Cool DIY Solar System Cakes and Lots of Unique Birthday Cakes

My son decided on a Space theme for his seventh birthday. For his cake he wanted the solar system including a couple dwarf planets. He always seems to want unique birthday cakes for his birthdays. I used a Pyrex bowl for the Sun cake (which was cherry). I baked a loaf cake and used it to cut out the mid-size planets. For the small planets I baked a bunch of cupcakes (all chocolate) then trimmed some to make them smaller so there would be different sizes. For the smallest (dwarf) planets I rolled small pieces of leftover fondant. I have never used fondant before but this seemed like the perfect project. I found this website.

It has a super-easy fondant recipe and lots of tips. I was able to make and color the fondant a few days ahead (with my son’s help). The night before the party I crumb iced all the cakes (he helped with this part too), let them set and then applied the fondant. For Earth I cut out pieces of green fondant in rough continent shapes and pasted them onto a blue fondant planet. I put the cakes in a cake carrier overnight (the website says not to refrigerate fondant once it is on the cake).

Right before the party I assembled it. I used a disposable oven liner with a layer of black fondant on it then set the planets on top. (If I didn’t have younger children I think I would have just put them on top of a plastic tablecloth right in middle of the party table so I could’ve spread them out a bit more.) We used red rope licorice for Saturn’s rings and sparklers instead of candles. At the party the kids got to choose which planet they wanted to eat! And all agreed that it was one of the most unique birthday cakes they have seen.

More Solar System Cakes

Unique birthday cake by Carrie R., Marion, IA

I made this cake for my son’s 7th birthday. I baked a cake in a 9×13 pan of his favorite recipe. Frosted it with white frosting and then covered the surface with black sugar crystals (which make your mouth and anything it touches black). My son and I made the planets with different colored salt water taffy rolled into balls. They kind of melted as it was a very hot August day. His name was spelled out with regular store bought candy sugar letters. He enjoyed it.

For the guests we had found foil star cupcake cups in the grocery store and filled them with space type candies like Starbursts and Milky Way minis. Thought I’d share that idea, something to add to your unique birthday cakes. I get tired of the little toys that end up thrown out from parties. Candy gets eaten and is gone. Not the healthiest option but it’s not junk around the house.

Unique birthday cake by Holly C., Warrensburg, MO

I made the solar system for my outer space boy’s 4th birthday. He didn’t just want Earth, he wanted all the planets, plus the moon and the sun and I had to come up with a few unique birthday cakes.

A month ahead of the party I baked all of the cakes in Pyrex bowls so they would be round. The sun I did 2 bowls and put them on top of each other. I did bake them at a lower temp 325. All of them turned out really good; I watched them carefully.

I wrapped up all the cakes after cooling then and froze then until the party. A few days before the party I unfroze the cakes and made a ton of buttercream and Wilton whipped icing. The decorating part was super easy. I am not a good decorator, but I can swirl icing around to look like the different planets.

For Saturn I used chocolate chip cookies for the rings. I used a spoon to make craters. For Earth I used the blue frosting and made a template of North and South America and used green spray you buy at the store. I used red velvet for Mars.

I know it was way overboard to create these unique birthday cakes, but it was fun. Be prepared to have enough room to store the finished cakes in a cool area and lots of take home plates to send cake home.

More Solar System Cakes

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