Unicorn Doughnuts Recipe

By
Pete Scherer
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Pete Scherer
Pete Scherer is a cook and baker with a decade of experience across many facets of the Southern California food scene.
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Updated on 05/27/22
Unicorn Cupcakes

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 42 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 12 doughnuts

Tender and lightly sweet with an old-fashioned flavor of nutmeg and buttermilk, these simple doughnuts transform into fantastical unicorn treats with colorful glazes and magical sprinkles. Kids and grown-ups will alike will gaze in starry-eyed wonder when these little beauties show up at your next party.

If you’re new to the unicorn craze that has been sweeping the globe, these doughnuts are a great place to start. Not only are they a tasty alternative to cake or cupcakes, they’re also easy to make and fun to decorate. All you need is a doughnut pan, a piping bag, decorations, and your own inner unicorn imagination.

These doughnuts are the essence of what fun food is all about. Rather than spell out the particulars, this recipe encourages you to get into the creative spirit. Do a unicorn food image search, find colors and designs that inspire you, and take it from there. It’s amazing to see the huge variety of decorative sprinkles, food colorings, and edible glitters available for stocking your artistic pantry. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. As long as everyone is having fun, you can’t go wrong.

Ingredients

For the Doughnut Batter:

  • 2 cups cake flour

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 cup buttermilk

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Glaze and Decoration:

  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar

  • 1/4 cup milk

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • Food coloring, as needed, for the frosting

  • Sprinkles, optional, for garnish

  • 4 ounces white chocolate melting wafers

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Unicorn Doughnuts ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. To make the doughnuts, preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and lightly flour a large doughnut pan or 2 small doughnut pans for a total of 12 doughnuts.

    Grease and lightly flour doughnut pans

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.

    sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until well combined.

    whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.

    batter in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Fill a piping bag with the batter and pipe the batter into the doughnut pan. Bake until golden brown and fragrant, about 12 minutes.

    batter in doughnut pans

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Remove from the oven. Cool doughnuts in the pan for five minutes then invert onto a cooling rack. Cool fully before glazing and decorating.

    doughnuts on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. To make the glaze combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

    glaze in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Divide the glaze into multiple bowls. Add different food coloring to each bowl and mix well. Dip the top half of each doughnut in the icing, allow the excess to drip off, then return to the rack, icing side up. Top with sprinkles.

    glazed doughnuts with sprinkles on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Melt the white chocolate wafers according to the instructions on the bag. Using a fork or chopstick, drizzle or flick the melted chocolate across the doughnuts. Serve immediately.

    Unicorn Doughnuts on a drying rack

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
341 Calories
7g Fat
67g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 341
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 8%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 39mg 13%
Sodium 321mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 67g 24%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 47g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 97mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 98mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)