Google's Most Searched-For Foods Include Unicorn Cake, Keto Recipes

2018 was quite the magical year, at least when it came to baked goods. On December 12, Google unveiled its top trending searches for the year, and the Pinterest- and child-friendly unicorn cake was the big winner.

The 18 Biggest Food Stories of 2018

The pretty unicorn cake with long eyelashes, a mane of pastel purples and pinks and a shiny golden horn has become a staple at birthday parties for the young and young-at-heart in recent years. Its increase in Google ranking and trends shows it has no signs of slowing down, as anxious home bakers everywhere search for just the right way to pipe that beautiful mane. But if you're not an artist, don't worry. You can always buy a unicorn cake at Sam's Club.

The biggest trending food terms on Google weren't all ponies and rainbows, though. The No. 2 search was for romaine lettuce, during a year in which the popular green dominated the news due to multiple E. coli outbreaks. There were over 270 illnesses from romaine-linked E. coli this year, and it remains a problem even in December. This massive E. coli outbreak was far and away one of the biggest health news stories of 2018.

While romaine lettuce was the top health-related search of the year, the keto diet dominated the top 10 food searches of the year. Searches for keto pancakes (No. 4), keto cheesecake (No. 5), keto cookies (No.7), keto chili (No. 8) and keto brownies (No. 9) all made the list. It's safe to say people are looking for creative keto-friendly recipes.

CBD gummies clocked in at No. 3; the treats are made from a byproduct of hemp and are said to alleviate anxiety and some other medical issues such as epilepsy. Necco wafers, which weathered an unsure year full of rumored closings, saviors, factory closings and desperate bids to buy the candy were back in the news. The nostalgic candy was the sixth most trending Google term of the year. Finally, gochujang sauce, a Korean fermented chili paste, rounded out the top 10. In case you have yet to hear of this hot sauce, it's basically the next sriracha and a must-have for fans of spicy Asian food.

It's safe to say Google's top trending searches for 2018 were just that: very trendy. When people look back on this year, who knows? They'll probably see keto recipes, unicorn food and CBD as some of the most peculiar food trends in history.