These dark unicorn cakesicles are a smidge spooky and the perfect purple treat for Halloween or just to enjoy at any fun unicorn party.
Jump to:
✏️ Why you'll love this recipe
Unicorn-themed sweet treats have been sweeping the baking world by storm. I wanted to give these unicorns a slightly dark nightmare twist, perfect for a spooky Halloween treat idea!
I’ve given these unicorn cake popsicles a makeover, with a deep purple shade, a black twisted horn and a winter flower crown. They’re a bit more gothic and creepy for a Halloween unicorn-themed cakesicle.
This simple recipe is for making homemade unicorn Halloween cakesicles from scratch. However, you can also make these spooky cakesicles using leftover cake and/or frosting. This will speed up the process as it means you can skip straight to the cakesicle assembly stages.
🥘 Ingredients
This dark unicorn cakesicles recipe calls for the following ingredients:
Cake for cakesicle filling
- Unsalted butter: room temp. for ease of mixing.
- White sugar: finely granulated e.g. caster sugar.
- Egg: large size, room temperature for ease of mixing.
- Plain all-purpose flour: sieve for a smooth cake batter.
- Baking powder: check the expiration date before use and sieve for a smooth cake batter.
- Vanilla extract: use extract or paste rather than essence for the best flavour.
- Milk: semi-skimmed or full-fat milk.
Buttercream for cakesicle filling
- Unsalted butter: room temp. for ease of mixing.
- Powdered icing sugar: sieve for smooth frosting.
- Vanilla extract: use extract or paste rather than essence for the best flavour.
Cakesicle coating
- Candy melts: purple or colour of choice.
- Vegetable oil: or other neutral-flavoured oil e.g. canola or sunflower.
Unicorn decorations
- Fondant icing: black or colour of choice.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Top tip: For accuracy, it’s best to weigh your ingredients rather than using cups.
♻️ Substitutions / Variations
Ingredient substitutions
Swap the plain flour for self-raising flour of the same quantity and exclude the baking powder.
You can also swap the white sugar for golden caster sugar or light brown sugar instead.
You can swap the candy buttons coating for white chocolate and exclude the oil. For a coloured coating, add an oil-based food colouring to your melted white chocolate before use.
Unicorn cakesicle variations
For a more classic bright unicorn cake pop, you can swap the purple candy melts for white candy melts or white chocolate.
You can also swap the black modelling fondant for white and use colours or sparkles on the flower crown.
Flavour variations
To change the flavour of your unicorn cakesicle, you can change the cakesicle filling.
Turn your unicorn cakesicles into a biscoff dessert using this biscoff cakesicle recipe.
Alternatively you can make them lemon flavoured by using this lemon buttercream recipe instead.
You could also try using a chocolate sponge (like from my Oreo drip cake recipe) or banana walnut sponge cake instead. For these cake recipes, you can scale down the sponge to only 1 egg’s worth specifically to make cake pop popsicles.
📖 Method
Cake for filling
- Pre-heat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F
- Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth, then beat the egg until fluffy and add this into the mix, beating until combined.
- Sieve in the flour and baking powder, folding in gently. Then stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
- Pour the mix into a lined cake tin and bake for 15-20mins until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool fully on the side while you make the buttercream.
Buttercream for filling
- Cream the butter in a bowl using a spatula or wooden spoon until smooth.
- Sieve the icing sugar into the butter and beat together until fully combined.
- Add in the vanilla extract and stir together until mixed in evenly.
Cakesicle filling
- Crumble up your cooled sponge into a large bowl, either using your hands or a fork.
- Mix in the buttercream until spread evenly. Your cakesicle filling should be able to hold together like a soft dough.
Cakesicle assembly
- Melt ⅔ of the candy melts in the microwave for up to 30secs at a time, stirring between bouts until smooth. Add ⅔ of the oil and stir until you have a smooth melted candy.
- Spoon the melted candy into the moulds, spreading evenly with a spoon or brush, ensuring you cover the sides up to the edges. Tap your mould on the surface a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Push the popsicle sticks partway into the moulds (about ½ inch / 1-2 cm), then put in the fridge for 5-10mins to set.
- Take the moulds from the fridge and fill them with cakesicle mix to just below the edges, pressing in gently to smooth the top.
- Push the popsicle sticks in until they sit roughly ⅔ of the way into the mould, pressing the cakesicle mix down if needed. Put the moulds back in the fridge.
