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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Easy Galaxy Cake {Buttercream Icing}

    Published: Jul 17, 2017 · Modified: Apr 9, 2024 by Abeer Rizvi · This post may contain affiliate links · 36 Comments

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    Quick and easy DIY galaxy cake with lots of sprinkles. This galaxy birthday cake is fun, colorful and perfect for kids' space themed parties.

    *Thank you Pillsbury™ for sponsoring today's post. As always, all opinions and text are mine.*

    Easy DIY Homemade Galaxy Cake on White Dish.

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    With Space Exploration Day coming up soon on July 20, I wanted to get into the spirit and celebrate like an astronaut with this gorgeous cake. This is just as breathtaking as my Galaxy Cupcakes (With Buttercream Icing) and Galaxy Cookies (Buttercream Icing). Now, please note this is not a mirror cake recipe nor is it a fondant cake, which you have probably been seeing everywhere. Both of those cakes require so many steps. Instead of using fondant or galaxy mirror glaze, I made this one with regular frosting or buttercream icing. It's faster and easier and not as intimidating either. This simple version is great for kids’ birthday parties, especially space themed parties. Even if you have never frosted a cake in your life, you can make this cake! Look closely at this galaxy frosting and you will see swirls of purple, blue and white. I used a combination of white, aqua blue and purple frostings to create this cool color effect. It also reminds me of the beautiful Northern lights. By the way, the inside of this cake is just as pretty as the outside. It's a Funfetti cake and just so much fun to slice into. This cake is soft and moist and has the perfect amount of candy bits.

    Jump to:
    • Key ingredients for space cake
    • How to make easy DIY galaxy cake recipe with buttercream icing or frosting?
    • Two main components of a Milky Way cake
    • Tips and techniques
    • Storage
    • More easy cake decorating tutorials
    • Recipe
    Closeup Shot of Galaxy Buttercream Frosting or Icing.

    Key ingredients for space cake

    • Cake- Funfetti cake is best for this theme.
    • Frosting- Use homemade or store-bought. You will need white, aqua blue and purple shades.
    • Sprinkles- A pre-made space themed blend is best.

    How to make easy DIY galaxy cake recipe with buttercream icing or frosting?

    1. Start off by baking the cakes.
    2. Once they cool down, stack them on top of each other with icing.
    3. Then, frost the entire cake with white icing.
    4. Spread purple and blue frosting randomly all over the cake.
    5. Use a spatula to blend it all together.
    6. Decorate the top and sides with sprinkles.
    7. Finally, pipe stars on top of the cake and ruffles along the base of the cake.
    Slice of Cake With Sprinkles on White Dish.

    Two main components of a Milky Way cake

    1. Frosting: The colors need to be vibrant. You can use gel coloring to make your own shades or buy icing that's pre-colored.
    2. Sprinkles: You need to use a combination of sprinkles with different textures, shapes, sizes and lots of blue and purple hues. They should be similar to the real galaxy, which is composed of different features like planets, comets, stars.
    Easy Galaxy Birthday Cake on White Dish.

    Do you see that piped frosting around the top of the cake? Now, I used to typically do that by filling a piping bag with icing and attaching a star tip. However this time, I used a new product: Pillsbury Filled Pastry Bags. The frosting comes in a bag with an attached star tip. They are so fast and easy to use.Since the bags are disposable, there is also very little clean up. Yay! Currently, they are available in three flavors- Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge and Cream Cheese.

    Closeup Shot of Piped Frosting Around Top of Cake.

