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Sailboat Cake

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• Prep 40 min
• Total 3 hr 30 min
• Servings 14
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Ingredients

• 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Yellow Cake Mix
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
• 2 tubs (16 oz) Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy Vanilla Frosting
• Yellow or brown food color
• Tray or cardboard (20x18 inches), covered with wrapping paper and plastic food wrap or foil
• 2 pull-and-peel cherry licorice twists (from 14-oz package)
• 1 roll Betty Crocker™ Fruit Roll-Ups® chewy fruit snack (from 5-oz box)
• Ring-shaped hard candies and assorted candies for decorating

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan or spray with baking spray with flour. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Refrigerate or freeze cake about 1 hour or until firm.
• 2 Cut cake as shown in diagram. (See link below for diagram.) Arrange pieces to form sailboat on tray. Tint 1 1/3 cups frosting with yellow or brown food color for hull. Spread a thin layer of white frosting over top and sides of sails, and a thin layer of tinted frosting over top and sides of hull, to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting.
• 3 Frost entire cake with remaining frosting. Cut licorice pieces to desired length for the mast; place near the edge of the longest sail. To create the top flag, spread a thin layer of frosting on a small piece of aluminum foil. Unroll and remove wrapper from fruit snack roll; press onto frosting-coated foil. Using kitchen scissors, cut into flag shape. Secure flag to mast with a small amount of frosting. Use candy for portholes, or decorate as desired. Store loosely covered.
• View/Print the diagram here.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

• tip 1 Purchase nautical theme wrapping paper to cover a large tray or piece of sturdy cardboard. Then cover the entire tray in plastic food storage wrap, securing it to cardboard back with tape. This makes an attractive display for your sailboat cake.

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A Mummy Too

By Emily Leary . Last updated Feb 11, 2022 . Green links are Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sailing boat cake

This super cute sailing boat cake is delicious and just perfect for a birthday celebration. It has a rich, buttery sponge, a jam filling, and a sugar paste boat sailing on a sugar paste ocean.

The sponge uses the all-in-one method, which means you can make make the batter in a single bowl, adding all of the ingredients in a single step: just whisk and it's ready to pour into tins and bake!

It might sound so simple that you'd think the quality would suffer but no! The texture of the vanilla sponge is light and fluffy with great structure, and the taste is top notch!

The sugar paste boat decoration is a little more tricky to make, but well worth the effort and I've included lots of step-by-step photos to help you get a great result.

The first time I made this cake, I used cardboard to make the boat, but this time, my young baking assistant, Miss J (8) insisted that it had to be edible, so that's what we did!

Here's how to make this sailing boat birthday cake at home.

Ingredients

For the cake.

• 250 g ( 8.82 oz ) baking margarine
• 250 g ( 8.82 oz ) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 4 large free range eggs large, free range
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g ( 8.82 oz ) self-raising white flour (self rising flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the decoration

• 6 tbsps strawberry jam
• 200 g ( 7.05 oz ) light blue sugar paste
• 100 g red sugar paste
• 2 pieces coloured card
• 100 g yellow sugar paste
• 50 g dark green sugar paste
• Wooden skewers
• Weighing scales
• Measuring spoons
• Large mixing bowl
• Electric whisk
• 2 Round 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
• Parchment/baking paper
• Kitchen knife
• Chopping board
• Small mixing bowl

Instructions

Make the boat shapes.

Your sugar paste will need time to dry and harden.

In the instructions below, I'll show you how to use your oven to dry it out. Alternatively, you can cut out your shapes the night before.

You'll need three sugar paste colours - I chose red, yellow and green but any will work.

• Roll out the red sugar paste to about 7mm (1/4 inch) thick.

• Cut out a shape for the base of the boat.

• From the offcuts, cut a thin strip that will act at the mast.

• Roll out the yellow sugar paste to the same thickness and cut out two sails.

• Finally, use the green sugar paste to make some portholes. I used a small piping nozzle to cut mine. Brush a little water on the back of the circles to help them stick.

