Unicorn Cakes That Will Blow Your Mind! Unicorn Birthday Party

Unicorn cakes have taken over Pinterest! Unicorn birthday parties are all the hotness right now and nothing could be more magical than a glorious two-tier magical masterpiece with a gilded edible horn. We’ve rounded up twenty of the most fabulous unicorn cakes we’ve seen along with where you can order a unicorn cake of your own.

Unicorn cakes are one of those things that look incredibly impressive and turn out to be surprisingly doable — even if you’re not a professional baker and even if your piping bag skills are, let’s say, a work in progress.

I made my first unicorn cake for my daughter’s sixth birthday and I will be honest: I was nervous. The pictures I had pinned were stunning and elaborate and looked like they required culinary school training. What I discovered is that the unicorn cake is one of the most forgiving celebration cakes you can make, because the aesthetic is inherently whimsical and imperfect. Swirly frosting in pastel colors, a little shimmer, a horn and some ears and you have something that looks magical regardless of your skill level.

Here is everything you need to know — from the basic technique to the supplies that make it easier, plus unicorn party ideas and gift ideas for the birthday girl who loves everything magical.

And be sure to click over and check out our Unicorn Party Decorations post on all the cutest Unicorn Birthday Party ideas we love too!

Unicorn Cake Ideas

Table of Contents

Unicorn Cakes - Unicorn Birthday Party Ideas via frostedMOMS Where to order a magical unicorn cake, unicorn birthday cake

Unicorn Cake by DelightfulSweetsCo

Unicorn Cakes -Unicorn Birthday Cake by ConfettiMommaParty via frostedMOMS Unicorn Party Ideas

Shop Unicorn Party Supplies

How to Make a Unicorn Cake

The Basic Unicorn Cake: What You Actually Need

The Cake Itself

Any flavor of cake works as the base for a unicorn design. Vanilla is the classic choice — it pairs beautifully with pastel buttercream and photographs well when cut. Funfetti is particularly popular for kids’ birthdays because the interior confetti is a surprise moment when the cake is sliced. Chocolate works too, especially as a contrast to pastel exterior frosting.

For a truly showstopping moment, a rainbow layer cake inside the unicorn exterior is magical — each layer of cake dyed a different color of the rainbow so that cutting the slice reveals a full spectrum of color. This requires food coloring and a little patience but the reaction it gets is absolutely worth it.

Shop gel food coloring set for cakes on Amazon

Shop rainbow cake pans set on Amazon

The Frosting

Buttercream is the standard for unicorn cakes — it’s easy to tint, pipes beautifully and holds its shape at room temperature long enough to photograph and serve. American buttercream (butter, powdered sugar, cream) is the most forgiving and the easiest to work with for beginners. Swiss meringue buttercream is silkier and less sweet but requires slightly more technique.

For the signature unicorn swirl look, you’ll need to tint your buttercream in at least three to four pastel shades. The classic unicorn palette is pink, lavender, aqua and white — but there are beautiful variations in gold and blush, rainbow brights and even an all-white “ethereal unicorn” version with just shimmer for color.

Shop pastel food coloring set on Amazon

Shop powdered sugar bulk for buttercream on Amazon

The Piping Setup

The swirled rosette exterior of a unicorn cake is created with a large star tip — typically a 1M or 2D tip — and a piping bag. The technique is simpler than it looks: pipe rosettes or shells starting at the bottom of the cake and working upward, alternating colors as you go for the ombre or rainbow swirl effect.

A piping bag coupler allows you to switch tips without changing bags, which is useful when you’re working with multiple frosting colors. Disposable piping bags make cleanup significantly easier.

Shop piping bags and tips set for cake decorating on Amazon

Shop 1M star tip piping tip on Amazon

Shop disposable piping bags on Amazon

The Unicorn Decorations: What Makes It Magical

This is where the cake transforms from a pretty frosted layer cake into an actual unicorn, and the good news is that most of these elements are widely available and easy to work with.

The Horn

The unicorn horn is the centerpiece of the whole design and the element that gets the most attention. You have a few options.

A fondant horn is the traditional approach — roll white fondant into a rope, twist it into a spiral cone shape, insert a skewer through the center for structure and allow it to dry. Once dry, brush with gold luster dust or edible gold paint for a metallic finish. This sounds more complicated than it is and the result is beautiful.

Pre-made unicorn horn cake toppers are widely available and completely acceptable — they come in gold, silver, rose gold and holographic finishes and save significant time. For a first unicorn cake or a time-crunched bake, a pre-made horn topper is the right call.

Shop unicorn horn cake topper gold on Amazon

Shop unicorn cake topper set with horn and ears on Amazon

Shop gold luster dust edible on Amazon

The Ears

Unicorn ears are typically made from fondant or gum paste — two teardrop shapes with a smaller inner teardrop in a contrasting color pressed into the center. They’re dried over a curved surface (a rolling pin works perfectly) to give them dimension and then inserted into the cake on either side of the horn.

