Galaxy Cupcakes (Print-Friendly Version)
Light vanilla cakes topped with vibrant frosting swirls in galaxy shades, finished with starry sprinkles. A fun, cosmic treat that’s sure to impress.
# Ingredients:
→ Cupcakes
01 -
1 1/2 cups caster sugar (265g)
02 -
3 large eggs
03 -
1/2 cup vegetable oil (125ml)
04 -
2 teaspoons baking powder
05 -
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)
06 -
2 tablespoons blue food coloring (optional)
07 -
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
08 -
1 teaspoon baking soda
09 -
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 -
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (375ml)
11 -
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (430g)
→ Frosting
12 -
Blue coloring: 2 drops sky blue food gel
13 -
Purple coloring: 2 drops deep pink food gel + 2 drops purple food gel
14 -
Pink coloring: 2 drops deep pink food gel
15 -
1 batch American buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream
→ Decorations
16 -
Any galaxy or space themed sprinkles
17 -
Edible glitter (optional)
18 -
Silver star sprinkles
# Steps:
01 -
Set your oven to 320°F (160°C) for fan mode or 356°F (180°C) for regular heat. Prepare a cupcake tray by placing liners into 20 spots.
02 -
Throw together the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa (if using), baking soda, and baking powder in a big bowl. Either sift the mix or stir everything well using a low mixer setting if available.
03 -
In a separate container, whisk the blue coloring (optional) with the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and buttermilk until smooth.
04 -
While your mixer is on low, pour the wet mixture slowly into the dry ingredients. Scrape down any stuck batter on the bowl and keep mixing for around 20 seconds or until the texture is lump-free.
05 -
Scoop batter into the cupcake liners until half full. Bake for 30 minutes, until the surface lightly bounces back when pressed. Let them cool on a rack entirely before decorating.
06 -
After cooling, create a hole in the middle of each cupcake using a coring tool or small knife. Fill each hole with silver stars or similar sprinkles for a fun touch.
07 -
Split your frosting evenly into three bowls. Stir some purple gel (pink and purple combined) into one, some blue into another, and pink gel into the last. Use a spatula to mix each well.
08 -
Prepare a piping bag with a Wilton 6B tip. Prop it up in a tall glass, then layer teaspoons of blue, purple, and pink frosting alternately until the bag is just over half-filled.
09 -
Use separate bags to pipe out each frosting onto a big sheet of plastic wrap in side-by-side lines. Leave space at the edges, roll it up like a log, twist the ends to secure, and snip off one end. Slide this into a piping bag with a Wilton 6B tip.
10 -
Pipe the frosting on each cooled cupcake in a spiral motion starting from the edges inward. While the frosting is fresh, top everything with glitter and silver stars.
# Notes:
01 -
To get the best galaxy-like swirls, the plastic wrap method works wonders.
02 -
The hidden sprinkles in the middle add a little surprise but can be skipped.
03 -
The blue dye in the batter is completely optional—it just adds to the galaxy look.