• Place all the pieces on a tray lined with baking paper.

• Now, you can either leave your sugar paste overnight to dry, or you can set your oven to its very lowest setting and place the tray on the middle shelf.
• After about 10 minutes, the sugar paste will be soft due to the heat, but it will have lost a lot of moisture. Don't touch it, just allow it to cool and you should find that it has become hard enough to hold its shape.

Make the sponges

• Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan, 350F).
• Put the margarine, sugar, eggs, vanilla, self-raising flour and baking powder in a large bowl.

• Beat with an electric whisk until the cake mixture is even and well combined.

• Divide the mixture between two greased and lined 20cm (8 inch) sandwich cake tins.

• Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Place the cakes onto a wire rack and allow to cool fully.

Fill the cake

• Place on of your cakes upside down on a plate or cake stand.

Pile half the jam on top.

Spread the jam to the edges of the cake. Spread the remaining jam onto the top of the cake.

Place the second cake on top (also upside down).

Spread with the remaining jam.

Cover the cake

• Roll out the blue sugar paste on a work surface very lightly dusted with cornflour. Aim to make it just slightly larger than the top of the cake.

• Drape the sugar paste on the top of the cake. Allow the extra to hang over the side of the cake and shape it into ripples gently with your fingertips.

Complete your boat

• For this, you'll need an edible glue. Place a small chunk of sugar paste (you can use your offcuts from the boat) in a bowl and add a few drops of boiling water, stirring until you get a thick, stiff glue.
• Your boat shapes should now be set. Gently turn them over and use a little glue to bond the sails to the base of the boat.

• Dab a little more glue along the edges of the sails and position the mast in place.

• Place more edible glue along the length of the mast, then place a wooden skewer on top.

• Leave to set. It might take up to 30 minutes. If you can't wait, you can use the same oven trick you used before.

Push the skewer into the centre of the cake to position your boat in place.

And you're done! Time to serve yourself a well-earned slice.

Do you love creating themed birthday parties? Which has been your favourite so far?

Print this sailing boat cake recipe

Here's the recipe for this fun sailing boat birthday cake again in a printable format.

Sailing Boat Cake Recipe

• Pile half the jam on top and spread the jam to the edges of the cake. Spread the remaining jam onto the top of the cake.
• Place the second cake on top (also upside down) and spread with the remaining jam.
• Push the skewer into the centre of the cake to position your boat in place. And you're done! Time to serve yourself a well-earned slice.

This recipe adapted from one provided by Stork and Ruth Clemens of The Pink Whisk.

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More sweet treats to serve at a birthday party

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Lindsay @ Newcastle Family Life says

July 30, 2015 at 4:29 pm

I love this it looks so simple yet so lovely. My little boy will be turning one next month and something like this will be perfect for him x

July 24, 2015 at 10:39 am

Looks so delicious...

Best Cake Mixers says

July 24, 2015 at 9:03 am

It's really good.Need not a long time to make and different than other birthday cakes.People must love this.

Deborah Chalk says

July 22, 2015 at 1:08 pm

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Devil’s Inferno Cake

Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living.

As if devil’s food cake weren't already temptation incarnate, we've cranked up the heat with a rich and melty ganache topping and a four-alarm-fire crown. All you need to fake the flames is sugar, water, a candy thermometer, and food coloring. Let the candy cool, and sink the hardened pieces in for a dessert that'll go down in a blaze of glory.

Ingredients

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

1 cup boiling water

¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (¾ cup)

3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal)

2 cups packed light-brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Buttercream:

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

5 large egg whites

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup granulated sugar

Yellow and red gel-paste food coloring

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (¾ cup)

Pinch of kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal)

½ cup heavy cream

Cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; butter parchment. Combine boiling water, cocoa, and chocolate in a bowl; stir until chocolate has melted. Let cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter with brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then chocolate mixture to combine. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture in two additions, alternating with sour cream, until just combined.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with an offset spatula. Bake until a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack 20 minutes. Turn out cakes and place on rack, top-sides up; let cool completely. With a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so they are level.

