Welcome to HowToCookThat, I'm Ann Reardon and this week we're making a beautiful 3D
Unicorn cake!
If you're after an easier Unicorn, I made this cake last month and I'll link to that
below, but for those of you who want something a bit more challenging or a bit more WOW then
I designed this one for you based on a cute cartoon unicorn drawing that I found.
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To make a top-heavy cake like this it has to have strong support so you will need a
wooden cake board and a stainless steel threaded rod.
Secure that to your board using two hex nuts, one underneath and one on top of the board.
Next we are going to make the unicorn's horn and for that you'll need a cake pop stick
and we'll leave some of it plain so it can stick into the cake.
Roll out a snake of black making it skinnier at one end.
Then twist that, rolling it around the cake pop stick.
Once it is on check it against the template to make sure it is the right height and shape.
And you can get my 3D unicorn cake template off the howtocookthat.net website and I'll
link to that below for you.
You want the front of the horn to come down a little bit at the front and be squashed
a bit flat at the back of the base so it will sit flush against the cake once we put that
on.
Now take some gold luster dust and brush it over the horn, using the luster dust dry like
this means that if you have any left over you can just sweep it up using your paintbrush
and put it back into your container so none of it is wasted.
Now for the eyeballs, roll a ball of black and then cut it in half - so you get two pieces
that are exactly the same size.
Roll each of them into a ball and double check the size using the template.
For the ears cut around the outside of the template on some white fondant.
Then gently press a cake pop stick into each ear and push the fondant around the edges
so it is secure.
Cut the inside part of the ear out of pink fondant and add that into place using a little
bit of water to make it stick.
The last detail we want to make ahead is the two front legs.
You can make all of these fondant parts up to a month ahead, just leave them out to dry
on non-stick paper and once they are dry just store them in an airtight container until
you are ready to use them.
Roll a cone shape of white and shape it using your template as a guide, we won't make the
hoof part yet just the two white legs for the front.
So you should have your 2 legs, ears, horn and eyes all drying on non-stick paper.
Bake my rich chocolate cake in three trays and again all the recipe details and the amount
of fondant you need and everything is all on the recipe post on HowToCookThat.net.
Once they are cooled level them and cut around the cake shapes given on the template.
These are all numbered for the body and the head layers so that you know exactly where
they go.
Make up a fresh batch of buttercream, and I've added vanilla bean to mine.
I have a recipe page on the website with all different buttercream flavours so that you
can choose the flavour that you want to use.
For the little body, add some simple syrup, pipe on some frosting and top with layer 2.
Repeat that process for layer 3 and 4.
Then pick up the whole body and add it onto the centre of the rod sliding it down to the
base.
Put the body template in front and cut down each side to match the shape of the template.
Do the same at the front and the back - you can do that using the template or just freehand
it based on the shape that you can see there.
Cover the body in buttercream and smooth it out, flattening the top.
Add a nut and three cake pop sticks into the cake and this is needed to support the unicorns
head.
Without this support, the little body would collapse under the weight of the head.
We are going to add a little cake board here under the first layer and then a thicker,
stronger cake board above that to support the weight of the wider part of the head.
Add your little cake board and put a little bit of frosting on it and then add head layer
1.
Add a nut just above the cake and cover the cake in buttercream.
Then add the thicker wooden cake board on top of that.
To hold that securely in place, so it is like a cake-stand, you need to add another nut
on top of that on the other side of the board and then just tighten that right up.
Yes, it is a bit like building!
You can't make cakes that defy gravity like this, that are really top-heavy, without a
strong support structure.
Cake is soft and it would just squash and fall over, which is not what we want.
Add your cake, simple syrup and frosting then place the next layer on top and continue to
layer it up all the way to the top of the head.
Place the template in front of the head and trim around the template so you get that rounded
unicorn head shape.
Do the same on the front and corners so that it is rounded all the way around.
Use your buttercream to colour that, it's a bit like your colouring it in, all the way
around, putting it everywhere.
And then spread that out using a spatula.
Take a piece of acetate or any bendy piece of plastic, you could use a piece cut out
of the lid of an ice cream container if you don't have acetate and just run that up around
the unicorn head to make it smooth.
take your time with this because lumps in the buttercream will show through the fondant,
so you want to make it nice and smooth all over.
Decide which side is the front and drape the fondant over the head smoothing that side
first.
Just lift and lower the fondant to get rid of any folds and use the palm of your hands
to gently smooth it out.
Don't press too hard because you don't want lines from your fingers, you just want to
gently smooth it, lift and lower it, until you get it nice and looking really good there.
At the top where it is bunched up here, just pinch it together tightly and then cut off
the excess with scissors.
We are going to have hair on top of the head here so I'm not too concerned if you have
any join marks there, and the same at the back.
Trim off the excess around the body and then smooth the buttercream over the join.
Take a rectangular piece of fondant and wrapt it around the body and smooth that into place.
Use a knife to trim off the excess and tuck it under so that it is rounded at the bottom
there.
Cut the mouth shape using the template and add it to the front of the head, using a little
bit of water to make it stick.
Roll a ball of grey and just rub that gently over the mouth areas to smooth out any little
bumps.
Place the template over the top and mark where the 2 nostrils go.
And then push a ball tool up into the cake to make the nostrils.
If you don't have a ball tool you could just use the rounded end of a pen base as long
as you wash it really well first.
Mark where your eyeballs should be and make an indent ready for the eyeball and pop it
into place.
Then add a dot of white to the top of each eye to one side.
Roll a thick snake of grey slightly wider than the leg and cut off two pieces.
Roll one end thinner so that it matches the leg and then add it into place using a little
bit of water.
Put some water on the front of the body and add the two front legs.
Making the hoof now rather than before just makes it easier to get the foot sitting flat
on the cake board because you can adjust it slightly with the leg as it's still a little
soft.
Make two more legs and add them just wrapping them around the base of the body on each side.
Using your template as a guide add the ears into place where they go ... one on that side
and one there.
It's looking cute already!
Mark where the unicorn's horn should be and push it down into the head.
Roll some strips of coloured fondant getting skinnier at one end and add them along the
template for the hair.
You can use whatever colours you like for your unicorn.
Just lie them next to each other and then wrap the first colour neatly over the top
of the other three.
Add that down one side of the face.
And where the hair just hangs down there use a little bit of water to make it stick to
the face and arrange it how you want it to sit.
Add the hair to the other side and again just be a unicorn hairdresser and arrange those
pieces so it looks a bit windswept rather than just hanging straight down.
Make another piece for the tail and for this piece I want you just to twist it so those
colours just twist together gently and then add that into place at the back of the cake.
Now roll some more snakes of colour and add it down the back of the head to cover any
joins in your fondant and make it look like a mane hanging down there back there.
Now to finish it off, cover the board in melted white chocolate one section at a time and
add sprinkles and little stars over the top of that.
I can't cut this cake for you because I am giving it away to a little girl for her party
- happy birthday Lily and happy birthday to anyone else who is having their birthday this
week.
Subscribe to HowtoCookThat for more crazy sweet creations and I'll see you on Friday.