Name: Chocolate Unicorn Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: All-purpose flour - 1 ¾ cups; Dark cocoa powder (such as Hershey's® Special Dark), sifted - 1 cup; Baking soda - 2 teaspoons; Baking powder - 1 teaspoon; Salt - ¾ teaspoon; Firmly packed brown sugar - 1 cup; White sugar - ½ cup; Unsalted butter, softened - ½ cup; Eggs, at room temperature - 2 large; Vanilla extract - 2 teaspoons; Strongly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature - 1 cup; Sour cream - 1 cup; Unsalted butter, softened - 1 cup; Sifted powdered sugar - 4 cups; Vanilla extract - 1 ½ teaspoons; Salt - ¼ teaspoon; Heavy cream, or more as needed - 1 tablespoon; Blue food coloring, or as needed - 1 drop; Purple food coloring, or as needed - 1 drop; Pink sprinkles, or as needed - 1 tablespoon; Black decorating gel - 1 (.75 ounce) tube; Marshmallows, quartered - 4; Pink sanding sugar, or as needed (Optional) - 1 tablespoon; Birthday candles - 8

Ingredients for - Chocolate Unicorn Cake

1. All-purpose flour 1 ¾ cups

2. Dark cocoa powder (such as Hershey's® Special Dark), sifted 1 cup

3. Baking soda 2 teaspoons

4. Baking powder 1 teaspoon

5. Salt ¾ teaspoon

6. Firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup

7. White sugar ½ cup

8. Unsalted butter, softened ½ cup

9. Eggs, at room temperature 2 large

10. Vanilla extract 2 teaspoons

11. Strongly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature 1 cup

12. Sour cream 1 cup

13. Unsalted butter, softened 1 cup

14. Sifted powdered sugar 4 cups

15. Vanilla extract 1 ½ teaspoons

16. Salt ¼ teaspoon

17. Heavy cream, or more as needed 1 tablespoon

18. Blue food coloring, or as needed 1 drop

19. Purple food coloring, or as needed 1 drop

20. Pink sprinkles, or as needed 1 tablespoon

21. Black decorating gel 1 (.75 ounce) tube

22. Marshmallows, quartered 4

23. Pink sanding sugar, or as needed (Optional) 1 tablespoon

24. Birthday candles 8

How to cook deliciously - Chocolate Unicorn Cake

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.

2 . Stage

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3 . Stage

Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

4 . Stage

Mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Mix in 1/2 of the coffee and 1/2 of the sour cream until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture alternately with remaining sour cream and coffee. Do not overmix. Divide batter between the cake pans.

5 . Stage

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans before inverting cakes onto cooling racks. Peel off parchment paper. Cool cakes completely, about 30 minutes.

6 . Stage

Make frosting while cakes cool. Beat butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract and salt. Add heavy cream. Beat frosting on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add more heavy cream if needed to reach a spreadable consistency.

7 . Stage

Place 1/2 cup frosting into 2 separate bowls. Stir blue food coloring into one bowl and purple food coloring into the other. Place colored frostings into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

8 . Stage

Place 1 cooled cake layer onto a cake plate. Top with 3/4 cup of white frosting. Place second cake layer on top. Frost the outside and top of the cake with remaining frosting.

9 . Stage

Divide the cake into 8 wedges by tracing a sharp knife through the frosting on the top; do not cut all the way through. Place 2 pink sprinkles in the innermost point to make unicorn's nostrils. Pipe the eyes and eyelashes near the upper portion of each wedge using the black decorating gel. Pipe blue and purple unicorn hair at the top of each wedge.

10 . Stage

Stretch marshmallow quarters into ear shapes and dip into pink sugar. Attach 2 ears to the edge of each slice. Pipe more hair around the ears. Place 1 candle into the hair for the horns. Keep cake refrigerated until ready to serve.