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Add some magic to your Halloween with this spectacularly spooky unicorn cake. Using shop-bought Victoria sponge and a few crafty cake decorating tricks you can conjure up this seriously showstopping, zombified Halloween cake. There's a handy ingredients list at the bottom of the page - remember to take a screenshot ready for when you're next in store.
Make the ears 1 day ahead. Start by rolling out 65g black icing until very thin. Halve, then cut into 4 petal shapes about 5cm long. Fix a cocktail stick at the base of 2 petals. Place the other 2 petals on top to enclose the stick. Squeeze the ends together to make ears. Leave to dry on nonstick paper for 24 hrs, turning occasionally.
On the day of serving, make the buttercream. Put 150g softened unsalted butter in a bowl and gradually beat in 300g sifted icing sugar. Put a Tesco Finest Victoria sponge on a 22cm cake board. Stick a second sponge on top with a little buttercream, flat base facing up. Spread the rest of the buttercream over the sponges and smooth with a palette knife.
Roll 120g black icing into a 17cm circle on nonstick baking paper. Brush very sparingly with a little cold water. Place on top of the cake, wet side down, and trim away any overhang, reserving the trimmings. Measure the height and circumference of the cake and roll out 200g icing to a rectangle of that size. Brush it very sparingly with water and stick the wet side to the side of the cake. Smooth the sides gently with a plastic cake smoother or your hands.
On a clean work surface, knead the white icing briefly with your hands to soften, then add a few drops of green food colour and knead it until bright green all over. Roll into a 50cm-long sausage, and do the same with 50g black icing. Twist together into a rope, then wrap around the base of the cake. To make the fondant icing, whisk the sugar with a little water until it holds stiff peaks. Mix in food colour to match the rope. Put in a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle, then pipe around the top of the cake, piping drips of varying lengths down the sides as you go. Leave a gap at the front.
Make the royal icing to a stiff consistency to pack instructions. Put in a piping bag fitted with a large rose or star nozzle. Pipe rosettes on the cake for a mane, starting from the front and going down the side. Pipe the forelock of the mane in the gap at the front.
Spray the cone with shimmer spray and attach to the top with a little royal icing. Paint glitter in each ear with a small paintbrush, then attach them with cocktail sticks. Put a drop of water in a cup and add enough glitter to mix to a paste. Use to paint arcs and lashes on the front of the cake for eyes.
Put a drop of water in a cup and add enough glitter to mix to a paste. Use to paint arcs and lashes on the front of the cake for eyes.
To make shopping for the recipe ingredients extra easy, we've pulled them all together in one simple list. Don't forget to note them down or take a screenshot before heading to the shops.
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