- Melt the remaining ⅓ of your candy melts (30 secs at a time, stirring between rounds), then stir in the final ⅓ of oil mixing until smooth.
- Remove the moulds from the fridge and spoon the candy melts over them, covering the cakesicle mix completely. Place back into the fridge for 5-10mins, then carefully pop each cakesicle out of the mould.
Unicorn decorations
- For the ears and horn, brush icing sugar into your horn and ear moulds and press fondant icing in before popping it out. Repeat until you have enough for each cakesicle.
- For the eyes, take another small pinch of fondant and roll it into a small log before cutting this in half to create two small cylinders.
- For the flower crown, brush icing sugar into your silicone flower mould and press fondant icing in before popping it out. Repeat until you have enough for 3-4 flowers per cakesicle.
- To assemble your decorations, brush the back of each piece with water before gently pressing it into your cakesicle in the desired position. If using, you can then brush on your lustre dust. Repeat the process for each cakesicle as desired.
💭 Top tips
- Place your silicone cakesicle moulds on a cookie sheet or chopping board to keep them flat and steady.
- Having enough popsicle moulds makes it easier and quicker to make your biscoff cakesicles. Treat yourself to at least 2-3 moulds if they’re the 4 cavity ones.
- The amount of oil that you add to your candy melts will depend on the brand of candy melt that you use. You should add enough oil to give your melted candy melts the consistency just thicker than melted chocolate.
- Be generous with your candy shell coating in the cakesicle moulds. If it’s too thin, it could break easily (especially at the corners/edges).
- When pushing your popsicle stick into the moulds after you’ve added the cakesicle filling, lightly press the filling near the base as you wiggle the stick in. This will help stop the candy shell from breaking.
- Cakesicles can be delicate, so be careful when removing them from the moulds. It’s best to slowly pop them out one at a time by holding the stick and peeling back the silicone from the other end.
- For a neater unicorn cakesicle, run a sharp knife around the edge after you've removed it from the mould. This will cut off any excess bits of chocolate.
- Temperature is important when making your fondant unicorn decorations. If it’s too warm or you’ve worked your fondant quite a bit, it will be hard for your horn to stay straight and instead, they may wilt. If this happens, pop your decorations in the fridge for 5-10mins to firm them up before you attach them to your cakesicle.
🦄 Unicorn cakesicle decorating
For a gorgeously spooky Halloween unicorn cakesicle, you’ll need a few things. I like to use candy melts for the shell and then fondant icing for the unicorn horn, eyes and flower crown.
Cakesicle shell coating colours:
You can use either candy melts or real chocolate for your cakesicle shells / coatings. I find it easier to work with candy melt buttons as sometimes chocolate can be tricky and leave white streaks if it’s not melted slow enough.
However, I think real chocolate tastes better than candy melts.
In the unicorn cake pops featured here, I used a candy melts which came in a beautiful purple hue. You can either buy the candy melts in purple, or I’ve found that mixing white and black candy melts together gives a similar colour. When using candy melts, I always add a neutral-flavoured oil as otherwise, they're quite thick and gloopy.
Unicorn horn decorations:
I use black fondant icing for the unicorn horn. You can use a unicorn horn silicone mould for this or make it from scratch using the below method:
Pinch off a small piece of the fondant and roll it into a small log, roughly 2inches (5cm) long, thinner at the end and thicker in the middle. Pick up the log in the middle and fold in half, gently twisting the two sides together in a spiral until you can pinch the tip sealing the horn together.
Attach the horn to your cakesicle by brushing the back of the base of the horn with water and then pressing this into the top centre of your cakesicle. The water will create a sticky surface to your fondant that will help it attach to your cakesicle, but note that these will still be a bit fragile!
Attach the horn to your cakesicle by brushing the back of the base of the horn with water and then pressing this into the top centre of your cakesicle. The water will create a sticky surface to your fondant that will help it attach to your cakesicle, but note that these will still be a bit fragile!
Unicorn eyes decorations:
For the eyes, I wanted my Halloween unicorns to look cute, creepy and a bit mean. I simply pinched off a very tiny amount of black fondant icing and rolled it into a small log before cutting this in half to create to small cylinders. Brush the back of the fondant eyes with water and then press these onto the face of your cakesicle roughly ⅔rd of the way up at an angle to give angry eyes as shown in the pictures here.
Unicorn ears decorations:
For the ears, you can use a unicorn ears silicone mould or make them from scratch using the below method.