Buttercream: In the bowl of a mixer, whisk together granulated sugar and egg whites. Place over (but not in) a pot of simmering water; continue whisking constantly until sugar has completely dissolved and mixture is warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Place bowl in mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until thick, glossy, and cool, 8 to 10 minutes.

Switch to paddle attachment. Beat in butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, on medium-high speed until combined. Beat in chocolate. Reduce speed to low and continue beating until air bubbles are gone, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Flames: Line several baking sheets with parchment. In a small saucepan, combine granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture registers 300° to 310° (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Swirl in a drop or two of yellow food coloring, then pour syrup into a glass measuring cup.

Working quickly, pour lengths of syrup (each between 1 and 3 inches long) onto prepared sheets, dragging the tip of a knife through in random places to create flame shapes. If desired, add a drop of red food coloring to the last few tablespoons of syrup to create redder flames. Let stand until hardened, about 5 minutes.

Assembly: Place one cake layer on a stand, trimmed-side up, and spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream evenly over surface. Top with remaining cake layer, trimmed-side down. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over top and sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes (this ensures a crumb-free finish). Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake, keeping top as flat and level as possible.

Ganache: Place chocolate in a small heatproof bowl; add salt. Bring cream just to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes, then whisk until smooth and shiny. Let cool a few minutes. Pour half of warm ganache over center of cake, then slowly but steadily pour remaining ganache around edges, allowing it to drip down sides. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. (At this point, cake can be refrigerated up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before serving.)

To garnish, press candy flames into top of cake, arranging lighter flames toward back and darker flames toward front.

Cook's Notes

The cake, buttercream, and flames can all be made a day in advance and kept covered at room temperature. The buttercream can also be refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen for up to three months (bring to room temperature and beat again for a minute or two before using).

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Pirate Ship Cake

Apr 24, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy .

This Pirate ship birthday cake will be a HIT at your kid’s next birthday party. Get all hands on deck and set your sails toward the kitchen! 

Easy Pirate Ship Cake Ingredients

What you need to decorate the pirate ship, how to make a pirate ship cake step-by-step, decorating the pirate ship chocolate cake, get creative with your pirate ship cake, frequently asked questions, more fun and delicious birthday cakes for kids.

• Pirate Ship Cake Recipe

This pirate ship cake is where it all began! It is the first post that we ever posted on the site and it became a huge hit among our families. This pirate ship cake is fun, creative, and tastes even better than expected! Make this delicious chocolate cake for your next pirate birthday and you will have all the rave reviews! From baking the cake, frosting it in a few different colors, then decorating it just like a pirate ship turned out over the top amazing! It may look like it took me hours and hours to make but it is easier than you think. Get your baking hat on and let’s make this simple and easy pirate ship cake together with step-by-step instructions to guide you all the way through!

Get ready to think like a pirate and create the best ship to take out on the ocean! We started out using a box cake mix for the chocolate cake and bought store-bought icing to make this even easier. This pirate cake is cut into a ship and ready to be decorated now!

• Round cakes – Either make a homemade chocolate cake or use a store-bought cake box mix. I used a 9-inch round cake tin that was greased and floured before pouring the cake batter into it. Bake in the oven then set aside.
• Chocolate icing – Again, make this simple with store-bought icing or you can make a homemade chocolate frosting .
• White icing – This will blend with the blue food coloring making waves under the ship. Make homemade vanilla frosting or purchase your favorite brand of canister in the baking aisle.
• Blue food coloring – Liquid or gel food coloring will give the right amount of blue that is needed for the water coloring in the ocean.

Time to be creative and feel the pirate vibe! You will want to think of a treasure chest, treasure map, gold, and all the pirate theme decorations you can think of. Have fun and think outside of the box about what you can use and create within your own home!

