How to Make a Pirate Ship Cake

Make a Pirate Ship Cake that your kids will be proud of!

This pirate cake was quite easy to make using a plain 9"x13" oblong cake.

The fun was all in the decorating. Let your imagination go. Get your kids to help and join in the fun.

Cake Ingredients 3 x 340g packets buttercake mix (or triple this recipe) 5 wooden skewers 3 quantities butter cream icing brown colouring Decorations 1 packet choc mint sticks 12 white lifesavers 15g plain chocolate block 3 x 10cm-square pieces white cardboard

Pirate Costume (boy) $26.99

3 x 8cm-square pieces white cardboard
6.5cm x 8.5cm Jolly Roger picture
1 pkt plain biscuits
1 pkt maltesers
Pirate Figurines

Make cake according to directions on cakemix. Before I cut or iced the cake I put it in the freezer for a few hours. This helps to stop any crumbling when cutting and decorating your cake.

Cut any dark or uneven edges from the cake then cut cake lengthways, cut-side down and cut 7cm piece from each half, as shown.

Pirate Inflatable Treasure Chest $16.99 Pirate Parrots $8.99 Pirate Costume (girl) $39.99

Assemble cake pieces on board to form your pirate ship and secure with five skewers. Trim front of the pirate ship at angles to make bow. Trim the skewers to the same height as the cake.

Tint butter cream icing dark brown (you can mix in red and green colouring - or sift in some cocoa) and spread all over the pirate ship. Drag the icing knife along the sides of the ship to look like timber planking.

Decorate your pirate cake with choc mint sticks, life savers and a chocolate block for the plank.

Thread large then small cardboard pieces on remaining skewers. Print this Jolly Roger picture and place it at the top of the centre skewer. Position the three masts and their sails on your pirate ship cake. I added a couple of pirate figurines that my boys 'loaned' me and put some maltesers as cannon balls in the middle of the ship.

You will need Adobe Reader on your pc to print this Jolly Roger. If you haven't already got Adobe, you can get it here for free.

I used a large plastic oval dish instead of a cakeboard and covered it with alfoil then blue cellophane paper. I then added an 'island' by using finely crushed plain biscuits and added a treasure chest with some trinkets and other pirate figurines. I stuck these figurines on the dish with a little blu-tak then sprinkled some fish-shaped sweets around the cake and added a crocodile and an octopus. Your imagination can run wild here.

Tip 1: Make sure you remove the skewers before cutting and serving your pirate ship cake.

Tip 2: Place the birthday candles in the centre of the lifesavers. Placing on top of the pirate ship cake could be a little too close to the paper sails, and we know what that could mean!

Tip 3: To complete the pirate theme, have pirate themed napkins, plates and cups.

Tip 4: Enjoy!

If you are short on time to make this pirate ship cake, you can always buy a pirate shaped cake pan or bake a plain shaped cake and place a Pirate Skull Birthday Cake Edible Image on top.

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