    Tips and techniques

    • For best piping results, chill the pastry bag in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
    • Make sure the cakes cool down completely before you start frosting them.
    • When using a spatula to spread the colored frosting around the cake, be careful not to go overboard or else you will end up with a purple cake instead of a cake with colorful swirls.
    • Use galaxy themed sprinkles for the best overall look.
    • You can also make a solar system cake with planets. Just cut out pictures of planets on thick paper. Attach a toothpick behind them and push them on top of the cake.
    • I used Pillsbury products to make this cake (Funfetti® Cake Mix, Pillsbury Filled Pastry Bag), which made the entire process absolutely hassle-free! The wonderful people at Pillsbury also sent me an awesome package of space themed goodies (galaxy sprinkles, viewfinder, NASA oven mitts, solar system map). My son loved the viewfinder and those adorable gloves!
    Collage Image of Pillsbury Campaign Shots.

    Speaking of kids, this is one of those easy cakes, where even kids can help out. It's such a great way to make memories with your family. My kiddo was a very cute little helper and had so much fun assisting me. He added sprinkles to the cake and even tried a little piping...hehe. His favorite part was playing with the sprinkles and eating frosting by the spoonful.

    Collage Image With DIY Space Cake.

    Storage

    • Room temperature- The cake can be safely left out for 3-5 hours.
    • Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
    • Freeze- Cake and frosting can be frozen in sealed containers separately for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy this cake, thaw to room temperature and assemble, as per instructions below in the recipe card.
    • Make ahead- This cake can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in a covered box in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

    More easy cake decorating tutorials

    • How to Make Easy Fondant Bows
    • Easy Beach Cake
    • How to Make Ombre Cake (Blue)
    • How to Make Naked Cake
    • Easy Tie Dye Cake (Shirt Cake)
    • Chocolate Pretzel cake
    • Chocolate Bark Cake
    • Peacock cake (And Cupcakes)

    Recipe

    Best Easy Galaxy Cake Decorated With Buttercream Icing on White Dish.

    Easy Galaxy Cake

    Abeer Rizvi
    Quick and easy DIY galaxy cake with lots of sprinkles. This galaxy birthday cake is fun, colorful and perfect for kids' space themed parties.
    4.88 from 8 ratings
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Decorating time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 People
    Calories 242 kcal

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    Ingredients
      

    • 1 box Pillsbury Funfetti® Cake Mix
    • 2 cans Pillsbury white frosting
    • 1 can Pillsbury aqua blue frosting
    • 1 can Pillsbury purple frosting
    • ¾ cup Sprinkles Galaxy themed
    • 1 box Pillsbury Filled Pastry Bag

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the cake, as per box instructions (I made 3 cakes).
    • Allow the cakes to cool down. 
    • Use a sharp knife to cut domes on top of the cake (if any). 
    • Place one cake on a cake stand and frost the top with white icing.
    • Place another cake on top of the icing.  Gently press it down and spread white frosting again. 
    • Place the third cake on top of the icing. Gently press it down and spread white frosting again.
    • Frost the entire cake in white icing. 
    • Use a spatula to spread purple and blue frosting randomly all over the cake. 
    • Use a clean spatula to spread frosting smoothly all over the cake until you have a swirled pattern of beautiful colors. 
    • Toss some sprinkles around the sides of the cake. 
    • Use piping bag to pipe stars around the top of the cake in a circle formation. 
    • Toss some sprinkles in the center of the cake. 
    • Use piping bag to pipe ruffles around the base of the cake. Enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    • Read all my tips above.
    • Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 242kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 377mgPotassium: 24mgSugar: 33gCalcium: 109mgIron: 1.1mg

    An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.

    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or rate and tag @cakewhiz on social

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nanny

      July 18, 2017 at 6:47 pm

      This cake is beautiful and you sold me at lots of sprinkles

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 19, 2017 at 3:12 am

        I know... Right?! Sprinkles make everything better!

        Reply
    2. Erin

      July 18, 2017 at 9:14 pm

      This is just SO MUCH FUN! My daughter is gonna adore this!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 19, 2017 at 3:11 am

        Awwww! I hope she loves making it too.

        Reply
    3. carrie

      July 19, 2017 at 7:21 am

      This cake is so fun & pretty! And I love how easy it is to make thanks to Pillsbury.

