Looking for beautiful Unicorn Cake Ideas? Whether you’re simply looking for inspiration to place an order with your local baker, or whether you want to recreate this cake yourself, you’re in the perfect place. Here you’ll find 14 unicorn cake-decorating ideas, including easy designs with instructions to recreate them.
How to find a unicorn cake idea suited to your cake-decorating level?
I’ve come up with a system. The cake ideas are presented to you according to their level of difficulty. There are three categories :
What Are Beginner Cake Ideas?
These are the easy cake ideas. If you’ve never decorated a cake before (or only did it once or twice), these are the cakes that you should pay attention to.
- What you’ll find: Beautiful cake ideas that only require basic cake decorating techniques. This is a great place to start your journey.
What Are Intermediate Cake Ideas?
Low Intermediate Baker: If you are confident that you’ve mastered the cake decorating basics, such as how to smooth a cake, but feel like you still have a lot of techniques to learn apart from this foundation, this category is perfect for you.
- What you’ll find: Unicorn cake ideas that require both basic decorating skills and one or two techniques that are a little bit more advanced. This is a great place to grow your cake decorating skills.
High Intermediate Baker: If you’ve mastered both basic techniques and several more advanced cake decorating techniques, these cake ideas are made for you.
- What you’ll find: Stunning cake ideas that can be fairly challenging, but are a great place to get even better than you already are.
What Are Advanced Cake Ideas?
If you consider yourself an experienced cake decorator and have mastered most of the decorating techniques, including the use of fondant, then this is the perfect place for you.
- What you’ll find: Showstopping and challenging cake ideas, perfect to sharpen and maintain your skills.
The Grading System
Finally, I’ve also assigned a grade of difficulty to each cake inspiration: 1/5 being the easiest design to 5/5 being the hardest one. The goal is to make the ranking the most accurate possible. You will find this to be particularly helpful if you happen to fall in the Beginner or the Intermediate Cake Ideas categories.
Growth Tip : This list is great a place to set goals about your cake decorating skills. Pin this post and come back later to tell us how far you’ve come in your cake decorating journey !
How to recreate these unicorn cake ideas?
What cake recipe should you use to make your perfect cake come true?
To recreate these cake ideas, you will need a trustworthy cake recipe. You have several options.
Adapt your favorite cake recipe
There are a lot of ways to adapt a cake recipe. You mainly have three options to tweak your favorite recipe :
- You could change the flavor of your cake recipe: with citrus zest, the essence of your choice, or turn it into a chocolate or carrot cake for example.
- You could add a filling: a caramel sauce, a homemade flavored whipped cream, a flavored ganache, or simply a flavored buttercream.
- You could also add some texture: oreo bits, crumble crumbs, nuts, or fresh fruit for example.
- Finally, you could personalize your frosting.
You could also play with the color of your cake batter, a rainbow cake or a piñata cake would be a great idea for a unicorn-themed cake.
Be careful, if you’re a beginner baker, having to figure out both your cake design and creating a new cake recipe could be overwhelming. Therefore, I always recommend taking your learning journey one step at a time.
Look for a cake recipe
Where? You can ask friends, or family or simply look on the internet. You have to keep two things in mind though :
- The recipe has to be suitable for cake decorating, especially for cakes that require stacking or carving (intermediate and advanced cake ideas).
- Once again, if you’re a beginner baker, be careful not to put too much on your plate and choose a recipe suited to your current level.
Use my cake recipe recommendation
To create a unicorn-themed birthday party, I feel like the perfect cake is definitely a Funfetti cake, which is why I recommend you to try the recipe from Sally’s Baking.
What you will love about this recipe :
- It’s perfect for beginners
- It’s perfect for cake decorating
- It suits the unicorn theme perfectly.
How to follow the instructions of the designs.
For the cake designs in the beginner category: I’ll provide written instructions on how to recreate the cake idea presented to you. Don’t hesitate to watch video tutorials about the basic techniques such as how to smooth a cake.
For the designs in the intermediate category: I’ll provide some guidance on how to perform the more complicated techniques.
For the advanced category: you are an experienced baker, at this point, and you will find great opportunities to put this experience to use. To be completely honest, I cannot make myself several cake ideas from the advanced category, so trust your abilities and go for it.
Find the perfect unicorn cake idea for your baking skills.
Growth Tip : If you aim to get better at cake decorating, you should choose a cake idea that feels sligthly above your current cake decorating level. Get out of your comfort zone !
Unicorn Cake Ideas Perfect for Beginner Bakers
Here, you’ll find 4 easy unicorn cake ideas perfect for beginner bakers.
An Elegant Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 1/5.
If you’ve been on this blog before, you probably know by now that cake toppers are the beginner cake decorator’s best friends. This cake is a great illustration of this principle.
What you will need:
- Enough frosting to cover your cake.
- Artificial roses
- A unicorn cake topper
- Butterfly cake decorations
- Edible pearls
How to recreate this cake?
