Thar Be Cake!

1. 1

   Baking time: 55 min.

2. 2

   Decoration time: 40 min.

3. 3

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pans.

4. 4

   Prepare pound cake mixes according to package instructions. Divide batter between the two prepared pans; smooth tops.

5. 5

   Bake until golden, or a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; approximately 25-30 minutes for the 9- x 13-inch cake pan and approximately 45-55 minutes for the loaf pan. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert cakes, remove pans and let cool completely.

6. 6

   Meanwhile, tint 1-cup of the vanilla frosting yellow and spoon it into a resealable plastic bag with a small corner snipped. Spoon 1-cup vanilla frosting into a resealable bag with a snipped corner. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting blue and transfer it into a resealable bag with a snipped corner. Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable bag with a snipped corner. Set these aside.

7. 7

   Cut loaf cake into a ship using the printable template. Using both the photo as your guide and the printable template to mark and cut the step-cuts along the back of the ship.

8. 8

   Place the 9- x 13-inch cake on a serving platter and trim the surface so that it is level. Arrange the ship-cake on top. Cover top of ship-cake with a layer of vanilla frosting. Cover the sides of the ship-cake with chocolate frosting by piping it on first and then spreading it smooth with a spatula. Pull the tines of a fork through the frosting to create it a wood like appearance.

9. 9

   Arrange M&M'S(R) Brand White Chocolate Pirate Pearls, M&M'S(R) Brand Milk Chocolate Jack's Gems and M&M'S(R) Brand Peanut Chocolate Captain's Gold along the top and sides of the ship-cake.

10. 10

    Trim the bread stick to be 4-inches long. Press a toothpick into cut end of the bread stick and arrange it on the bow of the ship. Pipe some chocolate frosting filigree on the bread stick. Pipe yellow frosting filigree along the side of ship.

11. 11

    Pipe swirls of blue and white frosting to create waves over the top and sides of the 9- x 13-inch cake. Arrange M&M'S(R) Brand White Chocolate Pirate Pearls in the water. If you like, trim a chocolate wafer to make a shark fin and press into the blue frosting.

12. 12

    Using the printable templates cut sails from the vellum paper. Insert 2 sails onto each skewer and press into the cake. To make the swirled blue sea: Place a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip into a tall glass and fold the sides down over the rim of the glass. Squeeze vanilla frosting and blue frosting into the pastry bag at the same time. Remove the bag from the glass. When you squeeze the frosting out, it will give you a spattered blue & white effect seen in the photo.

13. 13

    Pattern: Print this page and use the template in step 5 as a guide to cut out the ship.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.