Briana Milner If you have a special little one in your life (like we do), they would be surprised and delighted to have their very own unicorn cake as the centerpiece at their next birthday party!
If you want flavor and freshness, forget about a box cake mix, and make your next cake from scratch.
Making a cake from scratch is easier than you think!
This classic vanilla cake is light, fluffy, moist and delicious, and then it is covered in a buttercream frosting that is rich and creamy, but not overly sweet, and very easy to spread. Even if you have not tried baking a cake from scratch before, you may be surprised at how simple it is, and the flavor and freshness is so much better than any box mix.
This recipe is for a simple, yet elegant, vanilla cake which is then covered with a smooth and sweet buttercream frosting. Butter cream frosting works great for layered cakes and can be colored or have flavors added to make your cake the perfect dessert for any occasion. Because the frosting is creamy, it makes it very easy to spread onto your cake. I have included detailed directions for piping the unicorn’s mane.
What size is this cake?
The unicorn cake recipe is for a 2-tier, 6-inch cake.
This Unicorn Cake is made with 100% natural food dyes!
There are no food dyes used in the recipe as we have taken food dyes from our family’s diet, so you will see the unicorn colors are made completely from 100% natural food-based ingredients!
The health benefits of natural food coloring powders are many. They contain vitamins and minerals, do not cause allergies, do not contain harmful chemicals found in synthetic dyes, provide multiple benefits to you and your family’s overall health, and are a healthy alternative to artificial food coloring. The colors used in the unicorn’s mane are beetroot which is sweet and butterfly pea powder which is mildly sweet and similar to chamomile. But with the flavoris of the cake and buttercream, you won’t be able to taste any of these! I served this cake at my 4 year old daughter’s birthday party, and she never noticed!
Notes to make your cake a success!
For a fluffier cake, make sure all cold ingredients have been brought to room temperature.
Springform pans can “leak” so it is important to use regular cake pans.
Cake flour can be used, though the flavor is better when all-purpose flour is used.
Cool the cake completely before frosting.
After you have frosted the cake, refrigerate for at least one hour to let the frosting set. The cake will slice easier and with less crumbs.
Baking powder – to test the freshness of your baking powder, pour 1/4 cup boiling water over 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. If the mixture bubbles, the baking powder is good; if it doesn’t bubble, it is time to replace the baking powder.
Can my unicorn cake be made ahead of time?
Absolutely! In fact, that’s my preferred way of preparing a cake. If I make a cake for a birthday party, doing it the day of is just too much!
Unfrosted cakes can be wrapped and refrigerated overnight until you are ready to add the frosting. Unfrosted cakes can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months. To freeze, wrap the cake in two layers of plastic wrap, then add one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Thaw overnight and bring to room temperature before decorating.
Baking comparisons:
Cupcakes – this recipe makes 16-20 standard size cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Mini cupcakes – the recipe makes 30-36 mini cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-14 minutes
8″ x 8″ square pan – bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes
Do you prefer to use food coloring?
No problem! If you prefer, you can use food coloring that you purchase at the store, or may already have in your pantryI. I suggest using only a few drops at a time until you reach your desired color.
Ingredients:
Cake:
Granulated sugar – works best for this recipe
Large eggs – for a fluffier texture in your cake, eggs should be at room temperature before adding them to the recipe
Vanilla Extract – vanilla extract gives the cake a better flavor
Sour cream – it’s best to use regular sour cream instead of light to keep your cake thicker and fluffy
Baking powder – to make sure the baking powder is fresh, pour 1/4 cup boiling water over 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. If the mixture bubbles, the baking powder is good; if it doesn’t bubble, it is time to replace the baking powder.
Salt – table salt is best in this recipe
Milk – room temperature will provide the fluffier texture in the cake. I suggest using whole milk as the fat will give your cake a fluffier texture.
Frosting:
Salted butter – softened
Confectioner’s sugar – finely powdered sugar used for frostings and icings
Unicorn mane:
Pink: Beetroot powder
Blue: Butterfly pea powder
Purple: equal parts beetroot powder, and butterfly pea powder
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
In another mixing bowl, combine and mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually mix the dry ingredients Into the wet ingredients…
… until a smooth batter remains.
Spray the two 6” cake pans with oil and pour the evenly divided amount of batter in each. Place the pans on a baking sheet for convenience…
… and cook at 350°f for 20 minutes. Test the center of the cakes with a toothpick to be sure they’re fully cooked. Once cooked, remove and set aside to completely cool before removing cakes from the pan.
While the cakes are cooling, add the butter, 3 cups of confectioners sugar, and half of the cream and vanilla.
Mix until creamy, gradually adding and alternating the remaining sugar, cream, and vanilla. Once the ingredients are mixed, increase the speed to high and whip the frosting for 5 minutes. Divide the frosting in half. Set aside 1 half. Divide the other half into thirds. You will use each third to make the pink frosting, blue frosting, and purple frosting.
To mix the pink color, add beetroot powder 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired color.
To mix the blue color, add butterfly pea powder 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired color.
To mix the purple color, add 1 teaspoon beetroot, and 1 teaspoon butterfly pea, and until the desired color. Divide the remaining 1/2 of the white buttercream by removing 1/3 and setting aside for mess-ups.
Once cakes are fully cooled, using a cake or bread knife slice off the risen center of the cakes making them flat-topped.
