Galaxy Graduation Cake Stars (Printable)

A celestial buttercream cake adorned with shimmering edible stars for a dazzling celebration.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 2½ 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 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

→ Galaxy Buttercream

09 - 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
10 - 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - ¼ cup whole milk
12 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
13 - Black gel food coloring
14 - Navy blue gel food coloring
15 - Purple gel food coloring
16 - Pink gel food coloring
17 - Teal gel food coloring

→ Decoration

18 - Edible gold star sprinkles
19 - Edible silver star sprinkles
20 - Edible glitter or luster dust
21 - White gel food coloring

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and granulated 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 dry ingredients to the wet mixture in three parts, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
05 - Divide batter evenly among 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 softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then milk and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy and well combined.
08 - Divide buttercream into four or five bowls. Tint each with a different galaxy color—black, navy blue, purple, pink, and teal—using gel food coloring.
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. Repeat with remaining layers.
11 - Apply a generous crumb coat all over the cake. Chill for 20 minutes.
12 - Pipe and spread 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.
15 - Add a graduation cap cake topper for a festive touch if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The galaxy buttercream technique is easier than it looks, which means you'll actually impress people without losing your mind over intricate piping.
  • This cake tastes as good as it looks—moist, tender cake layers with silky, not-too-sweet buttercream that doesn't feel heavy after a slice.
  • It's the kind of dessert that makes celebrations feel special, turning a simple cake into an Instagram moment and a genuine memory.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't just a suggestion—they actually emulsify properly with each other, which is why your cake won't be dense and your frosting won't look greasy or separated.
  • The galaxy buttercream log in plastic wrap is a game-changer because it creates a marbled effect naturally without you having to carefully pipe multiple colors onto the cake, which is way less stressful than it sounds.
  • Chilling the crumb coat makes the final frosting layer go on smoothly without dragging up all the crumbs underneath, which is the difference between a polished-looking cake and a messy one.
03 -
  • The buttercream log trick saves you from having to carefully hand-mix colors into every scoop of frosting—it creates the marbled galaxy effect naturally and way less stressfully than trying to pipe multiple colors simultaneously.
  • Don't use liquid food coloring for the buttercream because it thins it out and you'll end up with frosting that's too soft to pipe; gel coloring is thicker and designed specifically for this, and the colors stay bright and saturated.
  • If you're nervous about the galaxy frosting effect, remember that there's no such thing as a mistake—swirls that don't turn out are just part of the cosmic aesthetic, and honestly, the more organic and less perfect it looks, the more realistic the galaxy actually feels.
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