As if cupcakes are not magical enough on their own - these take on a fantastical twist! These Unicorn Cupcakes were made for the annual Clear the Shelters bake sale at the Animal Welfare League. This event waives the adoption fee for all animals at shelters across the United States for one entire day. Shout out and a big thank you to all the support staff, veterinarians, technicians, and volunteers who donate their time and effort to make these type of events possible!
Though this event is great for those seeking a companion, it comes at a cost
for the shelters. At the Animal Welfare League, the fee being waived is
used to help compensate the costs to spay/neuter, vaccinate, and
micro-chip fur tenants. It's a financial dip but that's what animal
lovers do - it's all about what's best for the animals. This year, the coordinators at the shelter had a brilliant idea to offer activities and treats for those waiting in line to adopt.... and cover some of the funds lost. One of these great ideas was the bake sale!
The strategy behind this cupcake recipe selection was simple: they are straight eye candy. I wanted to make something that would appeal to both young children and whimsical adults. With their triple colored frosting, fancy sprinkles, and unicorn characteristics - these cupcakes were a sure fire seller.
Looks aren't everything though - they also have to taste good. I went with a basic vanilla base for mass appeal but I think these would look crazy cute with chocolate cake for the high contrast. Pick your favorite flavor and make it your own. Swiss buttercream is my preferred frosting since it's lighter than traditional buttercream.
What makes these cupcakes stand out is the cuteness. The ears and horn were made with basic fondant (you could also use gum paste). Its requires a small amount of fondant so I love the Sweetshop fondants available at Michaels for their efficiency. The horns are easy to roll out; the ears can be made by hand or with rose/leaf shape cutters. Minimal effort with great results!
The tri-color frosting requires patience but the process is logical. The high level summary is to split your base frosting three-ways and add food coloring. Split into three different piping bags with the same size round tip. Pipe three even lines next to one another on a large sheet of saran wrap. Roll the saran wrap so the three frostings become one large, solid log of frosting. Add the log into a piping bag and go to town! A more detailed reference tutorial is included in the instructions below.
My one tip is don't over fill the piping bags. I filled my combined piping bag to the brim so my hands were shaking to apply enough pressure to pipe. It compromises control and gets a little frustrating.
Sprinkle to your hearts content!
Unicorn Cupcakes
Cupcake Recipe of Your Choice
I wanted to do a confetti cupcake recipe but was afraid the sprinkles in the batter wouldn't perfectly match the frosting; these are 24 plain vanilla cupcakes.
Swiss Butter Cream
from Smitten Kitchen
frosts 24 cupcakes with frosting to spare
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
26 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring of your choice
Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a big metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until you can’t feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
Transfer mixture into the mixer and whip until it turns white and about doubles in size. Add the vanilla. Finally, add the butter a stick at a time and whip until smooth.
Divide evenly into three bowls and add food coloring to each bowl. To make the tri-color frosting, you will need some saran wrap and four sturdy piping bags. Follow steps from this handy tutorial posted on King Arthur Flour!
Unicorn Horns
Using the colored fondant or gum paste of your choice, follow this simple tutorial. Make sure they're long enough to reach the actual cupcake for added stability or wrap the fondant around a toothpick to keep them grounded.
If you want really golden horns, you'll have to use some edible gold paint. Alas, my craft store was all out of gold anything so I had to use yellow fondant. Let them dry over night. Don't let them get too warm or they may wilt a little!
Unicorn Ears
My unicorn ears are not perfectly even because I did these free-had by making two sets of rose-petal shaped cut outs. The first cut out was was the large, outside portion of the ear using white fondant; the second cut out was slightly smaller rose-petal cut outs in yellow fondant. If you need them to be consistent, invest in some cookie cutters as illustrated in this tutorial. Let them dry over night.
