Get ready to get groovy! This bold 1960s-inspired buttercream shag cake is all about color, texture, and retro fun. Using vibrant Swiss meringue buttercream, piping techniques, and a mix of piping tips, you’ll build layers of fluffy shag texture that bring serious vintage vibes to life. Finished with mini disco balls for the ultimate retro touch, this playful design by Kala Boulard is perfect for themed parties, birthdays, or anyone who loves a little nostalgic flair.
Edibles:
- Assorted Lorann Oils Liquid Food Coloring
- Swiss meringue buttercream
Equipment:
- Piping tips: #233 and #1M
- Mini disco balls
Decorating Shag Cake:
- Choose a 1960s color scheme from LorAnn’s wide array of gel food colorings and mix them into separate bowls of buttercream.
- Load piping bags with the colored buttercream
- Working from the bottom up, start to apply the shag pulls 1 on top of the other. Apply even pressure while pulling the buttercream downward. Pulling the buttercream straight out from the cake will result in a shag that resembles grass and you won’t be able to get a long pull. Angling the tip at a 45-degree angle and pulling downward will yield the best results.
- Use different colors and different tips to create variation in design.
- Fill piping bags with leftover colored buttercream and snip the tips. Pipe individual shag pieces to fill in any gaps you see.
- Add mini disco balls for the final retro touch and get and your groovy shag cake is complete!
Tip: Add a small drop of brown coloring to each buttercream color to achieve a classic warmer and muted ’60s feel. Not too much, just a dab!
For more information, visit LorAnn Oils.
Kala Boulard
Kala Boulard is a cake designer and recipe developer who adapted her love for art into cake creations. She has always considered herself an artist before a baker. Painting local murals and holiday windows allowed her an artistic outlet before discovering cakes. Kala creates all her cake art with different variations of buttercream and uses a palette knife to paint with buttercream as if it were oil or acrylic paints. She built a thriving home-baking business, which specializes in wedding and bridal cakes. She also runs a dessert blog, where she shares delicious seasonal dessert recipes and photography. Kala resides in rural Nevada with her husband and their daughter. Some of her favorite things include drawing digital art, photographing her sweet treats, and being a mom.
