If you read our About page, you know we are all about simplicity! We don’t have time to learn to make incredible cakes for this year’s birthday party, but boy do we know how to fake it.
This Harry Potter Unicorn Cake is as easy as it comes…and it sure doesn’t look like it!
Make this for your child’s (or husbands) Harry Potter Themed Party, and you’ll have everyone thinking you slaved away in the kitchen for hours.
The best part of this recipe, is you get to use the cake mix from the box.
We told you we’re all about ease.
This Harry Potter cake is going to be all about the decoration and the surprise inside.
So when your child begs for a Harry Potter birthday party, don’t fret…we made this Harry Potter cake, so you can to!
The secret to an awesome cake is actually not the cake…it’s the frosting. We totally believe that boxed cake mixes are pretty perfect already, so why try to mimic it with a million different ingredients when you can do it super easy.
For this recipe, you’ll need 2 boxes of cake mix. Once you cut the cake, your guests will see two different colors of each layer of cake. One maroon and one yellow…perfect Harry Potter colors.
Quick Tips:
-The recipe calls for 4 layers of cake. Yes, you can use 4 cake pans, but if you only have one 9” cake pan, save your money and just bake 3 cakes in it, one right after the other. (We’re keeping this cheap and simple, remember?)
Let’s get started!
THINGS YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS CAKE:
-Maroon Gel Food Coloring
-Golden Yellow Gel Food Coloring
-Black Gel Food Coloring
-9” Cake Pan
-1 large piping bag with star tip
-2 piping bags with #3 round tips
-3 medium mixing bowls
-1 3in round cookie cutter (optional…you could use any round thing you have to create the glasses template)
-Gold coin sprinkles
INGREDIENTS:
White cake
- 2 boxes of white cake mix
- 8 large Egg whites
- 2 ½ C water
- 1 C canola oil
- Maroon and Golden yellow gel food coloring
- 3 – 9inch round cake pans
- 1 – 10inch round cake board
Vanilla Frosting
- 3 C unsalted butter, softened
- 6 C powdered sugar
- 5 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Maroon, black and golden yellow gel food coloring
- 1 large piping bag with star tip
- 2 piping bags with #3 round tips
- 3 medium mixing bowls
- 1 3in round cookie cutter
- Gold coin sprinkles
Decorating ingredients:
Let’s Make The Cake!
Directions
STEP ONE:
Cake directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray cake pans with your baking spray.
- Using a hand mixer and large bowl, beat all cake ingredients until combined and smooth.
- Scoop about 3 ½ C of batter into one bowl and mix in a few drops of the golden yellow gel coloring.
- In your other bowl, mix in a few drops of maroon food coloring into the mixing bowl.
- Scoop the golden yellow batter into one cake pan.
- Scoop the maroon batter into the other two cake pans.
- Place into the oven and bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely.
While you are baking your cakes, let’s work on the frosting…
STEP TWO:
Frosting directions
1. Using a standing mixer, beat all ingredients except for the colors until combined and smooth but stiff with peaks.
2. Scoop ½ C of frosting into a small bowl and mix in a few drops of black gel food coloring into the frosting.
3. Scoop 1 ½ C of frosting into a medium bowl and mix in a few drops of golden yellow gel coloring into the frosting.
4. Scoop 1 ½ C of frosting into another medium bowl and mix in a few drops of maroon gel food coloring into the frosting.
5. Leave the remaining frosting white.
STEP THREE:
Building the Cake directions :
1. Place one cake layer onto the cake board and cut the dome off the cake to make an even layer.
2. Repeat step with other two layers.
3. Scoop the 1 C of the Maroon color and golden yellow frosting into the large piping bag and set aside.
4. Scoop ½ C of Golden Yellow frosting into one piping bag.
5. Place the first cake layer onto the cake board.
6. Scoop 1 C of white frosting onto the first cake layer and spread evenly.
7. Place the second cake layer on to the top of the first layer of frosting and spread evenly another cup of frosting.
8. Place the last layer of cake on top.
9. Use the remaining white frosting, frost entire cake.
STEP FOUR:
Decorating directions
1. Lightly press the round cookie cutter into the front of the cake to make impressions for the glasses.
2. Using the black frosting, outline the impressions to create the frames.
3. Using the golden yellow frosting, pipe of winky eyes and a lightning bolt.
4. Using the piping bag, start piping the “Hair” for the unicorn on the top and around one side of the cake to create a “Mane”.
