Captain Marvel Shag Rug Cake

Calling all Captain Marvel lovers! The countdown is winding down until we’ll finally get to see Captain Marvel hit the big screen on March 8.

Since last summer, I’ve been sharing my love and excitement for Captain Marvel with style guides, free quote pritnables, DIYS, and more. And now, I’m counting down the final days with a new recipe and a GIVEAWAY! That’s right, I’ve recently teamed up with several geek bloggers to give away an amazing Loungefly Captain Marvel purse. Find details on the contest, which is open until Saturday, March 2, on my recent Instagram post.

But more than giveaways, I’ve been dreaming of new Marvel recipes to share with you. I’ve previously shared an easy tutorial for a Captain Marvel pie (this really is a quick, simple recipe if you’re in a time crunch!) — but now I want to change up my recent pie baking streak (Olaf pie, anyone?) and try out my hand with my first-ever SHAG RUG cake!

What’s a shag rug cake, you might ask?

Well, simply put, shag rug cakes are amazing works of edible cake art that are modeled after beloved or not-so-beloved shag rug carpet. I know, sounds a little weird, but you need to stick with me! You see, I’ve been dreaming of shag rug cakes ever since I first saw the amazing creations from LA baker Alana Jones-Mann. Alana’s cakes are simply inspiring. Many of her unique designs are modeled after real pieces of art, and each one is so unique. (Check out her recent recipes on her Instagram. I promise you won’t be disappointed!)

Of course, I wanted to try to make a shag rug cake, but obviously, my version had to be geeky! And with Captain Marvel on my mind ALL THE TIME, it was an obvious choice. Also — I decided this cake had to be easy! I’m such a beginner when it comes to baking and cakes, but that didn’t stop me — and it shouldn’t stop you.

Decorating a Captain Marvel Shag Rug Cake

What You Need:

• Two 9-inch circular cakes
• 4 sticks of salted butter, room temperature
• 2 lbs. of powder sugar (1 bag), sifted
• 2 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 3-5 tbsp. milk
• Food gel coloring — blue, red, yellow, black
• Parchment paper
• Angled spatula
• Icing bags
• Icing couplers
• #2 round icing tips
• Captain Marvel star template — DOWNLOAD

Prepare and bake two 9-inch circular cakes (you choose the flavor!). Since this was my first time attempting a two-tier cake, I asked my friend for a couple tips (thanks, Michelle!) and had no problem getting my cakes easily out of the pans. Her tips? Grease your cake pans and then sprinkle flour all over the surface. Next, cut out a circular piece of parchment paper and lay it on the base of the pan before pouring the batter into the pans. These steps will help your cakes slide right out of the pan once they cool.

Once your cakes are out of the oven, set them aside to cool and begin your icing preparation.

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat your softened butter, vanilla, and a tablespoon or so of milk until blended and smooth. Slowly add your sifted powdered sugar, a few cups at a time, until all of it is incorporated. Next, add one tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Taste test to be sure it’s perfect! 🙂

Before you begin to ice your cooled cakes, place several small pieces of parchment paper on your cake stand or cake plate and then place your first cake on top. By doing this, you will help to keep your cake plate clean and free of extra icing.

Place a scoop of icing on top of your first cake. Using your angled spatula, smooth the icing out across the top of the first cake. Once your icing is smooth and even, place your second cake on top of the first iced cake. Repeat the process, adding a a scoop of icing to the top of the second cake. Spread the icing across the top of the second cake with your angled spatula and spread the excess icing over the edge of the cake. Add more icing to the sides of your cake,  and blend it around the edges of your cake to reach your desired icing thickness.

Next, prepare your icing bags with your icing couplers and number 2 icing tips.. You’ll need to prepare four colors of icing in total — black, blue, red, and yellow. Separate your white icing in four separate bowls and add several drops of food color gel to reach your desired hue for each. You’ll need the largest amounts of icing for blue and yellow colors, followed by red icing, and then a smaller amount of black icing. For your blue icing, make sure to reserve a small amount in your bowl to ice the sides of your cake at the end.

Okay, I cheated a little during this next step — but it totally helped! Print and download the Captain Marvel star template (found in the list above) to help you ice a beautiful star. Using scissors or an X-acto knife, cut out the star so that you are left with a stencil, like the one below.

Lightly place the star template on top of the center of your cake, being careful not to push the star template into the icing.

Using your yellow icing, start by adding small, thin icing peaks along the edge of the star. Note: getting started is the hardest part. Once you get your initial star outlined, carefully remove the star template and then begin work to fill in the star shape with yellow icing peaks.

As you begin to fill in your star, you’ll notice that the peaks are easier to make since they can “lean” on each other and hold their shape better.

Confession time: I’m no cake decorating expert, that’s for sure! But I found that it was easiest to add each strand of icing by allowing it to plant firmly on top of the cake, then decreasing the amount of pressure on my icing bag and lifting it straight up to create a thin small icing peak. If your icing will not stand straight up, you can also pull the peak slightly to the side so that it rests on the neighboring icing strands.

Fill in the Captain Marvel star with yellow icing peaks or strands until it is completely full and has those “shag carpet” vibes.

Switch to your black icing and outline your star in a single layer of black icing strands.

Switch back to yellow icing and add your top yellow stripes on either side of the cake. Then, outline the stripes with a single layer of black icing strands.

Note: if at any time the icing in your icing bags begins to get too warm, place the bag in the fridge for a couple minutes to chill. You’ll know when it’s time to do this because your icing peaks will start to loose their stiffness.

Next, switch to red icing and and section off the top red areas of Captain Marvel’s suit. Then, add a single layer of red icing strands under your yellow stripes.

Directly below the thin red stripes on either side, add a single layer of black icing strands.

Then, directly below the black stripe, add your second yellow stripe on each side, followed by another single layer of black icing strands.

Switching to your blue icing, fill in the top section entirely with blue icing strands.

p.s. are your hands getting tired of making icing strands yet? 🙂

To finish the top of your cake, fill in the remaining bottom section with blue icing strands.

For the sides of your cake, use your reserved blue icing in your bowl and carefully spread it around the sides of your cake, being careful not to spread it over the edges to mess up the top of your cake. To “seal” the edge of your cake where your blue icing sides meet the top of the cake, use a little blue icing from your icing bag to fill in the gap between cake sides and top.

Once your icing work is complete, carefully remove the parchment paper pieces from the bottom of the cake.

Higher, further, faster, baby!

I’ll be honest, this cake took a little bit of patience, but I was so pleased with the shaggy result! (My hands were glad it was over, too.)

How are your preparing for Captain Marvel? My hope is that it’s with a piece of shag cake. 🙂