Unicorn Cupcakes

Make easy unicorn cupcakes decorated with dreamy pastel buttercream swirls and sprinkles! This step-by-step tutorial walks you through how to create magically frosted birthday cupcakes for your next unicorn-themed party.

Keep the whimsy going and use these same techniques to frost a buttercream flower cake. 

Easy Unicorn Birthday Cupcakes

Today, we’re going to brighten up your next birthday or celebration with these dreamy frosted unicorn cupcakes! These delightfully decorated cupcakes are my interpretation of the viral unicorn cupcake trend, with no horns and ears required. Unicorns come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, after all.

We’ll start with a batch of fluffy moist vanilla cupcakes, then dive into a step-by-step on how to achieve those gorgeous piped swirls of pastel-colored buttercream.

Decorating bakery-worthy cupcakes is way easier than you think! I’m a firm believer that anyone can make beautiful frosted desserts with the right tools and a little practice. Once you’ve mastered the basics of cupcake decorating, and you’re ready to try something new, this is a great place to start.

Why You’ll Love This Cupcake Recipe

• Easy frosting techniques. You’re going to feel like a total professional after you’ve frosted your unicorn cupcakes! This tutorial uses easy tools and techniques to create cupcakes that are out-of-this-world.
• Soft, fluffy cupcakes. The frosting might be the star here, but that doesn’t mean we’re sacrificing the cupcake underneath. I’ve included my recipe for the best vanilla cupcakes as the base!
• Perfect for theme parties. Bright, colorful pastel frosting swirls and plenty of gold sprinkles make these unicorn cupcakes the perfect dessert for unicorn-themed birthdays, bridal showers, and baby showers, too.

Cupcake Ingredients

For this tutorial, I use my favorite vanilla cupcakes. Below is a short overview with notes on the key ingredients that make these cupcakes the best. Be sure to scroll to the detailed recipe card below the post for the full amounts and instructions.

• Sugar and Oil – I recommend regular granulated sugar. When it comes to the softest cakes and cupcakes, use vegetable oil (or another neutral-flavored oil) in place of butter. The reason is that oil stays liquid at room temperature, for an ultra-moist and tender crumb. It makes a huge difference! 
• Eggs– Should be at room temperature.
• Vanilla – For perfect vanilla cupcakes, use real vanilla extract. The flavor is so much better than imitation vanilla.
• Sour Cream – In addition to the oil, sour cream is my second secret to the fluffiest, moist cupcakes. I This recipe will also work with Greek yogurt if you’re out of sour cream. Just be sure it’s at room temperature.
• Flour–  the good news is, you can use regular all-purpose flour or make them gluten-free. However, this recipe is not designed to work with cake flour.
• Baking Powder, Salt
• Milk– Should be at room temperature.

You can apply the decorating technique in this tutorial to any kind of cupcake you’d like! I make this recipe with vanilla cupcakes, but you could easily make chocolate cupcakes, funfetti cupcakes, Red Velvet or any cupcake you prefer.

What Frosting Should I Use?

For the frosting, I use my best vanilla frosting and dye it the pretty pastels that you see in the photos. A stable, pipeable buttercream frosting is a must for decorating unicorn cupcakes!

My perfect vanilla frosting holds color well, pipes smoothly, and comes together with just a few basic ingredients. Highly recommend it for this recipe! I include the directions for my vanilla buttercream in the recipe card. Also, check out my tutorial on how to make buttercream for more helpful tips.

How to Make Unicorn Cupcakes

First things first, you’ll whip up a batch of homemade vanilla cupcakes and frosting.

1. Make the batter. Cream sugar together with oil, eggs, and vanilla, followed by sour cream. Next, combine the dry ingredients separately. Add the mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the milk until combined.  The batter will be on the thinner side, so make sure that you stir the batter well from bottom to top after mixing.
2. Portion and bake. Portion the cupcake batter between the wells of a lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350ºF for 14-16 minutes, then take the cupcakes out and leave them to cool. They’ll need to be at room temperature before you go ahead with frosting them.
3. Prepare the frosting. You’ll start by whipping cold butter in your stand mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually add powdered sugar, and finally heavy cream. Give the frosting a good final whip to get the consistency airy and smooth. Like the cupcakes, be sure to scroll to the recipe card with the full frosting ingredients and directions.

