This vanilla bean and blueberry shag cake is inspired by the iconic shag rugs of the ‘70s, and tastes as delicious as it looks! Featuring a playful exterior of shaggy pastel frosting and a moist vanilla bean interior studded with zippy blueberries, it’s the ultimate show-stopping cake for your next big occasion. If you’re feeling adventurous, swap out the vanilla bean to customize the cake with your favourite flavours – cardamom or lemon zest would be great additions. And while this cake may look intimidating to make, it couldn’t be easier or more fun. All you need is your favourite colours and your own imagination to take it over the top!
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ingredients
Vanilla Blueberry Sponge
Lemon Buttercream
Assembly
directions
Cake sponge and buttercream can be stored in the fridge up to 3 days in advance. Store cake in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
For the cake, preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Using an electric mixer or whisk, mix until pale yellow and fluffy.
Add the 2 cups flour, baking powder, vegetable oil, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste. Mix until thoroughly combined.
In a separate bowl, add the blueberries and 1 tablespoon of flour. Using your fingertips or spoon, toss until all the blueberries are coated with flour. This will keep the blueberries floating in the cake mixture while baking.
Add the blueberries to the prepared cake mixture and gently fold using a spatula.
Equally divide the cake batter into the three cake pans. Bake for 50 minutes (or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean). Once baked, let the cake cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour (or ideally overnight but covered with plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping).
For the buttercream, in a mixing bowl add the softened butter, icing sugar, lemon extract and cream. Mix for 10-15 minutes or until it is pale yellow in colour.
To assemble, using a sharp knife, cut off the cake tops so that their tops are flat.
Stack the cakes, spreading buttercream between each layer.
Crumb coat crumb coat the cake using the buttercream. Refrigerate the cake for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, divide the remaining buttercream into four portions and add gel coloring. Mix until colours are even. Transfer the coloured buttercreams to four piping bag fitters with 234 large grass tips attached.
Starting at the bottom of the cake, pipe patches of each color to create the shag design. Try not to repeat the colors in the same section so that all the colors stand out.
