Unicorn cake pops are an extremely popular dessert for kids’ parties and events. Not only are they delicious, but they also look extremely fun and cute! Many people think that the only way to get high-quality unicorn cake pops is to find the nearest bakery and make a custom order or to buy premade pops online. Fortunately, this is not the case at all! Nowadays, you can easily make DIY unicorn cake pops from home thanks to kid-friendly baking sets like Kidstir’s unicorn cake pops kit!
So, in today’s guide, we will answer all of your questions about unicorn cake pops and help you get the tools and information you need to make them on your own. Let’s get started!
What Is A Unicorn Cake Pop?
Before we discuss the process of making unicorn cake pops (or why they are so popular among kids and adults alike), it is important to understand what they are! In essence, a unicorn cake pop resembles a standard lollipop. However, instead of a candy lollipop at the top of the stick, each unicorn pop has cake balls in the shape and style of a unicorn head.
Unicorn pops, also known as unicorn cakesicles, are a relatively new innovation in the baking world. For years, people assumed that there was no way to combine the complexities of a unicorn cake with the simplicity of a lollipop. Now, you can find dozens of lollipop cake recipes on the internet. To make your cakesicle even more interesting, you just have to turn it into a unicorn pop with the right icing design and decoration!
Why Unicorns Are So Popular With Kids
As a general rule, kids love sweets. While you should always make sure to monitor your child’s sugar intake to prevent health problems down the road, there is no harm in letting them enjoy sweet treats from time to time. For this reason, unicorn cake pops will always be a hit with your children and their friends, particularly on special occasions.
However, while cakes, popsicles, lollipops, and other sweets are universally popular, this does not really explain why unicorns are specifically popular with kids. As you probably know, the unicorn is a mythical horse-like creature with a single horn on its head. Kids love to use their imaginations, so non-existent creatures like unicorns, dragons, and mermaids are often popular choices for toys, desserts, candies, and similar gifts for children.
Unicorns also get the benefit of having beautiful, fun colors. Most of the time, unicorns have a white body with a rainbow-colored horn. When kids see these colors, they automatically want to play with them or, in the case of unicorn pops, eat them! Thus, unicorn gifts for kids (particularly younger children) are extremely popular, regardless of the child’s gender.
How To Make Unicorn Cake Pops
If it is your first time making unicorn cake pops and you are working without a cake pop mold, you may find it rather difficult. Cake pops require many of the same ingredients as standard cakes, but the recipe differs due to the size and visual differences. As a result, making cake pops usually requires a specific cake pop maker or unicorn cake pop kit.
That said, you can do it all on your own with enough preparation and research. You will essentially need all of the same ingredients you would need for a unicorn cake. This includes most or all of the following:
- Cake flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Rainbow sprinkles
- Buttercream
- Heavy whipping cream
- Food coloring
- Fondant (for the unicorn horn)
However, you can’t just do all of the same steps for a standard cake and expect to create cake pops. You will have to form smaller, round balls of cake and decorate them individually. As a result, trying to make them without any kind of guidance could lead to subpar results. Additionally, shopping for all the ingredients on your own can get complicated, especially since lollipop sticks are not available at most grocery stores. This means that you would have to get all the baking ingredients at one location and then find a party store or craft store for the sticks.
The Unicorn Cake Pops Kit
Needless to say, making unicorn cake pops with a kids baking kit is much easier. Plus, a baking kit for kids ensures that the directions are simple, safe, and fun. This can turn baking into a great event for birthday parties or other celebrations where kids want to be active and entertained.
With a unicorn cake pops kit, you get all of the dry ingredients and decorations you need to make easy cake pops at home. All you have to do is provide one egg, a little milk, and a bit of butter. Everything else comes ready and premeasured right out of the box! This way, both kids and adults do not need to worry about putting in the wrong quantities or accidentally ruining the unicorn cake pops with the wrong ingredients. In short, a unicorn cake pops kit is just homemade cake pops done easy!
How To Make The Cake Pops Stay On The Stick
Thus far, we have talked about the popularity of unicorn-themed toys and desserts, as well as the easiest ways to make cake pops using kits. However, a common issue that many DIY bakers run into is the attachment of the cake pops to the stick. It sounds simple enough, but many people find that the cake pops keep falling off the stick, despite their best efforts.
There are several reasons this can happen. First and foremost, if you have not followed the instructions (provided in our unicorn cake pops kit), you are more likely to run into issues like this. Additionally, you need to consider the timing of putting the cake balls on the sticks. If you do it too early without allowing the cake to fully bake, the sticks could break right through your unicorn heads. On the other hand, if you wait too long, the cake mix could be too dry and unable to actually cling to the stick. Therefore, the timing between taking the unicorn balls out of the oven and putting them on the sticks is key.
It is also important to remember that you should let the natural ingredients of the cake batter act as an adhesive. Cake batter forms in the same way that lollipops form around sticks, as they are both naturally sticky. Therefore, do not resort to actual adhesives like glue, as these can be extremely dangerous and toxic.
Lastly, many people try to overdo it with the frosting. Everybody loves cake frosting, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. In the case of unicorn cake pops, too much frosting can cause too much weight on the top of the sticks. This means that the unicorn balls are far more likely to break apart, slide down the stick, or just fall off entirely. So, make sure you stick to the correct measurements and don’t put on excessive amounts of frosting!
Do you want to learn more about making DIY unicorn cake pops at home with a guided kit? If so, check out our Unicorn Cake Pop Kit to get started!