5. Place the horn and ears onto the cake.
6. Place into the fridge to harden the frosting before enjoying!
You did it!! Wow, we would LOVE to see your creations. This one wasn’t so bad, was it? And now you look like a Pinterest Pro!
Great job, mama! We’ll see you for next week’s dessert night!
Harry Potter Unicorn Cake
Ingredients
- 2 boxes of white cake mix
- 8 large Egg whites
- 2 ½ C water
- 1 C canola oil
- Maroon and Golden yellow gel food coloring
- 3 – 9inch round cake pans
- 1 – 10inch round cake board
- Vanilla Frosting
- 3 C unsalted butter, softened
- 6 C powdered sugar
- 5 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Maroon, black and golden yellow gel food coloring
- 1 large piping bag with star tip
- 2 piping bags with #3 round tips
- 3 medium mixing bowls
- 1 3in round cookie cutter
- Gold coin sprinkles
- Unicorn Horns and Ears and Eyes Kit
Instructions
STEP ONE:
Cake directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray cake pans with your baking spray.
2. Using a hand mixer and large bowl, beat all cake ingredients until combined and smooth.
3. Scoop about 3 ½ C of batter into one bowl and mix in a few drops of the golden yellow gel coloring.
4. In your other bowl, mix in a few drops of maroon food coloring into the mixing bowl.
5. Scoop the golden yellow batter into one cake pan.
6. Scoop the maroon batter into the other two cake pans.
7. Place into the oven and bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool completely.
While you are baking your cakes, let’s work on the frosting…
STEP TWO:
Frosting directions
1. Using a standing mixer, beat all ingredients except for the colors until combined and smooth but stiff with peaks.
2. Scoop ½ C of frosting into a small bowl and mix in a few drops of black gel food coloring into the frosting.
3. Scoop 1 ½ C of frosting into a medium bowl and mix in a few drops of golden yellow gel coloring into the frosting.
4. Scoop 1 ½ C of frosting into another medium bowl and mix in a few drops of maroon gel food coloring into the frosting.
5. Leave the remaining frosting white.
STEP THREE:
Building the Cake directions :
1. Place one cake layer onto the cake board and cut the dome off the cake to make an even layer.
2. Repeat step with other two layers.
3. Scoop the 1 C of the Maroon color and golden yellow frosting into the large piping bag and set aside.
4. Scoop ½ C of Golden Yellow frosting into one piping bag.
5. Place the first cake layer onto the cake board.
6. Scoop 1 C of white frosting onto the first cake layer and spread evenly.
7. Place the second cake layer on to the top of the first layer of frosting and spread evenly another cup of frosting.
8. Place the last layer of cake on top.
9. Use the remaining white frosting, frost entire cake.
STEP FOUR:
Decorating directions
1. Lightly press the round cookie cutter into the front of the cake to make impressions for the glasses.
2. Using the black frosting, outline the impressions to create the frames.
3. Using the golden yellow frosting, pipe of winky eyes and a lightning bolt.
4. Using the piping bag, start piping the “Hair” for the unicorn on the top and around one side of the cake to create a “Mane”.
5. Place the horn and ears onto the cake.
6. Place into the fridge to harden the frosting before enjoying!
Thank you for this! After a short search on google, I fell on your page (btw, love it’s name!), and you made this looks so easy to make! I have to do a Harry Potter Unicorn cake for this week end. I’ll gladly comme post a photo of it once it’s ready!
We are so glad to hear you found us! Hope your cake turned out beautifully! Can’t wait to see the photos.