Place the bottom layer on a flat surface. Add a dollop of white frosting and evenly spread leaving a 1/2” thickness. Flip the other cake upside down and on top of the frosted cake. Completely frost the two layers of cake with a thin layer of white buttercream frosting.
Smooth frosting as desired but maintain the edges of the cakes. Now apply 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 in 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 piping bags and use decorative piping tips. For the pink, and purple, I used the drop flower piping tip that comes in the set. For the blue, I used the small round tip. Start with pink. Pipe and use a large rounding motion, and front to create a large, round flower. Next with the purple. I piped using slow motion squeezing a little of the frosting out of the piping bag onto the cake until it was a small flower. Use the purple to fill in where the pink didn’t.
Last for the blue, use the round tip. Use a similar process as the purple to create a dot. Use the blue to fill in spots where the pink and purple aren’t.
Continue to pipe floral dots flowing from the back of the topper down and swooping to one side as a lane would lay. Randomize the placement of the colors.
Serve this cake at your next magical party!
My grocery list!
Supplies I used!
To mix it up!
I used my KitchenAid to mix up my cake mix, frosting, and cream from the cookies together. This is the one I use! If you don’t have a stand mixer, and hand mixer will do just fine!
Cake Pans
For this recipe, you will be able to make 2 – 6 inch cake pans. If you want to exact, you can place a bowl on a food scale, zero it out, weigh it by oz, then divide by two. Then place one cake pan on the your food scale, zero it out, and fill it to the final oz weight. Then fill the remaining cake batter in the second cake pan. These are the can pans I used!
I love having extra bowls on hand for my KitchenAid. This is the one I use in addition to the silver bowl.
Unicorn Cake Topper
I used an entire birthday party set that also had the cake topper included. It came with balloons, plates, spoons, forks, cups, banner, tablecloth, and more! It was so handy to create a magical Unicorn party!
If you don’t need all of these supplies, but just want the cake topper, this is a great one!
If you like this cake recipe, try this other Galaxy Cake!
Here are my latest delicious recipes!
- Air Fryer Focaccia
- Air Fryer Korean-Style Beef Ribs
- Air Fryer Starbucks Copycat Kale and Mushroom Egg Bites
- Jalapeño Cheddar No Knead Artisan Bread Loaf
- Air Fryer Popcorn
Unicorn Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Cake pan set
- Offset spatula
- Piping bags and tips
- Unicorn cake topper
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup milk
Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pink frosting color
- 2 tsp beetroot powder or more if you desire (see affiliate link below). You can also just use food coloring.
Blue frosting color
- 2 tsp butterfly pea powder or more if you desire (see affiliate link below). You can also just use food coloring.
Purple frosting color
- 1 tsp butterfly pea powder or more if you desire (see affiliate link below). You can also just use food coloring.
- 1 tsp beetroot powder or more if you desire (see affiliate link below). You can also just use food coloring.
Decoration
- Unicorn horn cake topper and eyelashes found on amazon see affiliate link
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°f.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
- Add the sour cream and milk and combine.
- In another mixing bowl, combine and mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients Into the wet ingredients until a smooth batter remains.
- Spray the two 6” cake pans with oil and pour the evenly divided amount of batter in each.
- Place the pans on a baking sheet for convenience and cook at 350°f for 20 minutes. Test the center of the cakes with a toothpick to be sure they’re fully cooked.
- Once cooked, remove and set aside to completely cool before removing cakes from the an.
- While the cakes are cooling, add the butter, 3 cups of confectioners sugar, and half of the cream and vanilla. Mix until creamy, gradually adding and alternating the remaining sugar, cream, and vanilla.
- Once the ingredients are mixed, increase the speed to high and whip the frosting for 5 minutes.
- Divide the frosting in half. Set aside 1 half. Divide the other half into thirds. You will use each third to make the pink frosting, blue frosting, and purple frosting.
- To mix the pink color, add beetroot powder 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired color.
- To mix the blue color, add butterfly pea powder 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired color.
- To mix the purple color, add 1 teaspoon beetroot, and 1 teaspoon butterfly pea, and until the desired color.
- Divide the remaining 1/2 of the white buttercream by removing 1/3 and setting aside for mess-ups.
- Once cakes are fully cooled, using a cake or bread knife slice off the risen center of the cakes making them flat-topped.
- Place the bottom layer on a flat surface. Add a dollop of white frosting and evenly spread leaving a 1/2” thickness.
- Flip the other cake upside down and on top of the frosted cake.
- Completely frost the two layers of cake with a thin layer of white buttercream frosting. Smooths frost as desired but maintain the edges of the cakes.
- Now apply 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 in 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 piping bags and use decorative piping tips. For the pink, and purple, I used the drop flower piping tip that comes in the set. For the blue, I used the small round tip.
- Start with pink. Pipe and use a large rounding motion, and front to create a large, round flower.
- Next with the purple. I piped using slow motion squeezing a little of the frosting out of the piping bag onto the cake until it was a small flower. Use the purple to fill in where the pink didn’t.
- Last for the blue, use the round tip. Use a similar process as the purple to create a dot. Use the blue to fill in spots where the pink and purple aren’t.
- Continue to pipe floral dots flowing from the back of the topper down and swooping to one side as a lane would lay. Randomize the placement of the colors.
- Serve this cake at your next magical party!