- First, you must crumb-coat the cake to avoid any crumbs in your final design. Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only turn the table.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect as it only is the first coat. Chill the cake 20 to 30 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, apply a thicker coat of frosting and repeat the smoothing operation. Fill in any gaps and smooth the cake again. Repeat this operation until the cake looks smooth enough for you.
- Chill your cake again for 15 minutes.
- Cut the top edges of the cake with a hot knife to get sharp edges. Here, you’ll find a video tutorial of the covering process, if needed.
- Finally, decorate your cake with your unicorn cake toppers, your pearls, your butterflies, and fake flowers. If the cover of your cake isn’t perfect, you could use these decorations to hide any imperfections.
What you’ve learned :
Now, you are able to take the most basic cake and turn it into something exceptional.
An Easy Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 1/5.
If you’re looking for a more girly look, this is the cake for you.
What you will need :
- Enough frosting to cover your cake.
- Rainbow cake toppers (you could recreate this as a low intermediate baker).
- Unicorn horn cake topper (you could also recreate this as a low intermediate baker)
- Clouds cake toppers
- A paper unicorn (you could use edible paper but that’s optional)
- Heart sprinkles
How to recreate this cake?
- For the cover of the cake. First, you must crumb-coat the cake to avoid any crumbs in your final design. Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only turn the table.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect as it only is the first coat. Chill the cake 20 to 30 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, apply a thicker coat of frosting and repeat the smoothing operation. Fill in any gaps and smooth the cake again. Repeat this operation until the cake looks smooth enough for you.
- Chill your cake again for 15 minutes.
- Cut the top edges of the cake with a hot knife to get sharp edges. Here, you’ll find a video tutorial of the covering process, if needed.
- For the rainbow and the unicorn horn, while you could technically recreate these with fondant, I don’t advise it to beginner cake decorators who can quickly be overwhelmed. In case, you still want to give it a try, here’s a video tutorial for the rainbow, and another one for the horn.
- Finally, decorate the cake with your paper unicorn, the horn, the rainbow, the clouds, and your heart sprinkles following the pictures or your heart’s desire.
What you’ve learned :
Cake decorating really doesn’t have to be the hardest thing in the world. As beginners, you should make the most of cake toppers and sprinkles
A Unicorn Cake With Swirls
Difficulty Level: 1,5/5.
What you will need :
- Enough frosting to cover and decorate your cake.
- Unicorn cake toppers
- Sprinkles
How to recreate this cake?
- For the cover of the cake. First, you must crumb-coat the cake to avoid any crumbs in your final design. Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only turn the table.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect as it only is the first coat. Chill the cake 20 to 30 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, apply a thicker coat of frosting and repeat the smoothing operation. Fill in any gaps and smooth the cake again. Repeat this operation until the cake looks smooth enough for you.
- Chill your cake again for 15 minutes.
- Cut the top edges of the cake with a hot knife to get sharp edges. Here, you’ll find a video tutorial of the covering process, if needed.
- For the buttercream swirls. On a sheet of parchment paper, practice the swirls, keeping the piping bag perpendicular to your surface. Draw circular motions, slowly going upwards. Once you’re satisfied with the height, stop piping.
- When you are confident enough with the piping, do it on the actual cake. Pipe the first swirl on the edge of the cake. For the next one, draw it straight across from your first one. The third swirl has to be placed between the two first ones. So on and so forth. This allows for your swirls to be equally spaced. To make it all clearer, you can watch this quick tutorial.
- Finally, decorate the cake with your sprinkles and cake toppers.
What you’ve learned :
Buttercream swirls are a staple in cake decorating with buttercream, and you’ve now mastered it.
A Tall Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 1,5/5
What you will need :
- 3/4 of your frosting colored in pink to cover your cake
- 1/4 of your frosting left white to decorate your cake
- A piping bag and a piping tip similar to the 4B by Wilton (star tip)
- A unicorn cake topper (you can be creative and use a toy)
- Ball cake toppers
How to recreate this cake?
- For the cover of the cake. First, you must crumb-coat the cake to avoid any crumbs in your final design. Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only turn the table.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect as it only is the first coat. Chill the cake 20 to 30 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, apply a thicker coat of frosting and repeat the smoothing operation. Fill in any gaps and smooth the cake again. Repeat this operation until the cake looks smooth enough for you.
- Chill your cake again for 15 minutes.
- Cut the top edges of the cake with a hot knife to get sharp edges. Here, you’ll find a video tutorial of the covering process, if needed.
- For the white paint strokes. Once your buttercream cover is completely chilled. Use your angled spatula and apply a little bit of buttercream going upwards. Try to keep it thin, but don’t smooth it out too much in order to keep this paint effect.
- For the star dots. Using your 4B piping tips, simply press dots of buttercream wherever you feel like it.
- Finally, place your unicorn and your balls cake toppers.
What you’ve learned :
Using texturized buttercream, such as with the paint effect can be a great way to add a bit more character to a cake.
Unicorn Cake Ideas for Intermediate Bakers
Here, you’ll find 7 unicorn cake ideas for intermediate bakers.
