This Unicorn Cake is a real crowd-pleaser, especially when pulled out at birthday parties and celebrations. The best part is that it is gluten and dairy free, and tastes amazing. An easy way to make a cake that has the wow factor for any unicorn fan.
The cake is one of those things that many of us love, but often can't indulge in because of the gluten or dairy inclusion in most recipes. Not anymore!
This recipe not only looks amazing but tastes incredible. Fully gluten and dairy-free so there are no nasty surprises, the cake is moist and crumbly, full of vanilla flavor, with natural colored frosting to bring the whole theme to life.
I love the sweet flavors of the cake with vanilla and the frosting takes it to another level. It looks very professional, but it is actually far easier to recreate it than you might think.
Using natural ways to dye the frosting helps you to enhance the unicorn theme even further. You have to try this easy rainbow unicorn cake.
If you like the idea of this unicorn party cake then you are going to love these Sprinkle Chocolate Chip Cookies. They would work perfectly with this cake for a unicorn party.
Why You’ll Love This Unicorn Cake
- You can enjoy a spectacular-looking and delicious cake safe in the knowledge that it is gluten and dairy free.
- No artificial dyes have been used for the frosting.
- This is a great kid-friendly recipe and is perfect for a unicorn-themed birthday party and any other birthday celebrations.
- Super tasty and so easy to make. Who doesn't love a cake coated in delicious frosting?
Ingredients Needed
Get more info on these ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Cake:
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract- always ensure that yours is gluten and dairy free
- Dairy Free sour cream- Tofutti is our go to df sour cream.
- Gluten-free flour - You can use your preferred brand. (We prefer Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour. We buy it in bulk here. Doing so can save you so much money. Just for your information, this mix does contain xanthan gum in the blend.)
- Baking powder- always use fresh baking ingredients. Did you know baking powder starts to lose its potency after 6 months of being opened!?!
- Salt
- Dairy-free milk - You can use your preferred brand. (We used almond milk for this and found it was a great option)
Frosting:
- Dairy-free butter - You can use your preferred brand. (We used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks but Country Crock’s plant-based has been good for baking goods too)
- Confectioners sugar
- Dairy-free heavy whipping cream - You can use your preferred brand (We used Silk for this recipe and it worked very well)
- Vanilla extract- always use a safe brand
- Pink frosting color (Beetroot powder is perfect for this)
- Blue frosting color (Butterfly pea powder is the ideal choice)
- Purple frosting color (You can combine Beetroot and Butterfly pea powder to get the desired color)
Decoration:
Helpful Tools
- Large bowl and a medium bowl
- Offset spatula set
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Kitchen scale
- Piping Bags and Tips
- Cake pans
- Serving plate
How To Make the Unicorn Cake
This is the full recipe to make the Unicorn cake.
- First of all, gather all of your ingredients together ready to start baking the cake. Then preheat the oven to 350°f.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Whisk together until fully incorporated. You can use an electric mixer or a hand mixer for this.
- Add the sour cream and milk and make sure everything is combined.
- 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. This is where you will help to make the cake batter light and airy.
- Spray the two 6” cake pans with cooking oil and pour an evenly divided amount of cake batter in each pan ready for baking.
- Place the pans on a baking sheet for convenience and cook at 350°f for 20 minutes. To find out if the cakes are cooked, test the center of the cakes with a toothpick. You will want the toothpick to come out completely clean.
- Once cooked, remove and set aside to completely cool before removing the cakes from the pan. Use a wire rack to help the cool.
Make the frosting
- While the cakes are cooling, add the butter, 3 cups of confectioners sugar, and half of the cream and vanilla to a mixing bowl. Mix until creamy, gradually adding and alternating the remaining sugar, cream, and vanilla to get a smooth consistency. Once the ingredients are mixed, increase the speed of your hand or stand mixer 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 ½ of the white buttercream by removing ⅓ and setting aside for mess-ups.
Time to create the unicorn cake
- Once the cakes are fully cooled, using a cake or bread knife slice off the risen center of the cakes. This will give you a smooth flat surface to work with.
- Place the bottom layer on a flat surface. Add a thin layer of buttercream frosting and evenly spread leaving a ½” 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 with the golden horn 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 of all 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 to create the mythical creature. Randomize the placement of the colors.
Storage
Make sure you cover the cake or place it in an airtight container big enough. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days at its best. If you do make this ahead of time then make sure you store it in the same way to keep it fresh.
You can freeze this cake but you will need to freeze unfrosted. It will then last up to three months. Allow the cake to thaw completely and then frost as desired.
Recipe Variations
Can't quite get the piping right? You could use stripes instead of round piping swirls. Blue stripes and then purple and pink stripes will also work.
