How Do I Make A Pirate Ship Cake?

A pirate ship cake will make any birthday or celebration light up like a cannon battle on choppy, uncharted waters.

I'd recommend starting with a basic sponge cake base. You can then add as many pirate accessories as you'd like.

Making a 3D pirate ship cake: Starting with the base

Starting with a sturdy base is vital for your pirate ship cake. Sponge cake is probably the best kind to use - because it's easy to work with and will cut nicely when the time comes to tuck into your creation.

To make your sponge base you will need:

• 175g flour
• 175g caster sugar
• 175g butter
• 3 medium eggs
• Vanilla essence

(Bear in mind that bigger ships may need larger measurements.)

To make the base for your cake, follow these instructions:

• Mix butter and sugar together
• (In a separate bowl) beat eggs
• Add egg mixture (gradually) to butter and sugar (add a little flour to stop it curdling as you mix)
• Add the rest of the flour
• Mix until you reach 'dropping consistency'
• Add a few drops vanilla essence
• Give the whole lot a good mix

Put your mixture in a tray, turn your oven on to 165 degrees Celsius (for fan-assisted ovens) and then allow around 20 minutes for baking (or stick a knife in to check see if it pulls out clean to test).

How to decorate a pirate ship cake

Once you've got your base, the fun can begin.

I'd suggest using a chocolate spread on the base to give it a wooden colour, you can even use a comb to draw lines in the spread- which will enhance the 'wood effect'.

Other edible bits you can include are:

• Rolled ice-cream wafer for the main mast and as decoration for the side of the ship
• Maltesers or malt balls for the cannon balls
• The middle of an ice-cream cone as the crow's nest