Pre-made ear toppers are also widely available and coordinate beautifully with pre-made horn sets.

Shop fondant for cake decorating on Amazon

Shop unicorn ears cake topper set on Amazon

The Eyes

The closed, lash-fringed eye is the signature element that makes a unicorn cake immediately recognizable. Most bakers pipe these with black buttercream or melted dark chocolate using a small round tip — a simple curved line with individual lash strokes. You can also use black edible writing gel for more control, or purchase pre-made sugar eyes.

Shop edible black writing gel on Amazon

Shop small round piping tips set on Amazon

The Finishing Touches: Shimmer and Sprinkles

This is where unicorn cakes become genuinely magical. Edible glitter, iridescent sprinkles, pearl sugar balls and holographic shimmer dust add the sparkle that makes a unicorn cake look like it belongs in a fairy tale.

A light dusting of edible shimmer over the finished rosettes, a sprinkle of iridescent stars around the base and a few edible pearls nestled into the frosting elevates the whole design with almost no additional effort.

Shop edible glitter for cakes on Amazon

Shop iridescent sprinkles unicorn on Amazon

Shop edible pearl sugar balls on Amazon

Shop holographic edible shimmer dust on Amazon

Unicorn Cake Variations Worth Trying

The Drip Unicorn Cake

A drip cake with pastel or white chocolate ganache dripping down the sides adds a modern, dramatic element to the classic unicorn design. The ganache drip is applied with a spoon or squeeze bottle after the base frosting is fully chilled, then the swirled rosettes and unicorn decorations are added on top.

Shop white chocolate chips for ganache drip on Amazon

The Unicorn Smash Cake

For first birthdays, a small four-inch or six-inch unicorn smash cake alongside the main celebration cake is a moment that photographs beautifully. The smash cake gets the full unicorn treatment — swirled frosting, horn, ears and shimmer — scaled down for tiny hands to demolish. The pictures are always worth it.

Shop small cake pans 4 inch for smash cake on Amazon

The Unicorn Sheet Cake

For larger parties where serving ease matters more than drama, a unicorn-decorated sheet cake delivers the same magical aesthetic with significantly less structural complexity. Pipe the swirled rosettes across the top, add the horn and ears at one end to suggest the unicorn’s head and finish with shimmer and sprinkles.

Shop half sheet cake pan on Amazon

The Unicorn Cupcake Tower

A tower of unicorn cupcakes is a practical and beautiful alternative to a full cake — each cupcake gets its own swirl of pastel frosting, a mini horn topper and a sprinkle of shimmer. No slicing required, easy to serve and the mini horn toppers are genuinely adorable.

Shop mini unicorn horn cupcake toppers on Amazon

Shop cupcake tower stand on Amazon

Essential Cake Tools That Make Everything Easier

Whether this is your first decorated cake or your fiftieth, the right tools make a noticeable difference in the result.

A turntable is non-negotiable for frosting a smooth cake — it allows you to rotate the cake while applying frosting, which is how you get even coverage without constantly repositioning yourself. An offset spatula makes applying and smoothing frosting dramatically easier than a straight knife. Cake strips — cloth strips soaked in water and wrapped around the pan during baking — produce flat, even cake layers that don’t dome in the center, which is particularly important for a layer cake.

Shop cake turntable rotating on Amazon

Shop offset spatula set cake decorating on Amazon

Shop cake strips for even layers on Amazon

Shop bench scraper cake smoother on Amazon

Unicorn Party Supplies to Complete the Celebration

A unicorn cake deserves a unicorn party to match, and the supply options right now are genuinely charming.

Plates, Cups and Tableware

Unicorn-themed paper plates, cups, napkins and tablecovers in pastel pink, purple, gold and iridescent finishes create a cohesive tablescape that photographs beautifully and cleans up in minutes. Look for sets that coordinate in color rather than mixing multiple patterns.

Shop unicorn party plates and cups set on Amazon

Shop unicorn paper napkins party on Amazon

Shop iridescent party tablecover on Amazon

Balloons and Decorations

A mix of pastel and gold balloons with a few unicorn foil balloons creates the balloon backdrop that every unicorn birthday photo needs. A unicorn foil balloon in the shape of a unicorn head or full unicorn silhouette is the statement piece, surrounded by clusters of 11-inch latex balloons in the party palette.

Shop unicorn foil balloon large on Amazon

Shop pastel balloon garland kit on Amazon

Shop unicorn party banner on Amazon

Party Favors

Unicorn party favors are one of the easiest categories to shop for because the options are abundant and genuinely cute. Unicorn slime kits, unicorn headbands with horn and ears, unicorn lip balm sets and small unicorn stuffed animals are all solid choices that kids actually love rather than immediately forgetting.

