Woolworths mud cake hack: Tigga Mac shares how to make a unicorn cake for $30

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Professional baker shares how to make a kids unicorn birthday cake in 30 minutes for less than $50

A top baker has shown her followers how to make a “really cute” unicorn cake
Tigga MacCormack cut and decorated a Woolworth mud cake to create the treat
She said the cake costs less than $50 to make and only takes 30 minutes

By Louise Allingham for Daily Mail Australia

published: 00:01 EST, January 29, 2023 | Updated: 00:01 EST, January 29, 2023

A top Australian baker has revealed how to make an adorable unicorn cake that looks like it was made by a pro for less than $50.

Tigga MacCormack, co-owner of Cake for Days, went viral last year for showing her huge following how to make the “really cute” cake and recently shared how others can make the treat at home using MamaMia.

The Melbourne baker used affordable items that are all available in supermarkets, including a mud cake from Coles or Woolworths.

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Pro baker Tigga MacCormack (pictured) revealed how to make a stunning unicorn cake in 30 minutes for less than $50

The Melbourne baker used affordable items that are all available in supermarkets, including a Coles or Woolworths mud cake

She starts by slicing the cake in half unevenly so that she has two pieces of different sizes.

Tigga adds a blob of icing to her cake board to act as “glue,” then places the two pieces on top cut-side down and presses them together to make the unicorn head.

The cake decorator said to then “crumb coat” icing with soft buttercream.

“I like to use a piping bag, put some of the softened buttercream in the bag and pipe little swirls around the cake, using a palette knife to smooth them out,” she explained.

She starts by slicing the cake in half unevenly so that she has two different sized pieces before placing on the cake pan and adding a ‘crumb layer’ of soft buttercream icing

Tigga then said to put the cake in the freezer for five minutes to make it easier to apply the next layer of icing and decorations.

“This is called a crumb coat because it’s used to catch crumbs and get a nice smooth surface for your top frosting to go on.”

Tigga put on the unicorn cake topper (pictured) she bought for $5 from Coles, which makes the eyes, ears, and horn, and added two brown Smarties as the nostrils.

Tigga then said to put the cake in the freezer for five minutes to make it easier to apply the next layer of icing and decorations.

She repeats the same steps for the second layer of frosting, wiping off the excess on the cake board to clean it up.

Tigga put on the unicorn cake toppers she bought for $5 from Coles, which make the eyes, ears, and horn, and added two brown Smarties as the nostrils.

For the unicorn’s mane, she puts buttercream in a few small bowls and a few drops of different food coloring in each and mixes them thoroughly – Tigga used pink, blue and purple.

Tigga spoons a line of each color side by side onto a large piece of cling film on the kitchen bench.

Fold the smooth wrap in half, roll it up like a sausage and wrap the edges and twist. You are left with a twist on each side. Cut one of those sides off with a pair of scissors,” she said.

She makes her ‘rainbow swirl’ frosting and pipe it on the cake like the unicorn’s mane and add sprinkles

Tigga said the unicorn only takes 20 to 30 minutes to make and costs about $30 all told

She puts the icing ‘sausage’ in a piping bag with the cut tip pointing down and sprays the ‘rainbow swirl’ onto the unicorn where the mane would be.

Finally, Tigga added some sprinkles to the unicorn’s mane, which she says is an optional step, but it looks “super pretty.”

She said the unicorn only takes 20 to 30 minutes to make and costs about $30 all told.

RECIPE: How to make Tigga Mac’s Unicorn Cake for under $50

What you need

Store-bought mud cake from Coles and Woolies. Any flavor of your choice
A few piping bags and a piping bag nozzle, which you can easily buy from Spotlight, Woolies, or online. For the mouthpiece I used the size ‘2d’
Small bag of Smarties
Handful of sprinkles
Knife to cut your cake, and a palette knife to smooth the icing
Three food coloring options
YOUnicorn topper kit. I bought mine from Coles for $5 which includes the ears, horn and eyes
A kind of icing. You can buy two tubs of store-bought buttercream frosting of your choice – just make sure it’s soft
Cardboard cake board
Happy cover

Method

Cut the cake in half from the center. The larger side is the face/head and the smaller side is the nose. Cutting the cake after it has been in the refrigerator for a few hours, so that it is a clean cut.
Spread a small amount of icing on your cake board which will act as ‘glue’. Place the larger slice on the plate first, then place the smaller slice next to it and crush them together.
Shave off the sides a bit so it looks more like a unicorn head.
For the first ‘crumb layer’ icing I use a piping bag, put some of the softened buttercream in the bag and pipe small swirls along the cake, using a palette knife to smooth them out.
Once this first layer has been applied, place it in the freezer for five minutes
After five minutes in the freezer, apply a second coat of icing, using the same method as the first coat, smoothing it out as best you can.
Use a fresh, clean, damp cloth to wipe off the excess frosting on the edges of the cake board to make it nice and clean.
Insert your cake toppers into the cake. For the nose, choose two brown Smarties and place them on the smaller part of the cake, known as the nose area.
Get small bowls, put some buttercream icing in each bowl and add a few drops of different food coloring to each bowl and mix well.
Lay a large sheet of happy wrap over your kitchen bench. Spoon the pink icing in a line down the center of the happy wrap
Add a line of the purple icing next to the pink icing on the happy wrap. Finish the same process with the blue icing
Fold the smooth wrap in half, roll it up like a sausage and wrap the edges and twist. You are left with a twist on each side. Cut one of those sides off with a pair of scissors
Place your icing smooth wrap sausage in the piping bag, cut the tip down. When you blow it looks like a rainbow swirl
The final step is to add some sprinkles to the unicorn’s mane. This is optional, but it looks super nice!