How to Make a Pirate Boat Tabletop Decoration

At your next pirate-themed event, try a tabletop decoration that is easy to make and delicious. Make a pirate boat cake that acts as both tabletop decoration and dessert. This is a creative way to incorporate the pirate theme while providing an edible centerpiece that everyone will enjoy.

Things You'll Need

• 13" x 9" yellow cake
• Bread knife
• 1 can of 16 oz. chocolate frosting
• 1 can of 16 oz white frosting
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 6 peppermint Life Savers
• 1 cup blue coarse decorating sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Twizzlers
• Several gold coin candy chocolates
• Serving platter
• Fork
• Black and white construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions

1. Put the cake on a clean counter or cutting board. Using the bread knife, trim the top part of the cake off so that it is level. Cut your cake in half so that you have two 6-1/2-inch rectangles. Spread chocolate frosting on the top of one of the layers. Put the other cake layer on top of the one you just frosted. Cut the now two-layer cake into the shape of a ship--think of the shape of a football with a flat bottom. Cut a one-inch-deep rectangle into the middle of the cake to make the boat's deck.

2. Put the cake onto your serving plate. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the dark chocolate frosting but do not frost the deck. Leave the deck with just the yellow cake showing. Using a fork, make a series of short lines around the side of the cake to imitate the grains of a wooden boat.

3. Cut the Twizzlers into small pieces and place them along the edge of the deck to make a railing. Draw small windows around the side of the cake with the white icing. Put a cinnamon stick into the bow of the ship at an angle (the pointed end of your cake). Put the mint Life Savers around the sides of the cake. Create an ocean effect by pouring the blue sugar around the base of the cake onto the serving plate. Add the brown sugar around the blue sugar for beach sand. Place the gold coin candies around the cake for extra decorations.

4. Draw one skull and crossbones on the white construction paper and cut it out. Make sails by cutting three rectangles out of the black construction paper. Glue the skull and crossbones onto one of the rectangles. Cut a hole at the top and bottom of each of the black sails and thread a cinnamon stick through them. Put one mast in the front of the cake, one at the back and put the one with the skull and crossbones in the middle (deck area). Leave the other two masts blank or write a message such as "Happy Birthday" or whatever the occasion might be.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use any flavor cake. You can even layer the cake with two different flavors. Add small pirate figures on the deck.

• If you need a bigger centerpiece, make another big rectangle sheet cake. Ice the big cake with blue icing and place the pirate boat cake on top to look as if it is sailing in the ocean. You can add gummy fish in the blue icing.

References

• Parenting:The home of Parenting and Babytalk