Caiden Pirate Cake

Pirate Cake

A friend of mine got in touch with me a while back and requested that I help her with her little boy’s first birthday party by making a Pirate-themed cake, cupcakes, and cookies to match the decor of the event.

The specific details that were to be incoporated into the design of the cake, cupcakes, etc. were a life-like pirate, skeletons, coins, etc. So, in keeping with the requests that were put before me, I decided to make this as “Pirate-like” as I could.

One of the first things I wanted to do with this cake was to implement different aspects of the Pirate theme that are commonly used and/or associated with pirates and treasure. So, I wanted the background of the cake, if you will, to be more of a treasure map, an element that would provide a sense of story to the cake. This way, it would look as if our little pirate was on the hunt for his buried treasure. And well, the treasure itself had to be on top.

The treasure chest that sits atop the cake was made of styrofoam that I carved into a desired shape, covered in a thin crumb-coat of buttercream, and finished with fondant that was

Treasure Chest Detail

airbrushed and hand-painted to achieve a woodgrain design. The gold coins and pearls that were included in the treasure chest were made using a tip with a circular head, as well as a pearl mold. They were then painted using Gold Pearl Dust that was mixed with liquid. (You can use Vodka as the liquid or water).

Wrecked Pirate Ship Detail

The cake also featured a wrecked pirate ship at the base of the bottom tier. The ship itself was also carved from styrofoam and covered with a thin crumb-coat of icing as well as fondant. The fondant was rolled over a woodgrain template (as was the treasure chest) and then airbrushed, accomplishing the old, wood look I was going for. The sail was a piece of white gum paste that I allowed to dry overnight.

The main character of the cake, our cute little pirate boy, was also

Pirate

made of gum paste and hand-molded and painted. He sports the ever popular eye patch as well as a black hat and ripped shirt and shorts. The colors red and black were requested as part of the color scheme, so these were used as the colors of our pirate’s clothes. He sits proudly atop “Pirate’s Cove” with his pirate flag in place, showing this treasure is his! 😉

All over the cake, the idea of the treasure map is carried out, with little black dashes showing where the treasure lies and what part of the island you have to pass through to find it. There is a Mermaid Cove, a Bone Yard (featuring a skull and bones), Shipwreck Cove, etc.

The cake itself was Vanilla Cake Batter with Vanilla Buttercream.

Cupcakes and cookies were also included.