Galaxy Graduation Cake Stars (Printable)

A stunning celestial cake with galaxy buttercream and sparkling edible stars for special occasions.

# What You’ll Need:

→ For the Cake

01 - 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 cups granulated sugar
03 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
06 - 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
07 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
08 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

→ For the Galaxy Buttercream

09 - 1.5 cups unsalted butter, softened
10 - 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 0.25 cup whole milk
12 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
13 - Gel food coloring: black, navy blue, purple, pink, teal

→ For Decoration

14 - Edible gold and silver star sprinkles
15 - Edible glitter or luster dust
16 - White gel food coloring for stars and swirls

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
04 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in three alternating parts with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
05 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
06 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
07 - Beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then milk and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy and light.
08 - Divide buttercream into four or five bowls. Tint each with a different galaxy color using gel food coloring: black, navy blue, purple, pink, and teal.
09 - Place random spoonfuls of each colored buttercream onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Roll up to form a log. Snip one end and transfer the log to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
10 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of galaxy buttercream between layers. Repeat with remaining layers.
11 - Apply a generous crumb coat of buttercream all over the cake. Chill for 20 minutes.
12 - Pipe and spread the galaxy buttercream over the cake, swirling gently with an offset spatula to create a marbled galaxy effect.
13 - Use white gel food coloring and a food-safe paintbrush or splatter tool to flick on stars across the cake surface.
14 - Decorate with edible gold and silver star sprinkles and a sprinkle of edible glitter or luster dust. Optionally add a graduation cap cake topper.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks like you hired a pastry artist, but the buttercream swirl trick makes it achievable even if you've never piped before.
  • The vanilla cake base is tender and buttery, so good you might just eat it plain before you get to decorating.
  • Watching people's faces light up when they see the galaxy design never gets old—it's pure joy on a plate.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are non-negotiable—cold eggs and milk won't blend smoothly, and you'll end up with a curdled-looking batter that bakes unevenly.
  • Gel food coloring is the secret weapon here; liquid coloring will thin out your buttercream and ruin the texture, so don't make that mistake.
  • The buttercream log trick seems weird until you do it once and realize it's genius—it lets you pipe multiple colors simultaneously without the chaos of switching bags.
  • Edible glitter looks better when the frosting is still slightly tacky, so apply it right after you finish piping rather than waiting until it's completely set.
03 -
  • If your buttercream is too soft to hold peaks, pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes rather than adding more powdered sugar, which can make it grainy and dense.
  • The edible glitter sticks better if you apply it to the buttercream while it's still slightly tacky rather than waiting for it to fully set and harden.
  • Make the buttercream log up to 2 hours before piping and keep it chilled in a piping bag; this gives you more control and prevents the colors from bleeding together.
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