Use different colors? You can always use a different color if you can't get hold of some of the suggested powders to make the naturally dyed frosting.
Make a rainbow cake. You could use rainbow sprinkles on each cake layer to add some fun to this easy unicorn cake. You could also add some sprinkles to the outside of the cake as well.
Tips & Tricks
- Always check to make sure your vanilla extract is gluten-free. Most are, but you may need to glance at the ingredients of your preferred option to make sure.
- The butter does need to be softened before using it. You can pull it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you need it to help it soften.
- You could use a cake leveler to ensure there is a smooth finish on the white frosting.
FAQ
What is the secret to a light and fluffy cake?
The secret to a light and fluffy cake is to ensure that you take your time when mixing the mixture. You will want to gradually add some of the wet ingredients to the cake mixture and whisk as best you can. This will add air to the cake batter. When baked this is where the lightness and fluffiness come into effect.
How do I get perfectly piped frosting?
You just need to give the piping time. Practice a few times on a plate or piece of kitchen paper to get the action right before attempting to pipe the forsting onto the cake. You could always decorate with appropriate sweets and sprinkles if needed.
When could I serve up this rainbow unicorn cake recipe?
This is the perfect cake for many occasions including a birthday or even a baby shower. The unicorn topper is fun and the vanilla cake itself is delicious. It is such a great option for many occasions.
Other Cake Recipes
- Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies - There’s nothing quite like biting into a nice big square of fudgy, sweet, and tangy Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies. Made with just 10 minutes of prep work.
- Layered Strawberry Cake - This Layered Strawberry Cake is so delicious and the perfect treat for any strawberry lover. Perfect to celebrate Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or any special occasion.
- Lemon Raspberry Cake - This Gluten and Dairy Free Lemon Raspberry Cake is so delicious one slice just won’t be enough. A rich and moist lemon cake that has fresh berries in it, topped with creamy buttercream.
Unicorn Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup df sour cream
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free flour - I used Cup for Cup or Bob’s Red Mill but you can use any gf blend
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup dairy free milk- I used almond milk but you can you any df alternative
Frosting:
- 1 cup dairy free butter softened to room temperature- we almost always use Earth’s Balance buttery sticks, but Country Crock’s plant based has been good for baking goods too
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons df heavy whipping cream Silk is the df brand we use
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract - always check that yours is safe
- 2 teaspoons Pink frosting color: 2 teaspoons beetroot powder
- Blue frosting color: 2 teaspoons butterfly pea powder
- Purple frosting color: 1 teaspoon each butterfly pea powder and beetroot powder
Decoration:
- Unicorn horn cake topper and eyelashes found on amazon see link in post
Instructions
- First of all, gather all of your ingredients together ready to start baking the cake. Then preheat the oven to 350°f.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Whisk together until fully incorporated. You can use an electric mixer or a hand mixer for this.
- Add the sour cream and milk and make sure everything is combined.
- 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. This is where you will help to make the cake batter light and airy.
- Spray the two 6” cake pans with cooking oil and pour an evenly divided amount of cake batter in each pan ready for baking.
- Place the pans on a baking sheet for convenience and cook at 350°f for 20 minutes. To find out if the cakes are cooked, test the center of the cakes with a toothpick. You will want the toothpick to come out completely clean.
- Once cooked, remove and set aside to completely cool before removing the cakes from the pan. Use a wire rack to help the cool.
Make the frosting
- While the cakes are cooling, add the df butter, 3 cups of confectioners sugar, and half of the df cream and vanilla to a mixing bowl. Mix until creamy, gradually adding and alternating the remaining sugar, cream, and vanilla to get a smooth consistency. Once the ingredients are mixed, increase the speed of your hand or stand mixer 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 ½ of the white buttercream by removing ⅓ and setting aside for mess-ups.
Time To Create The Unicon Cake
- Once the cakes are fully cooled, using a cake or bread knife slice off the risen center of the cakes. This will give you a smooth flat surface to work with.
- Place the bottom layer on a flat surface. Add a thin layer of buttercream frosting and evenly spread leaving a ½” 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 with the golden horn 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 of all 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 to create the mythical creature. Randomize the placement of the colors.
Notes
- You may see a traditional stick of butter pictured in these images. This recipe has been tested using gluten free and dairy free ingredients as well as traditional gluten and dairy including ingredients. It will work with either allergen free or traditional ingredients.
Nutritional Disclaimer
These Nutritional Facts are ESTIMATED. Your actual nutritional info with this recipe may vary depending on the brands you choose. “Eating Gluten and Dairy Free” is not a registered dietician or nutritionist. The provided nutritional info above is based on a generic calculator, if you want more accurate info, use your nutritional calculator of choice where you can choose brands and get more info that way.