I love this cake! It might be the most fun and low stress decorating I’ve done in quite a while. All you need is a bunch of different colored buttercream, some grass tips and a bit of imagination. A friend of mine got a cake from Alana Jones-Mann, who bakes really cool cakes and cookies in Los Angeles, and I totally fell in love with the idea of a “Shag Rug” Cake!
For those youngsters who don’t know, shag rugs were popular in the 70’s and have a really thick pile; comfy but a nightmare to clean! Anyhow the design is visually striking but super-easy to accomplish.
Love the look but short on time?
Try whipping up a batch of Shag Cupcakes! They’re super-easy to decorate and sooo very cheerful!
You can also decorate a loaf cake like my lemon poppy seed cake with this technique and save a ton of time while achieving a similar look.
What about the TIP???
I used a generic tip set but the closest match is a 233 large grass tip from Wilton.
Cake Notes
- If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
- If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
- This is basically a camo pattern with any colors you like piped using a grass tip. The nightmare would be changing tips for each color so I got a set of 25 cheap grass tips from Amazon for about seven dollars, totally worth it!
- This would also make a really cool military camouflage cake if you switch the colors out to shades of green or tan. I’m perfectly happy with a rainbow sherbet pallet but some people might want something “tougher”. Of course pink camo is a thing!
How to make a Shag Cake
1. Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add lemon zest.
3. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in fresh raspberries at the very end and mix until just combined. Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
4. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar. Beat until smooth.
5. Add vanilla and cream. Beat until combined.
6. Add rose water. Save some white buttercream. Add food coloring to create blue and teal> transfer to piping bags. Get out 6-8 bowls. Add about 1 cup of buttercream to each. Leave one bowl white. Use food coloring to dye each bowl a different color. Transfer all smaller batches to piping bags fitted with a grass tips.
7. Pipe rings of buttercream between the cake layers.
8. Cover the cake with a thin, crumb coat and chill for a few minutes.
9. Smooth with a bench scraper and offset spatula.
10. Using a large grass tip to pipe patches of each color to create a design.
11. You can really use whatever pattern you’d like just try to not repeat the colors in the same section to much.
12. Keep the patches of color on the smaller side.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Pound Cake
If you’ve tried this shag cake recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Shag Cake
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 213 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 190 grams
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup butter 190g, unsalted, room temperature, 170 grams
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup sour cream 120ml
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 120ml
- 1 cup raspberries fresh
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 3 lbs confectioners sugar 1300g
- 1.5 lb butter 681g, unsalted, room temperature,
- 2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 5 tbsp heavy cream
- 2-2 drops rose water optional
- multiple food colorings
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well.
- Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add lemon zest.
- Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in fresh raspberries at the very end and mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until smooth.
- Add vanilla, rose water and cream. Beat until combined.
- Save some white buttercream. Add food coloring to create blue and teal> transfer to piping bags.
- Get out 6-8 bowls. Add about 1 cup of buttercream to each.
- Leave one bowl white.
- Use food coloring to dye each bowl a different color.
- Transfer all smaller batches to piping bags fitted with a grass tips.
For the Assembly:
- Pipe rings of buttercream between the cake layers.
- Cover the cake with a thin, crumb coat and chill for a few minutes.
- Using a large grass tip to pipe patches of each color to create a design. You can really use whatever pattern you'd like just try to not repeat the colors in the same section to much and keep the patches of color on the smaller side.
Video
Notes
- If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
- If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
Nutrition
Hey John! Thanks for this wonderful recipe… I want to make with this technique a monster cake for my nephew’s first birthday in a few days… I wanted to ask you if Italian or Swiss buttercream have the same results with the grass tip. Thanks in advance for your response!!!!
Hi! Im a big fan of yours! I just wanted to ask if this type of cake decoration can also be applied to chocolate cake.. or does it have to be a light coloured cake?
Hi Andrea! Any kind really!
So I bought the tips on amazon 3 months ago and now they’re listed as unavailable. Can I buy some of yours off you? Lol.
I haven’t tried these but they could work in place of the plastic grass tips! Hope that helps!
John
This cake looks amazing!! I love your blog!!! What if you don’t have vanilla bean paste?
Judith,
No worries, just skip that step! Thanks so much and I hope you love the cake!
John
I made this today! I couldn’t find the big tip in the store and you know, I HAD to make this NOW, not in 3 days! lol.
My hands are KILING me! I’ll try to post a picture. I had a little bit of trouble getting the “strings” to stick every once in a while. I’m thinking it’s a technique issue? I’m excited to cut into this beauty after dinner tonight, the stripes are going to be fun. Thanks for the gloomy day project!
Merry,
I’m so happy you liked the cake! I’m sure it’s a work of art! Can’t wait to see it!
John
Beautiful Cake!
Thank you so much!
John
Can you give me the link for the grass piping tips. I couldn’t find them on Amazon.
Thank you, Susan
Susan,
Here is the link to the piping tips! Hope you enjoy this cake!!
John
You are an artist, your cake is so beautiful
Francia,
Thank you so much! You’re sweet!
John
Hey John
So excited to make this fun cake. However, I could not find the large plastic grass tips on Amazon. They only offer a variety pack and then they are stainless steel. Can you give me more information on them.
Thanks so much,
Kathy
Kathy,
I bought a variety pack because I knew I would be piping multiple colors! It’s easier to buy multiples so you can alternate colors while you pipe the cake pattern!
John
I have been following Alana for a while and have been so tempted to try a cake like this. Thank you for showing it and for saying that it’s low stress piping (definitely my kind of piping).
Brooke,
You are SO welcome! It’s so fun to pipe this rainbow cake! Hope you get to try it!
John