How to Make Fondant Details for Unicorn Cakes

Sometimes life is too busy to do all the things we want to do. I’ve seen all the gorgeous unicorn cakes all over the internet, but I haven’t had time to make them, until now. If you don’t have time to bake a cake don’t let that stop you.

All you need to do is call your local bakery or grocery store bakery and tell them what you need and when you need it. Then all you have to do is make arrangements to pick it up and do your own decoration which includes the horn, ears, and some cute little fondant eyes.

How to Make Fondant Details for Unicorn Cakes | The Bearfoot Baker

Supplies to make the Horn, Eyes, and ears for the Unicorn Cakes:
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  • Fondant- White and Pink
  • Tylose Powder – Just mix a little with the fondant so it will dry nice and hard.
  • A little cornstarch and powdered sugar to dust your work surface.
  • Water
  • Small Paintbrush
  • Wooden BBQ Skewers
  • Fondant Rolling Pin
  • Wax Paper
  • Large Toothpicks- Large toothpicks are available at most grocery stores. You can use anything you have on hand or cut off a few BBQ skewers to the right length for the ears.
  • Two Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutters – I used the heart from Sugarbell’s Shape Shifters Cookie Cutter Set and one I’ve had for years that is about the same size. You can also use a circle, triangle, or just about any cutter with a bit of a rounded area.
  • Truly Mad Plastics Supers Dust Sample Pack (3 Colors) This is not FDA-approved so don’t eat it or anything it touches. You can scrape off the frosting if it touches the unicorn cake. 
  • Vodka to mix the TMP Supers Dust Colors
  • Small Candy Corn Cookie Cutter or I used this nose cookie cutter from Sweet Sugarbelle’s Cookie Top Cutters.
Before you begin:

Before you begin you need to knead your fondant until it’s soft enough to work with. Then add a little Tylose Powder. and knead it in your hands until it’s fully incorporated. If the fondant begins to crack just add a little more fondant and work it in. The fondant will be ready to use once the Tylose is worked in.

The Tylose Powder will help strengthen your fondant so it’s more like a gum paste which will help the fondant set hard. It will set up hard and that’s what we are looking for in a cake topper.

How to Make Fondant Horns for Unicorn Cakes | The Bearfoot Baker

Unicorn Horn:
  • Once your fondant is kneaded break off a piece and roll it into a sausage shape. The top of the horn is thin and it gets thicker as it goes down to the bottom of the horn.
  • This one is about 12″ long, thick on the bottom and thin on the top. The size you make your horn will depend upon the size of your cake.
  • Once you have the horn rolled out wet the skewer with water. Start rolling the thin end of the horn around the skewer.
  • As you roll the fondant, gently squeeze the layers together. There should be some skewer sticking out of the bottom so you can attach the horn to the cake.
  • Once you reach the end of the fondant, grab the water and the paintbrush and paint a little water in between the rings of the horn.
  • Let the horn dry overnight and then paint it with a layer of the Gold TMP Super Dust. I needed two layers on the horns so keep that in mind.
  • Let it dry completely before you add it to your cake.

How to Make Fondant Ears for Unicorn Cakes | The Bearfoot Baker

Unicorn Ears:

If you looked at the supply list you’ll notice I said I used Sweet Sugarbelle’s heart cookie cutter to make the ears and the eyes. Her heart cutter is 4″x3″ and the heart I had was 3″x3 1/4″. Again, the size of the heart cookie cutters depends on the size of your cake. If your cake is smaller, use smaller hearts. If your cake is bigger, use bigger hearts. Or use a circle cookie cutter. Do whatever makes you happy!

  • Roll out a small piece of white thin fondant and cut out two hearts. Set them aside.
  • Roll out a small piece of pink fondant and cut two pieces with the triangle, candy corn, or Sweet Sugarbelle’s nose for the inner ear.
  • Wet the back of the pink fondant and place it on the white ear.
  • Pinch the inside of the ear at the bottom to make it look more like an ear. Trust me, it will look better once you place it on the cake so don’t spend too much time trying to make it perfect.
  • Stick a long toothpick inside the fondant within the pinch you just made.
  • Place a piece of wax paper on a muffin tin and place the ears on it to dry completely.

How to Make Fondant Eyes for Unicorn Cakes | The Bearfoot Baker

Unicorn Eyes:
  • Roll out a piece of white fondant and use the rounded edge of the heart cookie cutter to cut two pieces for the eyes. Seriously, watch the video because it will show you how to do this step way better than I can explain it.
  • Now shape the eyes.
  • Cut out two little thin pieces of fondant and use a small amount of water and a paintbrush to attach them to the eyes. You can use the wooden end of the brush to give it a good little push to help it stick.
  • Let the eyes dry completely.
  • Paint the eyes with the Gold TMP Super Dust. Again, I had to use two coats.
  • Let them dry completely.
How to Make Fondant Details for Unicorn Cakes:

When I was making the pieces for the unicorn cakes I didn’t focus on making each piece perfect. Instead, I had fun playing with the fondant. Maybe someday I’ll try to produce cakes that don’t have dents in the fondant and try to make them look like a professional decorator made them, but for now, I’m having fun. You should try it! Just let go and play with the fondant like you’re a kid and see what you can make.

You did it!

Want to Make a Super Easy Unicorn Cake | The Bearfoot Baker

I hope y’all make your own unicorn cakes in the near future. It’s really fun! I have an idea, let’s have a fun colorful unicorn cake party. We could throw sprinkles at each other instead of confetti and if we’re brave enough we can let the kiddos decorate their own unicorn cakes! Sounds like fun to me and you don’t even have to bake! Call the bakery and let them do the baking for you!

If you’re looking for a unicorn cake tutorial, you can find it here: Want to Make a Super Easy Unicorn Cake? Stay tuned because we have more cakes coming up soon!

Bear hugs,

Lisa