the top of the round cakes. Make correct angles by placing them at 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock positions.
13. Now, cover the sides and the top of the cake with the remaining plain buttercream in a way that a semicircle is left at the bottom for the other frosting, i.e., pink. Evenly apply pink buttercream to the semicircle and save some for later use.
14. Take your black frosting and put it into a reseal-able bag. Make a tiny cut off the tip. Then decorate your cake with unicorn's nostrils, eyes, and a smile.
15. Cover that ice cream waffle cone with the leftover pink frosting and rainbow-colored sprinkles. Carefully, put the cone in between the ears and secure it by slightly pushing it inside the cake. You can add more decorations by using rainbow-colored sprinkles on the ears and around the unicorn's horn.
16. Your cake is ready, and it's done. Dig in and Enjoy!

Recipe notes:

1. A soft and fluffy sponge is the key to a perfectly made cake. Follow the instructions carefully while making the cake batter. Whisking sugar and butter together is very crucial to make the cake soft, fluffy, moist, and spongy. Keep whisking them until the mixture turns pale yellow. Because it is then when the air is infused in the mixture, and that is what makes the cake fluffier.
2. Adjust your oven temperatures. In case that the temperature is really low, the cake will take a longer time to bake and will lose the moist. Similarly, if the baking time or temperature exceeds than required, it will also result in a dry and tough crust.
3. Be precise about the quantity and measurements of the ingredients. The use of a kitchen scale is highly recommended and is extremely helpful in achieving consistently good results.