Recipe
Colourful Rainbow Shaggy Cake Recipe
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The Rainbow Shaggy Cake is a bold, nostalgic showstopper inspired by the groovy textures of 70s shag pile rugs. Featuring moist layers of sponge inside and piped multicolour buttercream “shag” on the outside, this cake is a celebration of colour, creativity, and fun. Perfect for birthdays, pride parties, or any occasion that calls for a little creative flair, it’s a true statement piece that’s surprisingly fun to make and great grass piping practice!!
Ingredients
Sponge
- 280g Whitworths Caster Sugar
- 280g Baking Spread, chilled
- 280g Self-Raising Flour, sifted
- 3 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Milk (semi-skimmed or whole)
Buttercream
-
1kg WhItworths Icing Sugar
- 450g Unsalted Butter, softened
- 3-4 tbsp Milk (semi-skimmed or whole)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Food colouring in 5 different Colours
- 5 Grass Piping Nozzles (we used Wilton #233)
Directions
Sponge
- Preheat your oven to 160°C (fan). Grease and line three 6-inch round cake tins with baking paper.
- Beat the caster sugar and chilled baking spread together in a bowl for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, along with 2 heaped spoonfuls of flour, and mix well.
- Gently fold the remaining flour into the mixture with the milk using a spatula or metal spoon.
- Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the sponges to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Buttercream
- Using a stand or handheld mixer, whip the butter for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually mix in the icing sugar, adding it in three portions, and beat well after each addition.
- Once combined, add the vanilla extract and milk, then beat for a further 5 minutes. If the room is warm, use slightly less milk to ensure the buttercream remains firm and pipeable.
- Separate the buttercream in half, reserving one portion for assembling the cake. Divide the other half into 5 equal parts and colour them with your chosen food colourings.
- Transfer each coloured buttercream portion into its own piping bag fitted with a grass nozzle.
Decorating
- Begin assembling the cake by spreading a thin layer of buttercream on the first sponge. Pipe a thick ring of buttercream around the edge and spoon half the raspberry jam into the centre.
- Place the second sponge on top and repeat the process. Add the third sponge on top to finish the layers.
- Cover the cake with a thin crumb coat (a light layer of buttercream coating the entire cake) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill.
- Using your prepared piping bags, start piping your chosen shaggy design from the bottom of the cake.
- Work upwards to cover the entire surface of the cake, finishing in the centre of the top layer.
Recipe Note
Tips
- Folding the flour into your sponge mixture with a spatula or metal spoon helps retain air bubbles, making the cake light and fluffy.
- If you prefer, you can swap baking spread with unsalted butter for the sponge. Just ensure the butter is at room temperature before use.
- For clean piping with a grass nozzle, maintain steady pressure on the piping bag as you pull away from the cake, then release to create strands of buttercream.
- To achieve the shaggy effect, pipe from the base upwards, allowing each layer of buttercream to overlap slightly with the one below.