Pirate Cake Ideas

If your little scallywag is hoping for a pirate party this year, many pirate cake ideas are both easy to make and theme appropriate. The great thing about a pirate cake is you can make one a number of ways. Some of our pirate theme cake decorating ideas are a 3D ship cake, shape your cake out of a 13 x 9 pan, make a skull and cross bones, or a treasure box cake.

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Pirate Cakes

3-D Pirate Ship Cakes

A popular choice for pirate themed birthday parties, the 3-D pirate ship cake does require some time and assembly but is always a huge hit for the young deckhands in attendance.

This pirate ship birthday cake courtesy of spaceninja.

Shaping a pirate ship cake.
Photo courtesy of meganpru Create a 3D ship by cutting square cakes in half and standing up vertically. Attach together and to your cake board with frosting. Carve part of the middle for the inside of the ship. Decorate.

One of the easiest methods to create this type of cake, include cutting and assembling a basic boat design from a 13x9 cake and dressing it up. See how to make a boat cake here.

Specialty Pans

If you like the idea of a 3-D cake or a 2-D shaped cake but aren’t skilled in cake cutting and assembly, you have the option of using a specialty pan. You can find these pans in an array of pirate themed shapes including ships, skull and cross bones, and treasure chests. These pans give you a perfectly formed cake so that you can focus your energy on decorating. They can be easily be found at your local craft store and even more easily online, like the ”Little Pirate” pan from Wilton.

Treasure Map Cake

Among the pirate cake ideas from which you can choose, making a treasure map cake is one of the simplest to accomplish. Making this type of cake uses a 13x9-inch cake pan and requires no cutting and assembly. Simply find a picture of a treasure map that you like and replicate it in your decorating.

Frost the entire cake in a parchment, khaki or sand color, and create several landmarks on your cake including the infamous X that marks the spot. To create these landmarks, you can either draw them freehand using piping tips and various decorating techniques, or you can purchase treasure map candles.

Treasure Chest Cake

A pirate’s goal in life is to be surrounded by treasure, so if you are looking for a great pirate cake idea, why not create a fun treasure chest cake? These cakes can be made in a number of ways, depending on your skills level.

For a basic design, construction this cake by stacking several square cake layers and using a raised piece of cardboard as the lid, which you would attach to the back of the cake. Get creative and decorate it using your favorite candy treats as treasure.

More Cake Decorating Ideas

Add lifesavers for holes in the side of your boat.

Use blue gel or blue cake foil for the sea.

Use a toy boat and figurines for an easy pirate cake. Decorate your cake blue and place figures on the cake. You can add candy fish to your sea also.

Print off a pirate cake decorating pattern and create a cake image.

See below for a video tutorial on making a pirate cake.

Video Tutorial-Pirate Man Cake

No matter what your ability, a pirate cake idea does exist for you to bake and it is sure to please the little sea scourge in your family. Use one of our favorite ideas or branch out and design your own creation. The horizon is the limit mateys!

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For a Pirate Birthday Party

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pirate cake
My son wanted spiderman cake so I went and bought the pan then he decided that he didn't want spiderman but wanted a pirate. So I toke my pan and transformed ...

Pirate Ship Cake
My son loved the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, so this cake was a perfect fit for his birthday. After frosting 3/4 of the cake in blue icing (for the ...

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