• Pepperidge farm pirouette cookies – These are for the cannons on the side. Cut the cookies into three sections to have six cannons total, three on each side.
• Hershey candy bars – Unwrap Hershey Bars and place them on top of the cake as the floor of the deck to fit.
• Plastic pirate figurines – You can find these at a local store or party store. Use frosting as glue to hold down the pirate’s feet in the cake.
• Wooden skewers – These are for the masts to hold the sails. Having them open looks like they are on the ocean with the wind hitting them.
• White or black paper for sails – These are easy to make with the skewers going through the poked holes of the paper.
• Pirate flag – Trace or print the pirate symbol onto white paper for the ownership of the pirate ship.
• Pirate map – We printed and burned the edges of the map to look more authentic. You can either put this under the cake on the tray or roll it up too.
• Gold coins – Place the gold coins around the area of the cake. Chocolate gold coins or plastic gold coins work great!

To make it even more realistic, I added a tray that the pirate ship can rest on then added the treasure map and treasure chest that could easily be transported to where the party was happening. Follow these step-by-step ways to make this easy pirate ship cake quickly and easily for your next party!

• Preparing the cake – Cut both of the cakes in half. You will have 4 semi-circles, but you will only use 3 for the cake. Set 4th aside for extra cake slices. Put frosting on each half and layer them. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 1 hour.
• Cutting and shaping – Remove cakes from the freezer. Trim off about an inch of the most rounded part of the cake on an angle so the front of the ship is higher than the back of the ship. Turn the cakes upright, as shown.

These are just some ideas to get your creative side started! Add your personal touches to the pirate cake making it your very own!

• First – Frost the deck of the ship or the top of the cake with a light layer of frosting. Place the skewers on the cake.
• Deck – Unwrap Hershey bars and place them on top of the cake as the floor of the deck to fit.
• Boarder – Frost the sides of the cake in one of two ways. You can simply spread frosting on the cake or use a star tip. Use a star tip to put a top border around the top of the cake (ship deck).
• Masts – Cut 7 sails from the paper, then slip them onto the skewers and pinch them so it looks like they are billowing in the wind.
• Cannons – For the cannons, cut 2 Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies into three equal sections. Place a candle in the center of each cookie so the wick end is sticking out about half an inch. Push three cannons into each side of the cake. Make sure that the surface on which the cake rests is impervious to wax, as the burning candles will drip.
• Yarn – Add yarn for the rope around the masts.
• Pole – For the front bow part (the pole) use a full Pirouette cookie or a pretzel stick. Tie a rope, using jute or yarn, from the end of the cookie to the top of the mast.
• Pipe – Marble blue food coloring into white icing, making it look like water. Pipe it on with a star tip, like waves, along the bottom of the boat.
• Pirates – Place pirate figurines on the deck with a little frosting under their feet so they will stick to the deck. Place gold coins around the cake.

Decorate your pirate ship just the way you like it! Go above and beyond or make it simple. Either way the cake is delicoius and the pirate ship is going to be an amazing display for any party!

• Decorate – This recipe gives you a chance to be creative! You can add plastic pirate figures ,  gold coins , gold sprinkles , or whatever you can to make it the best pirate cake ever!
• Display – Place the cake on a cookie sheet or board covered by a pirate map.
• Frosting – If you want to take it to the next level you could add more of the blue frosting around the sides and put plastic sea creature figures! The possibilities are as endless as the open sea! Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

“We made this for a birthday party and oh my gosh was it a hit. Super cute and fun. I loved that it was easy to make!” -Meagen B.

Make sure to follow the package instructions on how long to bake the cake for and at what temperature for 9 inch cake pans. To avoid over cooking and buring the cake you can use a toothpick to stick into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it has cake batter still on it, bake a few minutes longer.

This is always a common question when it comes to pirate ships. Yes! They were real, however, I am not sure if they continue to be the same type of ship and pirates in these modern times. They have said that there was a pirate ship that was discoverd off the coast of Wellfleet, MA.

