Ingredients
4 340g packet cakes
any flavour will do
4 eggs
4 cups milk
Butter
for greasing cake pan
1 cup jam
250g softened butter
or Meadow Lea
4 cups soft icing mixture
1 cup cocoa
½ cup milk
for frosting
Licorice straps
Chocolate wafer biscuits
Smarties
Skewers and paper
cut into squares for sails
Writing icing
in red
Toy pirates and pirate themed candles
Allergy Advice
Contains Dairy
Contains Eggs
Contains Gluten
Contains Nuts
Contains Soy
Equipment
- 1 35 x 25cm baking tray
- 1 Electric beater
- 1 Sharp serrated knife
- 1 Skewers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 35 x 25cm baking tray – this is a tray you use to roast vegetables in, NOT a cake tin.
- Prepare cake batter as per packet directions, preparing two at a time. Pour each cake mix into the prepared tin so that you end up with all four batters in the one tin.
- Bake at 180C for 40 -45 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool cake and level the top with a sharp serrated knife. Cut into appropriate building blocks to create the shape of your pirate ship, using skewers and icing to anchor them together.
- Brush all cut cake sides with warm jam to seal.
- To make the icing, use an electric beater to cream butter until light, pale and fluffy. Slowly add sifted icing sugar and cocoa. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.
- Cover the entire cake with a generous coating of frosting. For a smooth, crumb-free finish, apply a thin 'crumb coat' first, let it set, then apply the final generous layer.
- To decorate, thread paper onto skewers for sails and position them on the cake. Edge all of the deck in wafer biscuits and use licorice to outline the deck. Highlight the deck with red writing icing. Add Smarties to the back and sides.
- Position your pirates and candles to finish!
Notes
Tip
The most important part of creating this cake is getting the right shape and then coating it generously with the frosting. To get a good finish, do a ‘crumb coat’ of icing first – this is where you apply a thin layer of icing over the cake to bind all the cake crumbs to the icing. Then when the icing has set, apply another more generous layer of icing – this will be your final coating and will be crumb-free.
Tip
Another great icing tip is to have a glass of warm water nearby when you ice your cake. Dip your knife into the water as you work – this will ensure the icing is applied to the cake smoothly and you can easily work on getting a lovely finish.
Tip
If you don’t happen to have pirates in your toybox, visit your local $2 shop!
