Pirates of the Caribbean

My friend's son who was turning 7 wanted a Pirates of the Caribbean cake. She had originally planned to make his cake herself, so she had ordered a special edible image online that he loved. When she asked me to make it instead, she gave me the image to work with, and I was a bit unsure of how it would come out, since I'd never worked with one of those before. It was so cool! I was really surprised at how easy it was and how much I liked it. I don't think I'd use them all the time, but I definitely think they are a fantastic option if you need a whole lot of photographic-like detail on your cake. My favorite part of this one was the frosting I smoothed onto the sides. I loved the way the color of the buttercream came out. It took a lot of trial and error, but I eventually got the color to exactly match one of the reddish brown colors in the image.

Pirates of the Caribbean Treasure Chest

A couple years ago I made this treasure chest cake for my nephew. You can see how I got the shape of the treasure chest propped open by cutting pieces of cake. What I did was to bake cakes out of a rectangle shaped casserole dish/stoneware pan I had (2) and then I baked 2 mini loaf pans of the same cake and cut them at a diagonal to make little wedge shaped cake pieces that would hold it open. I then frosted it with chocolate buttercream and decorated it with mini yellow and red m & m candies and red fruit by the foot. My kids helped to stuff the treasures inside that are spilling out. We used chocolate coins, candy necklaces, ring pops, and plastic jewel rings. My husband had the idea to put a piece of purple Laffy Taffy candy in the microwave for a few seconds and then shape it into a keyhole/lock for the front of the chest. Unfortunately, the cake never made it to the party as we got stuck in an ice storm trying to get it there and had to turn around and come back. We enjoyed the cake, but the other guests never got a piece. I guess that's what happens when you live in New Mexico. Sorry, Cameron! Thank goodness G-MOM came to the rescue and made an emergency sheet cake that she decorated with pirate ships. That's what grandmas are best at...