Need more inspiration for a fun birthday cake or cupcakes for our next birthday party? With a little creativity, you can make something memorable that your child will love.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 (9 inch) round cakes prepared and baked
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups chocolate icing
• ▢ 2 cups white icing
• ▢ blue food coloring

Decorations:

• ▢ 3 Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies
• ▢ 4 Hershey candy bars
• ▢ plastic pirate figurines
• ▢ 3 (10 inch) wooden skewers
• ▢ white or black paper for sails
• ▢ pirate flag (you can find one online and print it)
• ▢ pirate map (optional)
• ▢ gold coins (optional)

Instructions

• Cut the cakes in half. You will have 4 semi-circles, but you will only use 3 for the cake. Set 4th aside for extra cake slices.
• Put frosting on each half and layer them. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 1 hour.
• Remove cakes from freezer. Trim off about an inch of the most rounded part of the cake on an angle (the bottom of the ship) so the front of the ship is higher than the back of the ship. Turn the cakes upright, as shown.
• Optional: place cake on a cookie sheet or board covered by a Pirate map.
• Frost the deck of the ship or top of the cake with a light layer of frosting. Place the skewers (masts) on the cake.
• Unwrap Hershey Bars and place them on top of the cake (around the masts) as the floor of the deck to fit.
• Frost the sides of the cake in one of two ways – you can simply spread frosting on the cake or use a star tip. Use a star tip to put a top border around the top of the cake (ship deck).
• Cut 7 sails (3 inch by 5 inch) from the paper, then slip them onto the skewers (masts) and pinch them so it looks like they are billowing in the wind.
• For the cannons, cut 2 Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies into three equal sections (so you have 6 cannons). Place a candle in the center of each cookie so the wick end is sticking out about a half an inch. Push three cannons into each side of the cake.
• Make sure that the surface on which the cake rests is impervious to wax, as the burning candles will drip.
• Add yarn for the rope around the masts.
• For the front bow part (the pole) use a full Pirouette cookie or a pretzel stick. Tie a rope, using jute or yarn, from the end of the cookie to the top of the mast.
• Marble blue food coloring into white icing, making it look like water. Pipe it on with a star tip, like waves, along the bottom of the boat.
• Place pirate figurines on deck with a little frosting under their feet so they will stick to the deck. Place gold coins around the cake (optional).

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Do you have a recipe for the chocolate cake?

We just used a boxed chocolate cake mix!

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Coolest Boat and Submarine Cake Photo Ideas

I hope you enjoy this cake photo of our boat cake. We did Ronan’s birth announcements with a sailboat on the cover so I thought a sailboat cake for his first birthday would be fun. I couldn’t find what I had in mind so I took my rectangular cake pan and made a template out of cardboard. I used two rectangular 13 X 9” cake pans and two boxes of cake mix. The first cake I cut in half diagonally. One side was the big sail and the other was cut 2/3 of the way down for the small sail. I used the extra bottom piece to cut out a circle for the sun.

The second cake was used for the body of the boat and the water. I cut the cake 2/3 down and used the bigger section for the boat and the water underneath it – using frosting to denote the two separate objects. The remaining portion was cut in half to extend the water on either side.

After frosting the cake I used pretzel rods for the mast and smaller pretzel sticks for the sun’s rays. The baked goldfish were added last – my four year old’s favorite part because he got to help with the decorating. We hope you enjoy it. As you can see from the cake photo it was simple to make and fun to decorate.

More Boat and Submarine Cake Photo Ideas

Cake photo by Lisa T., Waterford, CT

This sailboat cake was for my son Owen’s second birthday. I copied it from a cake photo I saw in a magazine.

I cut a square cake in half for the sails and the bottom and then a smaller triangle for the jib (front sail) I frosted it with shades of blue and named it the SS OWEN with a toothpick flag printed out on the computer.

Cake photo by DL D’A., Toronto, Canada

The schooner base was vanilla cake baked in a silicone loaf pan with the two end pinched to a point using large metal bulldog clips. The sails are sugar cookie baked on a cookie sheet and cut to shape as soon as it is removed from the oven.