Using a small piece of fondant, roll it into a small ball and slightly flatten it. Pinch one side into a triangular tip. Using the tip of a teaspoon handle is great to indent into the round bottom part of the ear, leaving a small border. Repeat until you have enough unicorn cakesicle ears.
Unicorn flower crown decorations:
To create a pretty winter flower crown for your unicorn, you’ll need a silicone flower mould. You can then use your black fondant icing to press into the mould to give you small flowers to add to your cakesicle. I used very small flower and leaf cavities in a pack of unicorn silicone fondant molds.
A top tip is to brush your silicone mould with powdered icing sugar before pressing the fondant in, this will help you to get the fondant out easier afterwards.
Also, don't overfill the mould with fondant, or you’ll end up needing to cut bits off once you remove it from the mould. You want the fondant to come to just below the sides of the mould.
For an extra touch, you can brush pearlescent edible lustre dust across the unicorn’s horn and flower crown to give them a little glittery shine.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Your unicorn cakesicles should last for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If it's hot where you live, store them in the fridge so the candy shell and fondant don't melt.
Unfortunately, I've found these don't freeze well, so best to enjoy them fresh!
Cakesicles are also called cake pop popsicles or cake lolly popsicles. They’re similar to a traditional cake pop, but instead of a small round cake ball, you get a bigger dose in the form of a cute popsicle lolly.
To make cakesicles, you'll need a silicone popsicle mould. These can come in a variety of sizes and number of cavities. I have 2 sets of 4-cavity mini cakesicle moulds (popsicle molds) that I like to use. These have a lolly size of roughly 7cm x 3.5cm.
Cake popsicles usually have a chocolate or candy melts shell, which holds so much sweet cake-y joy. The filling is usually a mix of crumbled sponge cake and frosting or spreads. However, you can also fill them with cookie dough, brownies, or other great treats and fillings.
Simply crumble the cake offcuts / leftover sponge cake, weigh the amount that you have and then add in roughly ⅓ of this weight in biscoff spread and mix them together until smooth.
The amount of frosting or spread vs sponge you need can vary quite a lot, depending on how moist your sponge is and the consistency of your frosting or spread. Add enough frosting that your crumbled sponge comes together and holds its shape like a soft dough.
I find I need roughly 25 g (1½ tbsp) of cakesicle filling for each biscoff cakesicle that I make.
One thing I always do when I make a big layer cake is slice off the tops of the cakes. This gives them a nice level top and removes any peaks that may have formed. Don’t throw these away! These offcuts of cake are perfect to use in this cakesicle recipe.
Store your cake offcuts or cake leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up 4 days before using them.
Alternatively, you can freeze the cake offcuts by wrapping them in plastic wrap (cling film) and a layer of foil for up to 2 months. Defrost them and use them in cakesicle recipes as normal.
Fro gluten-free unicorn cakesicles, swap the plain all-puropse flour in the recipe for a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose blend.
The other ingredients in this cakesicle recipe should be gluten-free, but please be sure to check the label on your ingredients just in case.
🧁 Other goodies
Looking for more easy cake pop ideas?
Check out this collection of the best Halloween-themed cake pops and cakesicles, which features these delicious spiderweb orange cakesicles and pumpkin-shaped cake pops.
For more party-perfect cake pops, try these biscoff cakesicles, easy pink cake pops or best chocolate cake pops - kids will love them!
After some Halloween treat ideas? Then give these best Halloween dessert recipes a try:
- Maleficient cupcakes - go great with your dusky unicorn cake pops!
- Pink Halloween drip cake
- Easy Halloween bark
- Spooky graveyard dirt cake
Other related recipes:
Looking forward to some new recipes? Check out my Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages for a few sneak peeks and some sweet inspiration!
Or if you’d like to hear about our latest recipes, why not subscribe to our newsletter?
📋 Recipe
Dark Unicorn Cakesicles
Rate this recipe here:
Equipment
- Unicorn decoration silicone moulds see notes for alternatives
Ingredients
Cake (for filling):
- 55 g (¼ cups) unsalted butter
- 55 g (⅓ cups) white sugar finely granulated e.g. caster
- 1 egg
- 55 g (½ cups) plain all-purpose flour see notes for self-raising swap
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk whole or semi-skimmed
Buttercream (for filling):
- 20 g (1½ tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 40 g (⅓ cups) powdered icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cakesicle coating:
- 160 g (¾ cups) candy melts purple
- 2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil or sunflower or canola oil
Unicorn decorations:
- 10-20 g (1-2 tablespoon) fondant icing black
Instructions
Cake:
- Pre-heat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F
- Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth, then beat the egg until fluffy and add this into the mix, beating until combined.
