How to Make a Pirate Ship Cake

Just think of the pride youll feel when all the kids who show up for your childs birthday party rave about the fantastic pirate decorations and all the delicious-looking food. Then, when they see the cake! Wow! Those kids will be so excited that theyll want to skip the party and go straight for the cake! Theyll probably suffer through the games, the romping and the laughter, and when they finally get to the cake, theyll be antsy as they wait for it to be served. A pirate ship is definitely an attention-getter at a pirate-theme party; its an extra bonus that it tastes delicious, too.

Dont think for one minute that you cant make a pirate ship cake because its really no different from making any other cake. The candies and things you put on the cake is what ends up making it a convincing ship. But, to start, bake any cake, from box or recipe, in two, 8 or 9 inch pans. Allow them to cool completely.

Cut both cakes in half and set one half on a platter or plate. Spread a layer of chocolate frosting over the top of that cake and stack another half on it. Frost the top of it, stack again, until all cakes are stacked. On the rounded side, slice a thin piece off of the cakes so you can create a flat bottom for the pirate ship. Freeze for a couple of hours, remove from the freezer and turn the stacked cakes over onto the flat bottom. Spread chocolate frosting all over the cake and ice it as smoothly as possible. Now, take a knife and draw lines all the way around the cake - except on the top - to form the illusion of planks. Use three, 10-inch wooden skewers to make the masts for the ship. Cut 6 pieces of paper into squares and poke a hole on two opposite sides of each paper. Slide the papers onto the sticks so that you have three flags on each skewer. If needed, wrap tiny pieces of Scotch tape below each flag to hold it in place. Use assorted candies, cookies or other goodies to create accents on the pirate ship. For example, outline the top of the ship with candy sticks (like candy canes but without the curve) and set root beer barrel candy on top. The candy barrels look perfect sitting on the deck of the pirate ship. Use Rolo candies to make cannons along the sides of the ship. If you want candles on the cake the candies can be used to hold them to the sides of the cake where they cant set the sails on fire. Make a hole in the top of a Rolo candy with a knife and push the candle into it. Push the bottom of the candy into the side of the ship to make a cannon. Make four cannons along each side. If more cannons (candles) are needed place them along the back of the ship. There are other accents you can create depending upon how detailed you want the pirate ship to be. Make a deck cannon by placing a malted milk ball on a Rolo candy. And, youll need a captain and crew so consider setting a couple of pirate characters on top. Its amazing how something so simple can be so spectacular. The pirate ship cake will impress the kids and the adults but it will be a shame to cut it and watch it disappear. Oh well, as they say, "take a picture, itll last longer".See a pirate ship cake here.