The sails are held together to the wafer rolls and pogo sails with royal icing and left flat to dry over night. The base (ocean) is a 9×12 pan of brownie iced blue. The floor boards on deck are cut layers from chocolate coated wafer cookies. Decorations on deck are barrels cut from cylindrical wafer cookies and the life preservers are gummy life savers. The border around the deck is sugar coated sour gummy worms. .Hope you like the cake photo.

Cake photo by Karen A., Lexington, KY

This cake was for a friend’s baby shower with a nautical theme. The bottom cake is a full sheet cake. The boat is made from two 9” round cakes that I cut in a boat shape and covered with white icing. The windows are made of peppermint candies and the rails are made of string licorice and toothpicks. The captain wheel and anchor are made of blue fondant and the sail is a kabob stick and cardstock paper.

Cake photo by Jen A., Statesville, NC

This is a cake photo of my son’s first birthday cake. I made it myself using a 9×12 pan and a mix. Once the cake was baked, I cut diagonally down the middle so I would have 2 triangles to use as the sails. I made one slightly smaller than the other.

I also made a 2nd cake and cut the boat (bottom) piece from it, the sunshine and the two fish. The fish were given to my son as his cake to do with as he chose and the sailboat was for everyone else. After everything was cut, I decorated the cake using whipped vanilla icing. To finish off the water theme, I had made blue Jell-O and cut it up into small squares and placed it at the bottom of the sailboat to make it appear the boat was sailing on the water.

The Jell-O was a big hit. We substituted it for ice cream!

Cake photo by Rebecca P., Nikiski, AK

Well my husband and I live across a bay in Alaska and we run a tourist business on an island in the bay so we are all about the water and of course anything BOATS! When our son’s 1st birthday came around I naturally thought to do some sort of boat cake.

Basically I cut this cake freehand but you could look at our boat cake photo as a guide. I baked two 9×13 sheet cakes. I then cut one of the cakes from corner to corner with one side bigger than the other. That made the two sails. Then I cut an elongated half circle out of the other cake to make the boat itself.

The crab and fish were cut and pieced together out of all the scraps and frosted heavily to cover any irregularities. It was actually pretty easy once I got started however my frosting was a little too soft and would have worked better if I had cooled it a little more (although not too much otherwise it would tear the cake).

The only other thing that I have found is helpful is after the cake cools completely and you have assembled it in the shape that you want; then you lightly frost all sides of the cake with a basic white frosting to seal in the moisture. Let this very thin layer dry before you start frosting for real, this helps to also not tear pieces of cake off as you decorate.

Cake photo by Sally B., Denver, CO

My Mother-In-Law made this awesome cake for my son’s 1st Birthday Sailboat Party and I am submitting these cake pictures.

This is an idea that was modified from the Creative Cooks cookbook. She used a knife to cut the cake in the shape of a boat after it was baked, placed it on a cardboard sheet and frosted the sheet and bottom of cake with a frosting tip. She made blue waves that also “splash” on the side of the boat.

The sails, flags, and anchor are frosted sugar cookies. To save time (and make it much easier!) the sails can be made out of waxed paper and the flags out of fruit roll-ups. The flags were “glued” with frosting to strings of red licorice. Although you can’t see it in this photo, a candycane (with the curve removed) is used for the mast between the sails.

Final touches to the sailboat include peppermint lifesavers on the side of the boat, red licorice looped through the anchor, and “S.S. Isaac” (the name of my son) written on the side of the boat to personalize the cake.

This cake was a big hit at my son’s first birthday party!

Cake photo by Allison L., Doha, Qatar

(This Yellow Submarine & Jello cake is one of the most original cake ideas I’ve seen. How about we just call it a “Jello Submarine”… ;-)

My son who is turning three requested a Yellow Submarine party. What a challenge! (We are coaching him so that he will request a more traditional theme for #4.)

