Star Wars Cakes

How to Create an Awesome Star Wars Birthday Cake

Star Wars Birthday Cake
The pièce de résistance by TheNickster, on Flickr

There are so many ways to make a Star Wars themed cake that it’s hard to know where to begin!

If you’re in charge of cake duty for a Star Wars fan then there are some great cake ideas here for you from easy beginners cake ideas to more advanced bakers ideas.

Let’s take a look at how to create a range of different (and awesome) Star Wars birthday cakes that will make you any Star Wars fan's favorite baker.

But before you start to look I’ll leave you with a very bad pun ……..which you know just has to be said –

May the Cake be With You!

Super Easy Star Wars Cake Ideas

Star Wars Cake Decals

The easiest way to create a Star Wars cake is to buy a ready made sponge cake, some frosting and a cake decal. There are certainly some cool cake decals available to buy from the original Star Wars movies right through to the Clone Wars.

You can simply frost or ice a sponge and place the decal carefully on top – smooth it down and you have yourself a cool Star Wars cake. Here's one person's version - they've added candles to the top, but I must admit that I prefer it without candles ....

If you’re feeling a little more creative then you can take the cake decal as a starting point and do a few other things to ‘jazz up’ the birthday cake a bit.

Firstly you could just pipe around the edges of your cake like this person has done -



Secondly you could add designs around the side of the cake and this can be done in a number of different ways including cupcake decals, stencils and cookie cutters – let me go into more detail on these ideas……

Ideas Using Fondant for Your Star Wars Cake

Fairly Easy Ideas for a Cool Cake

If you decide to use fondant to cover your cake then you can still use a cake decal on the top of the cake, but you also have a nice smooth finish on the side of your cake that can be nicely decorated using more fondant or cake decals.

If you get some cool cupcake decals you simply smooth them onto the side in the same manner that you added the one to the top – this is a really easy way of adding more decorations to the cake without needing any artistic talent at all.

Another thing that you could do is to add stars to the side of the cake, after all it is Star Wars and there are stars in space! Simply roll out some spare fondant and use a cookie cutter to cut out stars – you can use a brush to paint a color onto them and then add a little water to the ‘under side’ of the star to help it stick onto the actual cake. Now I’ll admit I’ve never ‘painted’ fondant – I add food coloring to the fondant, knead it and then roll it out before cutting it. Either option will work.

When I saw this cool Star Wars cake I thought about using a stencil.

Two Tier Star Wars Cake

There are two ways of achieving this that I can see. One is by making your own stencil and then using a cool cake sprayer like they have on Ace of Cakes which you probably don’t have in your kitchen so that leads us to the second way…..

I would color your fondant first and then roll it out, next lay your homemade stencil on top of the fondant and cut it out. Brush the underside with a little water or a simple syrup and ‘stick’ it onto the side of the cake – how easy is that?

Making a Stencil

When I’ve made stencils for cakes I’ve simply downloaded an image from Google (only do this for personal use as otherwise you’re talking trademark violations), printed it out and then used a craft knife to cut the ‘inside’ of the image out creating a stencil.

Edible Star Wars Cake Images

The Easy Way to Create an Awesome Birthday Cake

Here's a selection of Star Wars Cake Decals (sometimes called edible cake images or icing images) that you can use for your birthday cake.

Darth Vader Edible Image Cake DecorationStar Wars Rebels Inquisitor Edible ImageStar Wars Yoda Edible Icing Cake ImageClassic Star Wars Edible Image Cake TopperPersonalized Star Wars Edible ImagePersonalized Star Wars Edible Cake Topper

Use Cake Toppers to Transform Your Cake into a Star Wars Cake

Another Easy Way to Create an Amazing Cake

You can simply buy or bake your own cake, add frosting and then stick a cake topper or two on top in order to turn it from a run of the mill birthday cake to an out of this world Star Wars cake.

There are a number of different cake toppers available for you to use (I've included some below) and how much actual cake decorating you want to do is completely up to you.

Most images that you see of these cakes includes piping around the edge of the cake, but a way around this which you can use whether you frost the cake or cover it with fondant is cabouchons. This edible little balls can be placed around the outside of the cake very easily (although a little time consuming) and give the same 'framed' effect that piping can do.

Let's have a look at what Star Wars cake toppers are available for you to use .....

Star Wars Cake Topper and 24 Cupcake Toppers
This is a cool cake topper that can also be used as a toy long after the birthday cake has been eaten.

The lightsabers light up as well which is pretty cool, the only problem is that they don't stay lit up which is a shame. One commentator has said that he taped the switch on which worked - but lit up or not this cake topper is bound to be a hit.

This kit also comes with 24 lightsaber cupcake toppers which are a pretty awesome bonus.

Star Wars X Wing Cake Topper
This is a two piece cake topper set featuring both the Death Star and an X-Wing and makes a really cool looking birthday cake.