A Simple Unicorn Cake.
Difficulty Level: 2,5/5 (Low-Intermediate)
If you’re looking for a simple unicorn cake inspiration this one is perfect for you. It is not a beginner cake though. As you gain experience, it allows you to play more and more with the stability of the elements of your cake, just like the rainbow of this cake.
A little guidance
I’ve included a tutorial to allow you to recreate this rainbow, but I believe low intermediate is a bit early to recreate this kind of unicorn cake topper, which is why I recommend you buy it. Remember if you don’t find any suited to your taste, you can always use a toy, just pick one that isn’t too big or heavy.
A Rainbow Unicorn Cake
Difficulty level: 2,5/5 (Low-Intermediate)
Of all the unicorns in this post, I found this one to be the cutest. And, it’s not very difficult, so it’s perfect to start making your own unicorn cake toppers
A little guidance
Even if it is standing, it is one of the simplest fondant unicorns considering how few elements it requires. Here, you’ll find a quick tutorial to teach you how to recreate it.
A Cute Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 3/5 (Intermediate)
By now you’re already able to recreate most of the elements of this cake thanks to the tips from the previous designs. The biggest challenge in this cake is the fondant unicorn, which is a step harder than the previous one.
A little guidance
Try to follow this tutorial to recreate this unicorn cake topper (even if it’s not in English I find the visuals are pretty straightforward). To recreate the fondant elements of this cake don’t forget to dust your work surface with icing sugar or cornstarch to prevent your fondant from sticking.
A Gradient Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 3,5/5 (Intermediate)
This cake is a little harder than the previous ones. There are a lot of techniques here: chocolate work, gradient buttercream, and it’s also a drip cake. But, it’s great practice because these are all techniques you should master before moving to the next level.
A little guidance
If you’re not used to working with chocolate the most important tip I can give you is to temper it. This process prevents your chocolate elements from melting at room temperature and gives them a better finish. While you can do it with a microwave (I prefer the bain-marie method), don’t use a too high temperature, and be careful to always stir your melting chocolate every 20 seconds. You’ll know your chocolate is perfectly tempered when it’s smooth and a bit thicker.
A Buttercream Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 3,5/5 (High-Intermediate)
We’re back in my comfort zone. I’ll admit I find buttercream way easier to work with than fondant, but it’s probably because I’ve had way more practice with it. Let me know in the comments if you’re team fondant or team buttercream.
A little guidance
To recreate the falling buttercream mane, you can draw in the buttercream where you want it to stop to get a clean finish.
A 2D Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 4/5 (High-Intermediate)
This unicorn cake requires quite some work too. Not because the elements are complex to recreate but because there are a lot of them, especially when it comes to the fondant unicorn.
A little guidance
To get a sense of the process required to recreate it, you can watch this quick tutorial. To recreate the other elements of the decor, remember you can use the tips scattered throughout this post.
A Butterfly And Unicorn Cake
Difficulty level: 4,5/5 (High-Intermediate)
Up until now, the fondant was only used to create some elements of the cake ideas. Here, the cake is covered with it and it’s a technique you need to know before moving to the advanced bakers category.
A little guidance
My three tips when covering a cake in fondant are the following:
- You should pay extra attention when preparing your cake. Make sure it’s leveled, and your buttercream (or ganache) should be very neat to get a cleaner finish.
- You should roll your fondant to a thickness between 1/8th inch and 1/4 inch.
- You should keep in mind that your first attempt probably isn’t going to be flawless, but it’s perfectly fine because practice will make your technique perfect.
Finally, here’s a detailed video tutorial, that’ll teach everything you need to know about this process.
A Flowery Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 4,5/5 (High-Intermediate)
This cake almost ended in the advanced bakers category considering how realistic the flowers and the unicorn look. But, I believe with some practice a high-intermediate baker could recreate it.
A little guidance
If you intend to recreate this cake design, I assume you have quite some experience with fondant and probably don’t need any guidance on how to recreate the flowers and the unicorn. But, in case you do, you can use this quick tutorial for the flowers and this longer one to recreate this beautiful unicorn.
Unicorn Cake Ideas for Advanced Bakers
Finally, you’ll find 3 complex unicorn cake ideas for advanced bakers.
A Girly Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
This unicorn cake idea looks really sweet and girly. It would be perfect for a girl’s birthday from 4 to 6 years old.
A Pirate Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
This unicorn cake is all about details and requires a lot of work, but the result just looks amazing. I think the pirate touch really makes it special, but you can completely let it out of your cake design if that’s what you want.
A 3D Unicorn Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
This cake is all about unicorn through and through. The 3D effect really makes it special. It would definitely be hit at any kind of unicorn-themed party.
Did you enjoy these Unicorn cake inspirations? Sharing is caring!
Please let me know in the comments and/or tag me on Instagram @theperfectcakeidea. I’d love to see your creations. And, don’t forget to pin this post so you can come back to it.
Pin this post and come back to it later.
