I made this Pirate Ship Birthday Cake for my son’s first birthday party. We made the whole party pirate-themed! His smash cake was a treasure chest.
I looked for ideas on-line because I’d never made a pirate ship, but couldn’t find what I was picturing in my head. I finally sat down and sketched out what I wanted and then figured out how big it needed to be. Once I stacked the cake layers (with icing in between), I just stared at it and imagined each cut before I did it. (I’m glad I took the time to really think it out, it turned out great!)
Then, I covered it with chocolate fondant. The masts were made of dowel rods and the sails and crow’s nest were made of gum paste. The wheel, cannon balls, cannons, plank (on the other side of the cake) and spirit (it was a monkey because it’s my son’s nickname) were all made out of homemade fondant a few days before I baked the cake.
Related cakes:
Coolest 4th Birthday Pirate Ship Cake 
Coolest Pirate Ship Birthday Cake 
Coolest Bucky from Jake and the Neverland Birthday Cake 
Coolest Ever Pirate Ship Birthday Cake 
Coolest Pirate Ship Cake with Island Cake 
Awesome But Easy Pirate Theme Cake 
Coolest Pirate Ship and Buried Treasures Cake 
Coolest Pirate Ship Birthday Cake
How did you do the railing? It’s amazing!
I broke toothpicks in half and stuck them in fondant squares and pushed the other end into the cake. I moistened the tops of each piece and then placed the long rolled up piece of fondant on top of them. I just pulled them all out before I cut it. It would be totally possible to just stick them to the boat with a little water, but I didn’t have time to wait for each one to stick, so I used the toothpicks. Hope that helps! ~Sheli
What a great job! I love the railing! Thanks for the idea, I’m going to attempt to duplicate it!
This is my favourite pirate ship on this website. I love the fondant look and railing as well. Did you use a toothpick to make the wood detail on the fondant covering the ship?