Shop unicorn party favor bags set on Amazon

Shop unicorn slime kit for kids on Amazon

Shop unicorn headband horn and ears on Amazon

Unicorn Birthday Gift Ideas

If you’re shopping for the unicorn-obsessed birthday girl rather than making the cake, here are the gift ideas that consistently land well.

For the Youngest Unicorn Fans (Ages 2–5)

Plush unicorn stuffed animals are the perennial favorite for this age group — soft, huggable and available in everything from classic white with pastel mane to rainbow shimmer versions. A unicorn ride-on toy for toddlers is a genuinely beloved gift that gets used daily.

Shop unicorn stuffed animal plush on Amazon Shop unicorn ride+on toy toddler on Amazon Shop unicorn night light kids bedroom on Amazon

For the Creative Kid (Ages 5–10)

Unicorn craft kits, unicorn painting sets and unicorn jewelry-making kits give creative kids something to do with their unicorn enthusiasm. A unicorn backpack for school is the kind of gift that gets used every single day and makes the recipient feel like the coolest kid in class.

Shop unicorn craft kit for kids on Amazon

Shop unicorn backpack for girls on Amazon

Shop unicorn jewelry making kit for kids on Amazon

Shop unicorn water bottle kids on Amazon

For the Tween Who Still Loves Unicorns (Ages 10–14)

Unicorn-themed skincare and bath sets, unicorn LED string lights for bedroom decorating and unicorn phone cases are all things tweens genuinely want and will actually use.

Shop unicorn bath and body gift set on Amazon

Shop unicorn LED string lights bedroom on Amazon

Shop unicorn journal notebook girls on Amazon

Shop This Post

Cake Decorating Supplies

Unicorn Cake Toppers and Decorations

Unicorn Party Supplies

Unicorn Gift Ideas

Unicorn Birthday Cake

I’m such a fangirl for all things unicorn. Probably why I LOVE these unicorn cakes so much. I think maybe I need my own unicorn birthday cake this year.

Unicorn Cake Topper

The easiest way to make a unicorn cake without spending a ton of money or a ton of time: unicorn cake topper! You can find plenty of super cute ones on Etsy. Simply pick up a round frosted cake at the grocery store and add your custom cake toppers. Voila! Instant, adorable fancy cake.

Unicorn Cake Ideas

I saved a TON of cute cake ideas to our Unicorn Party Ideas board on Pinterest. Find a pretty cake design and pick up all the party supplies too!

Walmart Unicorn Cake

Yes, Walmart sells fancy unicorn cakes too! Click over to walmart.com and check out which designs are available in your area.

Unicorn Cakes - Unicorn Birthday Party Ideas, cake by thesugarbot

3. Unicorn Rainbow Cake by TheSugarBot

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make a unicorn cake at home? Bake a two or three-layer round cake in your chosen flavor, frost with pastel buttercream piped in swirled rosettes using a star tip, add a gold horn topper and fondant or pre-made ears, pipe closed eyes with black frosting or edible gel and finish with edible glitter and shimmer. The full process takes three to four hours including bake and cool time.

What tip do you use for a unicorn cake? A 1M or 2D large star tip creates the classic swirled rosette look that defines the unicorn cake aesthetic. A smaller star tip like a 4B creates tighter, more uniform rosettes for a different texture.

How far in advance can you make a unicorn cake? The cake layers can be baked two to three days ahead and stored wrapped at room temperature or frozen for up to a month. A fully decorated buttercream cake can be refrigerated for up to three days before serving — bring to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before serving for the best texture.

What colors do you use for a unicorn cake? The classic palette is pastel pink, lavender, aqua and white. Popular variations include blush and gold, rainbow brights and an all-white version with silver or gold shimmer accents. The color palette is entirely customizable to the party’s theme.

How do you make a unicorn horn for a cake? Roll white fondant into a long rope that tapers at one end, twist into a spiral cone, insert a wooden skewer or toothpick through the center for structure and allow to dry overnight. Once dry, brush with gold luster dust or edible gold paint. Alternatively, purchase a pre-made horn topper.

What are good unicorn birthday party favors? Unicorn slime kits, unicorn headbands with horn and ears, unicorn lip balm sets, small plush unicorns and bags of unicorn-themed candy are all popular choices that kids genuinely love rather than immediately leaving behind.

There is something genuinely joyful about a unicorn cake — the act of making it, the moment of revealing it and the look on the birthday girl’s face when she sees it. It’s one of those celebration bakes that delivers maximum magic for the effort invested, and once you’ve made one, you’ll understand why it’s been a party staple for nearly a decade.

Tag me if you make one — I’d love to see it.