There is nothing more adorable, playful, and delicious than this gluten free unicorn cake. It is perfect for birthday celebrations, parties, or when you just want a scrumptious dessert. Impress your friends and family with this DIY unicorn cake, and they will rave about it.
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It is impossible to look at this gluten free unicorn cake and not fall in love with it! My daughter did a beautiful job decorating, and I know you will do a great job too! No matter what, just have fun with it! Add your own colors, flair, and style.
This gluten free strawberry cake is made with a succulent strawberry puree topped with a sweet and flavorful frosting. The ears of this tasty unicorn are made from Peeps! Can you believe fondant unicorn horn is a combination of melted Peeps and powdered sugar?
Imagine the look on your kid's faces when you serve unicorn birthday cake this year! It would be especially fun to make a unicorn smash cake for your one-year-old baby! You could also serve it for a baby shower, Mother’s Day celebration, or just because you want to make a unicorn cake!
If you love chocolate, you can make the inside cake with this gluten free chocolate layer cake recipe. You can also use this Gluten Free Vanilla Cake base under the unicorn decor!
Can I use a different kind of fruit?
Yes, absolutely! I used strawberry because we had it on hand and because we love the flavor of strawberry cake. Plus, My daughter and I wanted our cake to have a pink tint without using icky food coloring. You can add in whatever fruit you enjoy and have on hand. Here are some ideas:
- Raspberry
- Blueberry
- Peach
- Blackberry
How to make a gluten free unicorn cake:
When you are making a cake, it is important to use the right kitchen tools. Here are my favorite Kitchen Tools For Making Cakes.
Step 1: Make the cake under the cute decorations!! Pour the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to blend.
I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
Step 2: Place fresh strawberries in this amazing mini food processor and liquefy your fruit!
Step 3: Put all of the wet ingredients into a bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 4: Use these fabulously inexpensive mini cake pans so you have lots of cake layers. Bake at 350º F for 18 minutes.
Step 5: Make your frosting (recipe below). Take ¼ of the frosting and set it aside.
Step 6: Add one layer of cake and frost the top, add the next layer and continue until all of the layers are frosted. Next, frost the sides and top and smooth the frosting out.
How to make frosting swirls:
Now you will want to color the frosting you set aside. Divide the frosting into bowls (depending on how many colors you want). Add a different coloring to each bowl.
Step 7: Put a couple of spoonfuls of each color frosting to the frosting bag. It is hard to see in this shot, but there are 3 different colors in the bag. When you make the swirls, it comes out rainbow swirl.
Make lots of swirls to be the mane and forelock. Go down the back of the cake as well like a unicorn mane.
Step 8: Take a Peep, that fun Easter candy that is so hard to resist. Cut it in half and use the bottom half for the ear. Feel free to use white crystal sugar to coat the inside of the ear as we did.
How to make a fondant unicorn horn:
Here is how my daughter created that cool pink unicorn horn for her gluten free unicorn cake. We didn't have fondant, but we read you can make it with marshmallows.
Did you know you can make fondant with Peeps?
I kid you not...my daughter is a genius with all baking cheats. She melted an entire package of Peeps (pink) and added powdered sugar until it was thick enough to mold with her hands.
Step 9: Use your hands to mold a horn shape. Keep in mind you can use any color peeps to make the horn. I have seen peeps in green, yellow, blue, purple, pink, and red.
You can check out all of my frosting tips on my Gluten Free Frosting Guide!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
tin. You will want to scale down the size of tip you use to decorate with the icing, cut smaller ears, and make a smaller unicorn horn.
slices and wrap them individually with plastic wrap. Then place all of the pieces of cake in a freezer bag or airtight container. The cake will taste best if it is consumed within 3-6 months of freezing.
This cake will keep for up to 4 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake longer.
Looking for more unicorn cake decorating ideas?
Remember to have fun when making your unicorn cake. You could even make several and let your kids decorate their own. Here are some fun ideas to try:
- Chocolate Crown - Add a fun chocolate crown to your unicorn head cake.
- Sprinkles - Everything has a little extra glamour when you add some adorable sprinkles. I love these pink sugar pearls.
- Bright Colors - Your unicorn can be as different as you want, I mean it is a unicorn after all! Add some bright blue, red, purple, or anything else you like.
- There are so many fun ways to decorate a Unicorn Cake with a box mix...check out this tutorial for more ideas.
More drool-worthy gluten fre cake recipes:
- One of my most popular cakes, this Easy Gluten Free Vanilla Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting also makes a great wedding cake.
- Rich chocolate flavors in this Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Cake are so good.
- My husband loves carrot cake for his birthday so we always make this Amazing Gluten Free Carrot Layer Cake.
- This cute Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Mint Cake is decorated like a cute monster.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Unicorn Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups strawberry puree
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 eggs large
- 1 cup almond milk or other dairy or non-dairy milk
Frosting:
- 1 cup butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons water add 4 and then add the other two as needed
Ears and Horn Fondant:
- 2 Peeps for ears - do not melt
- 6 Peeps melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
- In a mini food processor or blender, puree the strawberries.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the wet ingredients and the strawberry puree and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Spray the layer pans with coconut oil.
- Pour the cake batter into the layer pans and bake for 18-20 minutes until done.
- Allow the cake to cool while you make the frosting.
Frosting:
- Add the frosting ingredients to a standing mixer.
- Mix well until the frosting is creamy. (Start the speed low then slowly increase the speed.)
- When the cake is cool, add a layer to a plate and frost the top, add the next layer and frost the top. Once all layers are frosted, frost the top and sides and use a frosting scraper to smooth.
- Divide the remaining frosting into several bowls.
- Add food coloring to each and stir.
- Add frosting from each bowl to the bag, careful not to mix them.
- Use the frosting bag to swirl circles on the top of the cake, going down the back. This is the "mane" section so include a little on the forehead area for the forelock.
- Take two Peeps and cut them in half. These are the Unicorn's ears.
- Grab the rest of the Peeps and add to a bowl. Melt the Peeps at 20 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each interval.
- When the Peeps are melted, add the powdered sugar gradually, a little at a time to mix it in. As the mixture thickens, it becomes like fondant. When the mixture is stiffer, shape it into a Unicorn horn.
- Use food coloring or an edible marker to draw the eyes and mouth.
Notes
- I tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour blend. That doesn't mean other brands won't work, it just means I haven't tested other gluten free flour blends.
- Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- I used almond milk but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Using peeps and powdered sugar is a great way to make a homemade fondant for shaping the unicorn horn!
- This cake will keep for up to 3 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Betty
Hi I was wondering if you knew the calorie breakdown with out the frosting? They are super good, I just started Noom and made these for my birthday cupcakes but did a coconut milk frosting instead!!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Betty. I am so glad you enjoyed them. I chose not to do a calorie breakdown because the amount of frosting on the cake will differ so much depending on how they decorate the cake. I would input the amount you used into a calorie counter like My Fitness Pal for the most accurate measure.