Pirate Cake Food

PIRATE CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 2 (9-inch) round pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
• Cut cake as shown in diagram. Discard cake trimmings or reserve for snacking. Place head piece on platter; frost with 1 cup COOL WHIP.
• Beat dry pudding mix, sugar and milk with whisk 2 min. Assemble hat pieces near head as shown in photograph; frost with pudding mixture. Spoon remaining COOL WHIP into resealable plastic bag. Cut small corner off bottom of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe COOL WHIP onto hat as shown in photograph.
• Cut eye patch out of piece of sturdy colored paper or cardboard. Cut 14-inch length from red licorice. Use to "attach" eye patch to cake. Use remaining red licorice to form mouth. Decorate cake with remaining ingredients as shown in photo. Keep refrigerated.

PIRATE SHIP AND TREASURE ISLAND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 30x20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
• Put the butter and 200g of the chocolate into a saucepan and heat gently until melted. Remove from the heat. Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Mix in the sugar. Beat together the eggs, soured cream and vanilla extract. Pour the chocolate and egg mixtures into the flour and sugar and beat well until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Leave until completely cold before cutting and shaping.
• Cut the cake in half lengthways. Place one complete half on the 30cm cake board. Cut the remaining half into 3 rectangles, 13x10cm, 7x10cm and 10x10cm. Attach the 10x10cm piece to one end of the base cake using a little warm jam. Cut a 'V' shape to represent the prow of the ship. Place the 13x10 piece at the other end of the base cake, attaching with jam. Using jam again attach the 7x10 piece on top of the 13x10 piece to make the upper deck. Slice the back of the ship at a very slight angle.
• Brush the whole cake with jam. Roll out about 550g of the ready-to-roll icing and cover the cake. Trim the edges at the base and keep any trimmings.
• Melt the remaining 100g chocolate in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Use melted chocolate to stick the mini Toblerones to the edges of the two decks and to the 'V' shape of the prow. Trim any to fit exactly. Use the chocolate to stick on the chocolate balls for canon balls, finger biscuits stacked up as canons and chocolate caramels for port holes. Using a little of the marzipan, roll out and cut four windows. Make window frames from brown icing trimmings, rolling out to thin sausages to form a cross and sticking with chocolate. Attach to the sides of the ship with chocolate. Poke the chocolate stick out of the front of the prow, if using.
• Arrange the chocolate coins in a little pile on the cake board, reserving 3 or 4 coins for the top. Roll out the remaining brown icing and cover the coins completely. Brush with melted chocolate and sprinkle with muscovado sugar. Push 3 or 4 coins into the sand along with the chocolate skull if using.
• Put a little of the royal icing in a bowl. Colour the remainder blue. Spread the icing on the cake board around the ship and the island. Use the white icing to make 'surf' around the edge of the island.
• Using the remaining marzipan and brown icing, make three barrels. Place one on the deck of the ship and the others in the sea. Cut out sails from the paper and make holes in them so you can push the straws through. Attach the sails to the ship and poke sandwich flags out of the top to finish.

PIRATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottoms and sides of one 8-inch and one 9-inch round cake pan. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour into pans.
• Bake as directed on box. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
• Use serrated knife to cut 9-inch cake in half and cut hat as shown in diagram (template can be found under the Tips below). Remaining half of 9-inch cake will form body of pirate. Cut 8-inch cake as directed in diagram. On tray, place cake pieces. Cut ears and nose from small pieces of cake; attach to cake with small amount of frosting.
• In small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons chocolate frosting into 1 1/3 cups of the vanilla frosting. Frost cake with thin layer of frosting to seal in crumbs; use the tinted frosting on the head, ears and nose, the chocolate frosting on the hat, and the white frosting on the shirt of the pirate. Refrigerate or freeze 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting.
• Frost entire cake, using the same frostings. Add mint patty for eye patch, marshmallow slice and gum ball for eye, and ring-shaped candy for earring. Cut fruit snack into shapes for shirt stripes, mouth and strap for eye patch; place on cake. Cut licorice to fit hat. Add gum for teeth and chocolate decors for whiskers. Store loosely covered.