Easy Rainbow Unicorn Cake

5 from 1 vote

Easy Rainbow Unicorn Cake

This pastel-colored unicorn cake is 3 layers of tasty fun and magic. Made with an upgraded boxed cake mix recipe and a whipped cream cheese frosting this cake is as tasty as it is pretty

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 613kcal

Author: Nicole Durham

Cost: Recipe $12.58 / Serving $0.79

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake

1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix ($1.00)
1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.13)
1 cup granulated sugar ($0.36)
¾ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
1 box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix ($0.98)
4 large eggs ($0.60)
1 cup sour cream ($1.00)
½ cup vegetable oil ($0.35)
1 cup milk ($0.20)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract ($0.09)
Food coloring, assorted colors

Filling

1 box (3 ounces) cook and serve vanilla pudding, prepared ($1.88)

Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened ($1.86)
1 cup powdered sugar ($0.36)
2 ¾ cups heavy whipping cream ($3.73)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.03)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat and prep pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray well with nonstick spray.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, granulated sugar, salt, and pudding mix until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Make batter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix.
Color batter. Divide the batter into bowls and add food coloring, stirring until evenly colored.
Fill pans. Spoon the colored batter into the prepared pans, alternating colors as you go. Gently swirl with a toothpick if desired.
Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool cakes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Remove parchment and level the tops if needed.
Prepare filling. While the cakes bake, prepare the vanilla pudding according to package directions. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and let cool completely.
Make frosting. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream and vanilla to stiff peaks. Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream until smooth and fluffy. Reserve 2 cups of frosting for decorating and refrigerate.
Assemble cake. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge and spread pudding evenly inside. Add the second layer and repeat. Top with the final layer. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes if the cake feels soft.
Crumb coat. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake to trap crumbs. Chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
Final frosting. Apply a final layer of frosting to the sides and top, smoothing to about ¼-inch thickness.
Decorate. Color the reserved frosting as desired and transfer to piping bags with various tips. Pipe swirls and designs, then finish with sprinkles and unicorn decorations.

Notes

Food coloring. Gel food coloring provides vibrant color without thinning the batter.
Make ahead. Cake layers can be baked and frozen in advance. Pudding filling can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.
Leveling. Level cake layers once fully cooled using a serrated knife or cake leveler.
Smoothing. Use a cake scraper or straight-edged tool for a smooth frosting finish.
Storage. Store the assembled cake in the refrigerator due to the pudding filling. Remove 20 to 30 minutes before serving for best texture.

Nutrition