Coloring Buttercream Frosting

With your cupcakes baked and the frosting whipped and ready, it’s time to pick your color palette. I suggest choosing 3 colors while leaving a portion of the frosting uncolored (white). For these cupcakes, my 3 frosting colors are pink, teal, and purple.

My tutorial on how to color buttercream covers everything you need to know in order to achieve vibrant, beautifully colored frosting. Here’s what you’ll need for these unicorn cupcakes:

• Pink – Our primary color. You’ll need about 2 cups of pink frosting for the roses.
• Teal – The secondary color, used to make the squiggly ribbons. You’ll need approx. 1 ½ cups of teal frosting.
• Purple – Let’s call this the accent color. You’ll need 1 ½ cups of purple frosting for the rosettes and swirls.
• White – Frosting that’s left as is, uncolored. I combine white and purple frosting when piping the marbled swirl that you can see in the picture below.

What Can I Use to Color Buttercream?

To color your frosting bright, unicorn-themed colors, you’ll need good quality food-grade dyes. I recommend using gel food dyes, like the ones from Wilton Color Right or AmeriColor. Gel dyes are more potent than traditional food coloring (like the kind you find in supermarkets) and won’t water down your buttercream. See my how-to guide for coloring frosting, linked above, for details.

Tools You’ll Need for Decorating

You’re just about ready to get decorating! Here’s a short list of helpful tools you’ll need to frost unicorn cupcakes like the ones pictured:

• Piping Bags and Couplers (affiliate link) – For this cupcake tutorial, I recommend 12-inch piping bags. A coupler also comes in handy for seamlessly changing out the frosting colors. Check out my post on how to use a piping bag with loads of helpful info. I go over how to fill a piping bag, fit it with piping tips and couplers, and more.
• 1M Piping Tip – Use the 1M tip from Wilton for the large pink roses. 
• Open Star Tips – I recommend Wilton’s #21 or #18 tips for smaller swirls.
• French Tip – Use the #199 piping tip from Wilton for the small rosettes.
• Petal Tip – I created the squiggly ribbons using the Wilton decorating tip #104.
• Sprinkles – No unicorn-fabulous cupcake is complete without sprinkles! I use sprinkles from Sweetapolita , they’re my favorite!

How to Decorate Unicorn Cupcakes

I borrowed the decorating technique that I used for my frosted sugar cookies for these magical unicorn cupcakes. Have you ever seen a prettier cupcake? 

If you’re new to decorating with buttercream frosting, I have a handy tutorial on how to use piping tips that can get you acquainted with the techniques we use in this tutorial. You’ll be a piping pro in no time! Here’s how to create your unicorn designs:

Create the Roses

• Using a 1M tip and your pink frosting, pipe the large roses. Starting from the center of the rose, slowly pipe in a circular motion outwards.

Create the Ribbons

• Using a petal piping tip and teal frosting, hold the piping bag so that the long edge of the piping tip is perpendicular to the top of the cupcake. Press gently while moving the tip back and forth over the cupcake.

Add the Rosettes

• Use an open star tip with purple frosting to pipe out the small tight swirls, starting in the center and swirling out. 
• Using a French tip, press out the small purple rosettes by placing the piping tip over the cupcake and squeezing out the frosting before lifting it up and away. 

Each cupcake is unique, so feel free to get creative. And don’t forget to finish with plenty of sprinkles!

How to Store Decorated Cupcakes

• Storing. These frosted cupcakes stay fresh for up to 2-3 days when stored airtight at room temperature. I only recommend refrigerating cakes and cupcakes if you live in a hot and humid environment. In this case, take the cupcakes out of the fridge ahead to serve at room temperature.
• Freeze. If you’d like to freeze cupcakes, it’s best to do so before they’re frosted. Store unfrosted cupcakes airtight and keep them frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost the cupcakes in the fridge before frosting.

More Cupcake Decorating Ideas

• Frosted Football Cupcakes
• Green Velvet Cupcakes
• Candy Corn Cupcakes
• Christmas Tree Cupcakes
• American Flag Cupcake Cake
• Easter Bunny Cupcakes

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