Vegan Galaxy Cake

♫ Listening to: Vacation by Crying ♫

This was my first time making a galaxy buttercream, and it actually turned out good. Alissa’s birthday party was on May 4 (I know, I know, I’m posting this recipe 3 months later), so I felt like this space-themed cake was appropriate. If you like galaxy themed food, check out my galaxy sushi bowl, galaxy donuts, and galaxy cupcakes.

This recipe makes a 2-layer 8” or 9” round chocolate galaxy birthday cake.

Vegan Chocolate Cake Ingredients

• 2 cups nondairy milk (I used soymilk)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or substitute white vinegar)
• 2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• ½ tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅔ cup sunflower oil
• 1 ½ cups organic or raw sugar*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vegan Chocolate Cake Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Coat two 8" round cake pans with any vegetable oil (or vegan nonstick spray).

Combine vinegar and nondairy milk and let sit.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder , baking soda, and baking powder into another bowl.

Add the oil, sugar, and vanilla to the nondairy milk mixture and stir well.

Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet, mixing continuously. Stop mixing when you can no longer see any dry ingredients.

Pour half of the batter into each cake pan.

Bake for 35 minutes, until when you insert a toothpick into the center of one, it comes out clean. (If making cupcakes, bake for 18-20 minutes. If making 4” cakes, bake for 22-25 minutes.) Set the 8" round cake pans on a cooling rack to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Then remove from pan and set on a cooling rack.

Vegan Galaxy Frosting Ingredients

• ¾ cup vegan butter or margarine (if you avoid soy, buy the soy-free earth balance; otherwise buy the organic whipped earth balance)*
• ¾ cup organic palm shortening*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups organic powdered sugar (a 24-oz bag of 365 organic powdered sugar from Whole Foods is the perfect amount)*
• Up to 2 tablespoons nondairy milk (optional, to achieve a creamy consistency if needed)
• vegan food coloring

Vegan Galaxy Frosting Directions

Leave the ingredients sitting out before using them. Best results come from using room temperature ingredients.

Whisk the spectrum sustainable organic palm shortening and margarine for 1 minute using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer.

Sift in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing for at least minute between each addition.

Add the vanilla extract, and mix for 2 more minutes.

Divide the frosting into 3 bowls.

Add vegan food coloring to the other bowls of frosting, and mix well (I used the stand mixer with the whisk attachment because I’m lazy). You can use any colors you like, but I used wilton sky blue gel color and wilton violet gel color and americolor americolor black gel color for this cake. If you prefer all-natural food colors, check out my list of vegan food coloring.

Fill the 2 cake layers with a mixture of all 3 colors of frosting.

Use the black frosting to complete the crumb layer of frosting.

Chill the crumb layer to harden to touch while you make the asteroids.

Add the 3 colors of frosting around the cake in any size dollops you prefer.

Smooth out the frosting with an offset spatula while spinning the cake.

Add vegan sprinkles to the frosted cake before returning the cake to the fridge or freezer to set. I used dappled sky sprinkles from Baking Time Club for this cake.

Vegan Cookie Dough Asteroid Decorations Ingredients

• ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
• ⅛ teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 cup chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 ounce melted coconut oil
• 1 ounce nondairy milk
• 1 cup sifted organic powdered sugar*
• vegan food coloring
• vegan edible glitter or pearl dust

Vegan Cookie Dough Asteroids Decorations Directions

Roll different sized balls of chocolate chip cookie dough and place them onto parchment paper that’s on something stiff, like a tray or cutting board.

Freeze for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the vegan chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double boiler (or using a microwave) until completely smooth and melted.

Dip each asteroid into the melted vegan chocolate chips using a fork, and set them back on the parchment paper to harden. If your kitchen is especially hot and the chocolate doesn’t harden on the counter, you can stick them in the fridge for a few minutes to speed things up.

Mix the coconut oil and nondairy milk until well mixed.

Slowly whisk in the powdered sugar half at a time. Stop adding powdered sugar when the consistency is dipable (slightly thinner than molasses).

Divide the icing into as many bowls as colors you want to use. I used black, purple, blue, and white.

Add vegan food coloring to each bowl until desired color is achieved. I used wilton multi color pack of gel food colors and americolor black gel color

Decorate the asteroids with galaxy icing and use a spoon or your finger to swirl the colors together.

Chill the asteroids for a few minutes to get the icing to firm up.

Place each asteroid on top of the cake.

Spray edible glitter spray onto the asteroids and cake.

Chill cake and remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.

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* I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook, but I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to purchase all organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter - when buying the organic version is the only way to ensure that the item is vegan.