So this cake had a lot of detail and we had our ups and downs, however the general consensus is that it's my best cake yet. This was for our friend's 30th Birthday.
The Project: Ship Shape 30th Cake
The Theme: Pirate Ship
Ingredients:
for the cake:
30oz Self Raising Flour
30oz Sugar
30oz Margarine
15 Eggs
Enough Cocoa to make it chocolatey (I did not measure it)
Lots of Chocolate Butter Icing
for the decoration:
2 and 1/2 packs of royal icing
Brown Colour Paste
Green Colour Paste
Blue Colour Paste
Black Colour Paste
Yellow Colour Paste
First things first - I baked 3 lots of rectangular chocolate cake
Once cooled, I shaped it into the ship shape, I cut the bottom layer slightly smaller than the top layer to create a curve at the front of the ship
Happy with the bottom two layers, I then cut the 3rd layer for the top of the ship, to create the extra steps
I added butter icing in between the layers and held it together with kebab sticks to keep the shape whilst the icing set enough for it to be a little more steady.
Mixing some of the offcuts with the butter icing to create a form of edible cement, I moulded the shape I wanted for the ship and smoothed out any rough edges, fill any gaps and created the curve for the front of the ship. I had to add more kebab sticks at this point as I was becoming paranoid about the back end of the ship.
Once it was set, I covered the ship in the first layer of icing and smoothed it out. Starting to look a bit like a ship now!
I bought a wood textured rolling pin for the planks of wood to cover the ship. I rolled out the icing, used the textured rolling pin on it and then cut out the strips I needed and started the very long process of covering the cake
Many hours later and it's covered in wood planks!
I saved space at the back for windows for the captain's quarters too
I left it overnight as it was fairly late already and I still had so much to do, as party day was in the evening on Saturday, I had all of Saturday to add the details I wanted. The next morning I checked on the cake only to find out that the back end of the ship had fallen over - all that paranoia earlier on had come to pass. I was absolutely devastated, angry with myself for not doing enough to prevent it from happening, worried that I would not be able to fix it and concerned that I would not have enough time. A few annoyed words, some tears, hugs from Gavin, a poorly timed joke and a revelation later, I had a plan.
I had originally intended there to be a kraken creeping up the side of the ship, now I needed to make the kraken more prominent and the ship in much more of a sinking wreck. I chopped off the broken part of the rear of the ship and salvaged the top part. I moved the cake back on the board slightly and lifted the front end of the ship to tilt it.
I then covered the bottom of the ship in blue butter icing for waves and to stick down the recently moved ship and the additional part at the back
After covering the entire board to create the ocean effect, I then needed to start work on the kraken attacking it. I made one tentacle coming out of the water and breaking the back of the ship. I just used royal icing, moulded it into shape, cut out circles for the suckers on the inside and painted it green with the colouring paste. The effect of the green paint made it look wet and slimy - exactly what a kraken would be
Now that the main one was made, I then paced the others. three on one side, creeping up the side of the ship and holding the candles and one on the other side sticking out of the water.
Using small plastic tubes and black icing, I created the cannons
I painted the windows black on the captains quarters to make it look like shiny glass.
Next I needed to create the anchor, I made it out of the black icing and painted it silver and added some of the brown icing for the rope.
The end was in sight! just a few more details to add and it would be finished. The naming of the ship needed to be done, we went with Dread Hammer, which I wrote by hand using edible pens.
I then whipped up some white icing and placed it on the cake where the waves met the ship as foam.
I also used small amounts on the surrounding ocean and at the base of the tentacles. I then added floating debris to add to the havoc the kraken is causing.
Finally, I pipped Happy 30th Shadey on the top of the deck and the cake was finished. Just 2 more extras to be placed on the cake.
I cross stitched the skull and cross bones onto black fabric and sewed it to the kebab sticks to form the sails
Using fimo I made a Pirate Captain Shadey to be placed on the ship
I was really pleased with this cake. I think I have to agree, it is one of my best cakes, the detail and extras really helped. Not keen to do another ship cake again though!
Total Time Spent: 17 Hours
Useful Tips Gained: Painting straight onto white icing gives an amazing effect
Items To Purchase: Cake Lifter - the amount of times I have needed to lift a cake and I do not own one of these!
Items Added to Amazon Wishlist - Cake Lifter - that is all
Miscellaneous Items Wished For - None