      Reply
    4. Renee

      July 19, 2017 at 5:03 pm

      What a cute cake! It's out of this world

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 20, 2017 at 12:23 am

        Thanks. Love your play of words...hehe.

        Reply
    5. Cathy

      July 21, 2017 at 7:20 am

      What a beautiful cake! My girls would LOVE it for their birthdays!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 21, 2017 at 11:30 pm

        That's so sweet! I love making homemade birthday cake for my kiddo too.

        Reply
    6. Jessica

      July 23, 2017 at 8:08 pm

      Seriously gorgeous cake! Can't wait to try this!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 24, 2017 at 9:56 am

        Thank you. Any time I look at this cake, I start smiling!

        Reply
    7. Ashley

      July 24, 2017 at 9:45 am

      This cake is SO fun!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 24, 2017 at 9:56 am

        Yes! Totally!

        Reply
    8. Marjory

      July 24, 2017 at 8:24 pm

      This cake is so much fun. I live on the Space Coast of Florida where space themed parties are VERY popular!5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 30, 2017 at 2:11 pm

        That's SO cool! I would love to visit there some day.

        Reply
    9. Hadia

      July 25, 2017 at 3:20 pm

      Such a beautiful cake! Amazing job!!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 26, 2017 at 1:32 am

        Thanks!

        Reply
    10. Heather

      July 26, 2017 at 1:46 pm

      This is such a cute cake and I loved watching how it was made on the video!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 27, 2017 at 1:27 am

        That's so sweet of you to say... thanks!

        Reply
      • Laci

        November 26, 2017 at 11:50 pm

        What size pan did you use?

        Reply
        • Abeer Rizvi

          December 18, 2017 at 1:31 pm

          I used 8 inch cake pans but I trimmed the brown edges because I don't like them. So, they ended up getting smaller (about 7 inches maybe).

          Reply
    11. Liren Baker

      July 27, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      What a cute cake and video! Definitely birthday party worthy!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 27, 2017 at 9:11 pm

        Totally. Any birthday kid would love to have this!

        Reply
    12. jessie

      August 22, 2017 at 9:30 am

      I have 100 percent pure love for this beautiful cake! My birthday is coming and I'm pretty inspired by this one!

      Reply
    13. Richa

      August 28, 2017 at 2:04 am

      My daughter saw this cake while i was looking for the cake to make on her birthday. She want me to make this cake now. She loved the color of the cake. This cake looks Ravishing and delcious. Its the princess theme we are planning for her birthday and this Cake absolutely goes with it. Thank You for sharing the recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        August 28, 2017 at 12:59 pm

        Awwww! Thanks! I hope she has a wonderful birthday party!

        Reply
    14. Traci Francisco

      September 17, 2017 at 9:29 pm

      Thanks! I may try this for my son's upcoming 6th birthday. He loves science and outer space, so his party will be outer space themed. And this is perfect for me to make because I'm not a crafty kind of person. I need EASY to do! lol4 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        September 20, 2017 at 12:43 pm

        Well, this is the easiest Galaxy cake I have ever made. I hope the birthday boy liked it.

        Reply
    15. Kasey

      November 09, 2017 at 5:34 pm

      Thank you so much for this! Turned out fantastic! Actually looks like what it’s supposed to!5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        November 09, 2017 at 9:00 pm

        Awesome! I am so happy you made it!

        Reply
    16. Samira Gupta

      July 06, 2019 at 2:13 pm

      Loved the cake as well the theme.5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        July 10, 2019 at 2:08 am

        Thanks! Hope you try it out.

        Reply
    Newer Comments »
    4.88 from 8 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hello, I'm Abeer Rizvi, the author and founder of CakeWhiz.com—a cherished dessert blog dedicated to baking, cake decorating, doctored cake mix recipes, and all things sweet. As a skilled food writer, baker, recipe developer, and cake decorator, I take pride in wearing multiple hats.

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