A friendly unicorn cake does not demand sorcery in the kitchen. Two boxes of white cake mix do the heavy lifting, and a horn shaped from marshmallows and confectioners' sugar covers the trickiest part. If you would rather skip the buttercream, prepared white frosting works just as well.
Info
- Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total time: 3 hours
- Yield: 18 to 20 servings
Ingredients
Unicorn Decorations
- 4 ounces mini marshmallows (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- Solid vegetable shortening, as needed
- Blue gel food coloring, for the ears and horn
- 1 thin strand black licorice, about 12 inches long
- 1 strip rainbow-striped sour candy belt, about 24 inches long
- Mix of pink and blue candies, for decorating
- 2 ounces cotton candy (several large handfuls), preferably a mix of pink and blue
Cake
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the cake pans
- All-purpose flour, for the cake pans
- Two 16-ounce boxes white cake mix (plus required ingredients)
- 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles
Buttercream (see Cook's Note)
- 4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of fine salt
- 8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Start with the decorations, making the horn and ears first. Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons water, and microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each, until melted, about 1 1/2 minutes in all. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the confectioners' sugar to form a stiff mixture. Coat your hands and a work surface with shortening. Knead the mixture, working in up to 1/2 cup more confectioners' sugar and re-greasing your hands as needed to prevent sticking, until very smooth and pliable, 4 to 5 minutes. The mixture should hold together in a tight, very smooth ball that keeps a finger indentation.
- Take three-quarters of the marshmallow mixture, work in 1 drop blue gel food coloring, and knead until the color is even. Set aside one-quarter of the blue mixture and roll it out to just under 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp paring knife, cut two 2-inch-tall triangles for the inner ears. Roll the rest of the blue mixture into a thick, tapered strand about 2 feet long. Brush an 8-inch lollipop stick with water. Beginning about 3 inches from the bottom of the stick, wrap the strand around it, thickest end first, shaping a tapered horn. Press gently all over so it adheres to the stick. Stand the horn upright in a jar of dried beans or rice to dry.
- Roll out the remaining plain marshmallow mixture to just under 1/4 inch thick. With the sharp paring knife, cut two 3-inch-tall triangles for the outer ears. Brush one side of the larger ears with a little water and press on the smaller blue ears. Lay the ears over a rolling pin, smaller pieces facing down, to dry.
- For the cake: heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray four 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Mix the cake mixes following the package directions, then fold in the sprinkles. (If you own only 4 pans, prepare one box of cake mix at a time and use half the sprinkles in each.)
- Divide the batter among the 4 prepared pans. Bake, rotating the pans from top to bottom halfway through, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out of the pans and cool completely.
- For the buttercream: in a large bowl, beat the butter and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and light, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat on low until incorporated, then raise the speed to medium high and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting spreads easily.
- Trim the domed tops off the cakes so they sit flat. Spread about 1/2 cup frosting on the top of one layer, set another layer on it, and frost again. Repeat with the third layer, then finish with the last layer bottom-side up. Give the cake a very thin coat of frosting as a crumb coat and chill until set, about 15 minutes. Place the cake on a cake stand and spread all but 1/2 cup of the remaining frosting over it in a smooth layer.
- Cut two 3-inch strands of licorice and press them onto the cake about halfway down in wide U shapes for the eyes. Cut ten 1/2-inch licorice pieces and press 5 along the bottom of each eye as eyelashes. Wrap the rainbow candy belt around the base of the cake. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup frosting in a strip around the base to hold the candies, then press the candies around the cake decoratively. Pull the cotton candy into fluffy pieces and attach it to the top and sides as a mane. Add the horn and ears and serve right away. Most of the decorating can be done ahead; the cotton candy should go on at the last minute.
Notes
You can also substitute 4 1/2 cups prepared white frosting for the buttercream.
