Horn Of Plenty

What is it with unicorns all of a sudden? I’ve been decorating cakes for quite some time now, and until about six months ago, not one unicorn order. Suddenly I’m drowning in them. Blue unicorns, purple unicorns, unicorn cupcakes, unicorn workshops.

I made this cupcake for demonstration purposes at a unicorn-cupcake decorating birthday party the other day. I got there a bit early to set up so I had plenty of time to question the nine-year-old birthday girl about the recent popularity of unicorns. True to the theme of the day, she was wearing a single-horned headband with little tufts of fur sticking out the sides. I thought that maybe there had been a recent popular unicorn movie I somehow missed, or a TV show perhaps. No, she informed me. Unicorns are just so beautiful and fun. There was no commercial tie-in. Yes, but why the sudden uptick in interest, I insisted. Well, unicorns are just so beautiful and fun.

OK, then.

In any event, decorating unicorn cupcakes turns out to be the perfect activity for a group of nine-year-olds. The best thing about unicorns is that there’s no such thing as going over the top. The more glitter, sprinkles and rainbow bedazzling the better. When I saw the girls’ efforts, my own personal attempt suddenly seemed on the modest side, and I felt like I had wasted a shimmering sparkling opportunity.

Some people had thought it might be overwhelming to run a party for 15 little girls but it was exactly the opposite. They were sweet and enthusiastic, and 14 of the 15 were true unicorn enthusiasts. One girl quietly confided that she doesn’t quite share the others’ passion for one-horned horses, so she chose to pile her cupcakes high with cream and flowers and sprinkles instead.

Do you have a unicorn devotee in your family? If so, I can’t recommend a unicorn cupcake party enough. Everyone left satisfied, high on sugar, and with an extra little sparkle in her eye.