The Death Star is really only good as a cake decoration, but the X-Wing can be reused as a toy which is really cool.

Of course you don't have to use actual cake toppers on your cake - there are a number of different Star Wars mini figures which you can buy and pop on top of a cake. If the person loves Lego as well then I'd be looking at buying some Lego Star Wars minifigures and adding them to the cake.

The Clone Wars Cake Decorating Kit

There are lots of different Star Wars cake decorating kits available which include more than just a cake topper, this one featuring the Clone Wars includes two cake toppers and what's called a pop top decoration.

The cake toppers are Anakin Skywalker and General Grievous battling with their light sabers at the ready. The pop top is basically a thin plastic Clone Wars emblem which you put on the cake and it appears to 'pop' out because of the 2D effect.

Below you can see two different looks that can be achieved using the same decorating kit.
Star Wars - The Clone Wars - Cake Decorating Kit

This one uses a plain slab cake that has simply been iced and has had a little piping detail around the outside on both the top and the bottom of the cake - very simple and effective.

This cake decorating kit also includes four 6" plastic straws which can be used to support the cake if you want to have more than one layer ........ which is what we did with the following cake idea.

The steps makes the cake look a lot more interesting, the actual decorating isn't much harder than the cake above it's just the thought of layering a cake that some people find daunting!

I love how the same decorating kit can be used in two different ways and create cakes that look so different - there really is no end to what you can come up with just by using your imagination when you purchase these kits.

More Artistic Ways of Creating a Star Wars Cake

Gum Paste & Icing Techniques

If you're great at modelling then you could make your own edible Star Wars characters to place on top of your cake using gum paste. Personally I don't think I'd be able to make a figurine, but I have seen some amazing characters made by more creative people than myself.

If you're good at icing, which is really more about a good artistic eye and a steady hand then anything else, then there is no end to designs you can dream up. Google Star Wars cakes for some inspiration - check out Star Wars images online or in posters and just let 'the force' guide your hands!

Baking Your Own Star Wars Cake

Of course if you love to bake and you want to make a cake from scratch (you could even use a cake mix, I won't tell) then you can always get your very own Star Wars themed cake tin and there are lots to choose from.

Most of my cake pans are either round or rectangular, but I do keep looking at the different shaped ones with baker's envy! I love baking cakes throughout the year, but when it comes to making a birthday cake for someone I 'freak out' about it sinking or being as hard as rock or just plain tasting horrible! This is the reason why I always get a store brought cake and just decorate it.

If you're more confident about your baking than me you will love to use these cake tins (and one day I'll turn to them as well ....... in a few years time anyway!)

Star Wars Baking Pans

R2D2 Baking Tin

Wilton Star Wars R2D2 Contoured Baking Pan

This R2D2 baking pan is going back to the classic, old school Star Wars that is where it all began and who didn't fall in love with R2Ds, C-3PO and Chewbacca? They were the characters that I fell in love with when I saw Star Wars for the very first time (sorry Hans Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker etc).

This is why when I saw this Star Wars baking pan I knew that if I was every going to buy one it would be this one!

Made from quality aluminium this cake tin has some great contouring which makes the icing really easy once the cake is made. It comes complete with all of the baking and decorating instructions so you're not left wondering what to do next which is always a bonus.

Although the cake pan is made of a light weight aluminium it does allow even baking which is important as you want the cake to be baked evenly and not turn out too dry. Made by Wilton you just know that this cake pan is going to last for years - maybe generations of Star Wars fans to come??

More Star Wars Baking Pans

If R2D2 isn't one of your favorite Star Wars characters then you might prefer to use one of these other cake tins.

Wilton 2105-3035 Star Wars Cake Pan
This Wilton Darth Vader baking tin has to be the most classic of the Star Wars baking pans and until I started looking for actual baking pans a few years ago this was the only one I had come across!
As you'd expect from Wilton they provide instructions and tips for decorating this cake as well as the baking tin itself.

Wilton C-3PO Star Wars Cake Pan (502-2197, 1983)
If you're after an old school style of Star Wars cake then you can't go past C-3PO (well you could with R2D2, but you know what I mean!) - this cake tin even provides a space for you to personalize the cake after baking it which is a nice touch.

The Death Star Cake Ideas

A Great Star Wars Silicone Mold

Kotobukiya Star Wars: Death Star Silicone Tray

I've added this Death Star mold here because it does far more than make awesome ice cubes, it can also be made as a decoration for your cake.

This can actually be baked which means you can make a Death Star cake, unfortunately it's more the size of a cupcake that a birthday cake, but that doesn't mean you can't add it as part of your cake - a cakey decoration so to speak. Simply make this Death Star cake and add it on top of a plain (or not so plain) iced slab cake and you'll have an awesome looking cake.

Alternatively you could make this Death Star out of chocolate and pop it on top of a cake in place of a cake topper or cake decal - really the different ways you can use this mold is limited only by your imagination.

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