Unicorn Cake and Cupcakes

I love making unicorn cakes. Each one has its own personality and no two are ever alike! And to go with this unicorn cake, I also got to make unicorn cupcakes, again in a different design than I've done in the past. 

unicorn cake

unicorn funfetti cucpakes

First up, the cupcakes: for unicorn cupcakes, I like to recommend vanilla funfetti, because I love the fun that the colourful rainbow rice sprinkles that are mixed into the batter add to the cupcake experience! 

naked funfetti cupcakes

Now usually with unicorn cupcakes, I either make a fondant unicorn face, or a figurine or frost it in rainbow frosting, with the addition of a horn and a pair of ears. But the birthday girl requested that these unicorn cupcakes be topped with a fondant dome, decorated with the unicorns eyes, ears and golden horn and rosette swirls, just like a unicorn cake would be decorated. 

funfetti cupcakes dressed up with vanilla frosting

My trick to making fondant domes is to use those kids' plastic balls, the ones usually found in ball pits. Of course, the ones I use are brand-new, washed, dried and solely used for fondant. (It's not like I crash a McDonald's PlayPlace and steal garbage bags full of plastic balls...) 

unicorn fondant toppers

I cut fondant circles out and drape them over plastic balls to form the dome shape, letting them dry fully before removing them. It is very important to dust the back of the fondant with plenty of icing sugar, or else you will have a very difficult time removing the fondant from the ball after it has dried without breaking the fondant. I use an egg tray to hold the balls in while the fondant is drying, cuz you don't want them rolling all over the place. 

closer look at the details

The small ears were made by cutting small fondant circles out using the back of a piping tip, pinching it in half on one end, and then cutting off the other end using a circle cutter to add curvature. I let the ears completely dry before painting the inner part gold. The unicorn horns were made by rolling out fondant snakes, fatter in the middle and thinning out the ends, then folding it in half and twisting it around itself. Again, I cut the excess of off the end using a circle cutter. 

unicorn cupcake army

Once everything was nice and dry and hard, I attached the ears and horn onto each fondant dome using stiff royal icing. I piped on royal icing swirls and rosettes for the unicorns' hair and then painted the eyes on with Rolkem Supers gold mixed with a little vodka. 

dainty unicorn cupcakes

The cupcakes were the school celebration earlier in the day, and the cake was for the party at home. I'm so happy that the birthday girl and all her classmates enjoyed the unicorn cupcakes! 

all boxed up

pic from the birthday girl's mummy

Now for the unicorn cake: this cake was 7 colourful rainbow vanilla cake layers, filled with vanilla Chantilly cream. Freshly whipped cream is a much lighter option to buttercream or ganache filling, and I find that it keeps the cake nice and moist too. 

vanilla rainbow cake layers

The cake was frosted in vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, as were the pastel rosette swirls on the unicorn's top. The horn and ears were made of fondant and allowed to fully dry overnight in an aircon room before attaching them onto the cake using skewers for support. 

fantasy unicorn cake

whimsical buttercream mane

It was a little challenging piping the eyes on perfectly symmetrically, so this little cutie ended up with one eye slightly smaller than the other. Oh well, still looks cute! 

all smiles

I'm so happy with how these unicorn birthday cake and cupcakes turned out! Many thanks to the birthday girl's mummy for sending these pics. Love the soft lighting effect. Happy 6th Birthday to a special little lady!

lovely unicorn cake

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