It’s bright and bold with lots of glitter and it’s the latest food trend called Unicorn Food.
No, it has nothing to do with the mythical horses, but they have become the mascots for this colourful trend that is sweeping across the USA and the world.
Unicorn food is anything that is brightly coloured, has lots of sparkles and/or has interesting shaped cut outs like angels, hearts or emoticons.
In South Africa the trend has been limited to bakeries and an array of birthday cakes, cupcakes and sweet treats. At restaurants like Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers in Cape Town, gourmet shakes have always been on the menu to add some sparkle and pizzazz.
Rainbow cake icing - Picture Yuppie Chef (Luisa Farelo)
According to the New York times the Unicorn Food trend originated when food stylist and health and wellness blogger Adeline Waugh from Miami decided that her Instgram food pics need a colourful lift.
She started by using beetroot and natural food colouring to get the desired look for her food and has even turned the humble toast into a slice of bread with rainbow spread.
There’s a hipster but also a happy feel to Unicorn Food which is definitely a result of people’s social media needs to share their food, drinks and snacks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
At Tessa’s Bakery in Cape Town they have not only embraced the brightly coloured trend they are leading the way.
A unicorn cake from Tessa's Bakery. Pic Instagram
Debuting it’s new addition to the Tessa’s cake family the popular bakery posted on Instagram: “Meet our new resident unicorn Sugarplum Gumdrop, made of fluffy vanilla funfetti sponge, with a rainbow buttercream mane and sparkly golden horn and ears, isn't she simply magical!”
This alongside rainbow coloured Rice Krispy treats are just some of the baked goods Tessa’s offers to ride the Unicorn Food movement.
One of the most popular social media images that pop up when doing a search for #unicornfood is the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino.
When the coffee conglomerate launched its bright addition to the drinks it said in a statement: “Like its mythical namesake, the Unicorn Frappuccino blended crème comes with a bit of magic.”
And this magic – is at the heart of this food trend, it’s all about brightening up your day, your social media post and your sweet treat or milkshake.