Unicorn birthdays

Unicorn Cake Toppers

A unicorn cake is recognised from three things: a gold horn, a pair of ears, and closed eyes with long lashes. Everything else — the rosette mane, the flowers, the pastels — is decoration. The design here is built the same way, so a flat printed disc still reads as a unicorn face at 2 inches across on a cupcake.

Personalise this template How the maker works

Horn, ears and lashes read at 2 inchesName between the horn and the lashesPastels plus one gold

Unicorn Cake Topper sizes

If you are piping a buttercream mane, size the topper to leave a clear band of cake on one side for it — about 3.5 inches on a 6 inch cake. The piped mane is what turns a cake with a picture on it into a unicorn cake.

Recommended topper sizes for unicorn cakes
What it is for	Finished size	Why
Topper for a 6" cake	3.5–4 inches	Leaves room to pipe a mane down one side.
Topper for an 8" cake	5–5.5 inches	The usual party cake size.
Edible image covering an 8" cake	7.5 inches	Fits one A4 or US Letter sheet with a small border.
Cupcake discs	2 inches	The face still reads. 15 on an A4 sheet, 12 on Letter.
Mini cupcakes	1.25 inches	Horn and lashes survive; keep lettering off these.

Covering the whole top with an edible image instead? The edible image size chart has exact print sizes for 6, 8 and 10 inch cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more.

It also gets round the hard part of a 3D unicorn cake. A modelled horn and ears take practice in fondant and are the first thing to droop in a warm room. A printed topper gives you the face without the structure — on its own for cupcakes, or flat on a cake finished with a piped buttercream mane.

Unicorn palettes

Pastels — blush pink, lilac, mint and peach — with one gold for the horn. Four pastels is the limit; any more and it starts to read as a rainbow theme instead.
Printed gold is a warm ochre, not a shine. It looks right next to pastels; for real sparkle, brush edible gold lustre over the printed horn once the topper is on the cake.
Set the lettering in one deep colour, plum or berry, so the name reads against the pale ground. Pastel lettering on a pastel design disappears.
Pinks and lilacs shift more than any other colours between screen and edible print. Print one test disc before a full sheet.

Match the buttercream to the rosettes in the printed design rather than the other way round. You can tint icing to anything; the artwork’s palette is fixed.

What to write on a unicorn topper

MagicalStay magicalBelieve in magicSparkle, Ava!Ava is 6Magical at 7Unicorn partyBe a unicorn

One line, placed where the forehead would be — between the horn and the lashes. A second line pushes the name down into the eyes and the face stops reading as a face; put the age on the cupcakes instead.

What to print it on

Edible icing sheets for cupcakes and a flat topper on buttercream — pastels print cleanly on icing.
Wafer paper for a softer, matte finish that suits pastels. It turns slightly translucent on very wet buttercream, so put it on shortly before serving.
Cardstock at 300gsm if the topper stands on a stick behind a fondant horn rather than lying flat.

Start from a template

The “Pure magic” starter is the classic unicorn cake face: a gold horn and ears with a crown of roses, a mane of piped rosettes down one side and sleepy lashes, with the centre clear for a name.

See the pure magic design

More party themes

Each one has its own original design, with sizes, colours and wording for that theme.

Dinosaur Football Space Jungle & safari Under the sea

Frequently Asked Questions

What size should a unicorn cake topper be?

About 3.5–4 inches on a 6 inch cake and 5–5.5 inches on an 8 inch, which leaves room for a piped mane. An edible image covering the whole top of an 8 inch cake prints at 7.5 inches and fits one A4 or US Letter sheet.

What size are unicorn cupcake toppers?

Two inches for a standard cupcake case, which leaves a ring of buttercream showing. 15 fit on one A4 sheet and 12 on US Letter. Mini cupcakes take 1.25 inch discs, 35 to a sheet.

How do I make a unicorn cake with a printed topper?

Cover the cake in white or pale buttercream and place the printed unicorn face on top, towards one side. Then pipe a mane of rosettes down the other side with a large star nozzle in two or three pastels that match the print. The printed horn reads on its own, so a modelled fondant horn is optional.

What do you write on a unicorn cake?

One short line between the horn and the lashes: the name, “Magical”, or “Stay magical”. Keep the age for the cupcakes — two lines on the face push the lettering into the eyes.

What resolution should a printed cake topper be?

Export at 300 DPI. Below about 200 DPI the edges of text and artwork go soft once printed at topper size, and it is very obvious on a 3 inch disc held a foot from someone’s face. The editor exports at 300 DPI by default, so the main thing to watch is the resolution of whatever image you started from.