- Sieve in the flour and baking powder, folding in gently. Then stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
- Pour the mix into a lined cake tin and bake for 15-20mins until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool fully on the side while you make the buttercream.
Buttercream:
- Cream the butter in a bowl using a spatula or wooden spoon until smooth.
- Sieve the icing sugar into the butter and beat together until fully combined.
- Add in the vanilla extract and stir together until mixed in evenly.
Cakesicle filling:
- Crumble up your cooled sponge into a large bowl, either using your hands or a fork.
- Mix in the buttercream until spread evenly. Your cakesicle filling should be able to hold together like a soft dough.
Cakesicle assembly:
- Melt ⅔ of the candy melts in the microwave for up to 30secs at a time, stirring between bouts until smooth. Add ⅔ of the oil and stir until you have a smooth melted candy.
- Spoon the melted candy into the moulds, spreading evenly with a spoon or brush, ensuring you cover the sides up to the edges. Tap your mould on the surface a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Push the popsicle sticks partway into the moulds (about ½ inch / 1-2 cm), then put in the fridge for 5-10mins to set.
- Take the moulds from the fridge and fill them with cakesicle mix to just below the edges, pressing in gently to smooth the top.
- Push the popsicle sticks in until they sit roughly ⅔ of the way into the mould, pressing the cakesicle mix down if needed. Put the moulds back in the fridge.
- Melt the remaining ⅓ of your candy melts (30 secs at a time, stirring between rounds), then stir in the final ⅓ of oil mixing until smooth.
- Remove the moulds from the fridge and spoon the candy melts over them, covering the cakesicle mix completely. Place back into the fridge for 5-10mins, then carefully pop each cakesicle out of the mould.
Unicorn decorations:
- For the ears and horn, brush icing sugar into your horn and ear moulds and press fondant icing in before popping it out. Repeat until you have enough for each cakesicle.
- For the eyes, take a small pinch of fondant and roll it into a small log before cutting this in half to create two small cylinders.
- For the flower crown, brush icing sugar into your silicone flower mould and press fondant icing in before popping it out. Repeat until you have enough for 3-4 flowers per cakesicle.
- To assemble your decorations, brush the back of each piece with water before gently pressing it into your cakesicle in the desired position. If using, you can then brush on your lustre dust. Repeat the process for each cakesicle as desired.
Notes
- You can swap the plain all-purpose flour for self-raising flour and exclude the baking powder.
- You can swap the candy melts for baking white chocolate and exclude the oil. Add an oil-based food colouring of your choice.
- If you don't have a horn mould, pinch off a small piece of the fondant icing, roughly half the size of a marble. Using your fingertips, roll this out on a clean surface or baking mat until you get a thin sausage, thinner towards the ends. Pinch in the middle and twist the two ends around one another from the thick base to the ends.
- If you don't have an ears mould, pinch off a small amount of fondant, rolling it into a small ball and then slightly flattening it. Pinch one side into a tip and then use the handle end of a teaspoon to indent into the round bottom end of the ear, leaving a small border. Repeat for the second ear.
- The amount of oil that you add to your candy melts will depend on the brand of candy melt that you use. You should add enough oil to give your melted candy melts the consistency just thicker than melted chocolate.
- Be generous with your candy shell coating in the moulds to prevent breaking or see-through patches.
- Lightly press down the filling near the base of the mould when pushing in the popsicle stick. This will help prevent the shell from breaking.
- Pop your cakesicles from the moulds by holding the stick and gently peeling the silicone back from the end.
- Run a sharp knife around the edge after you've removed the cakesicle from the mould to cut off any excess chocolate.
- Depending on your cakesicle sizes, you may have some leftover cakesicle mix. If so, you may be able to make more cakesicles using extra chocolate, or you can just roll these into cake balls and eat them like truffles.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator, actual values may vary.
Cook Took
Unique idea. First impression was , it is ice cream. But seeing the details, surprised that it is cake. Can't believe my eye. Hats off.
Sweet Mouth Joy
Yeah they really look like little ice cream lollies! Glad you like them 🙂