For the Yellow Submarine & Jello cake, I baked a triple batch of white cake (easier to frost with a light color) in a HUGE round pan meant for baking our Thanksgiving turkey. I used a pattern I made on butcher paper where the sub was in three parts, fin, body and periscope, and I cut these parts out of the cooled cake.

I put the pieces (and some leftovers for patching) in the freezer for a day or so. THIS IS IMPORTANT! You get no little cake pills in the frosting, and the room temperature frosting chills and stiffens on the cake as you go.

I frosted the cake yellow on the morning of the party and decorated it with candy from a candy stall. Licorice is hard to manipulate, but cutting it lengthwise into skinny strips and microwaving it for a few seconds makes it easier.

I placed the cake on a piece of tin foil on the white cake board (a shelf from the closet), and put chunks of blue jello around the cake to look like water – the tin foil underneath really makes this Yellow Submarine & Jello cake sparkle!

It was a fun party after all because of its unusual theme and funky cake as you can see from the cake photo…

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The Cake Blog

10 Sea-Loving Nautical Cakes

June 10, 2015 by Carrie Sellman

There’s something about a coastal wedding that rings true to classic form.  With preppy color palettes, stripes and nods to the water, you can’t help longing to hear the crash of waves and feel the salty ocean air on your skin.  Elegant and timeless, seaside celebrations will forever be chic.   So today we’re loving on some amazing cakes inspired by the sea.  Along the way, we’ll welcome back some of our favorite cake artists while also introducing you to new designers making their first appearance here on the blog.  Hooray for all of these talented bakers — we can’t get enough of your spectacular cake creations (#cakeloveonthecakeblog)!   Let’s set sail with these   10 Nautical Cakes …

Seafoam green and golden accents are paired with marbled fondant in this gorgeous design by Tiffany MacIsaac and Alexandra Mudry of  Buttercream Bakeshop , bringing an unexpected twist to the classic nautical theme.   (Photography by  Sweet Root Village , Styling by  Lauryn Prattes Events )

Swirling rows of fondant rope are flanked by tiers of grey in this serene seaside design, by Erin Gardner of  Erin Bakes , and beautifully accented with a floral arrangement of gum paste peonies, French tulips, leaves, buds, and manzanita branches.   (Photography by  Mark Davidson )

A crisp white anchor pops on the navy tiers in this modern nautical cake, by Sherri Meyers and her team at  The Pastry Studio , while embossed bands add a touch of gold.   (Photography by Sherri Meyers)

Inspired by the beautiful coast of Southern California, this stunning design by Lindsey Stone, owner of  S’more Sweets Bakery , showcases the natural colors of the ocean combined with wavelike organic ruffles.   (Photography by  Carolly Photography )

Sporting a traditional feel, this buttercream cake by Lisa and Stephen Maronian, co-owners of  Sweet Lisa’s Exquisite Cakes , pairs preppy navy anchors with swiss dots, twisted rope borders and a monogram flag topper.   (Photography by  Christina Szczupak )

Created for a riverboat reception, this lighthouse themed nautical cake by Robin Martin, owner of  Gateaux Inc. , includes amazingly tiny white railings, posts, and nautical flags which, of course, are all edible!  (Photography by  Corinna See Photography ).

Tiers wrapped in ruffled white chocolate create little coves for edible sea shells and starfish in this elegant design, by Sherri Meyers and her team at  The Pastry Studio , which is appropriately topped with a pair of Mr & Mrs wooden chairs.   (Photography by Sherri Meyers)

Navy, stripes and twisted rope meet up with a pair of golden anchors in this lovely nautical design, by Jennifer Billingsley of  Honeycomb Events & Design , while pops of mint bring a fresh feel to this classic look. (Photography by  Cari Courtright Photography )

Stepping out from the expected, this white-on-white design by Lauren Bohl White, owner of A White Cake , combines texture with clusters of sea shells for a non-traditional nod to the ocean. (Photography by A White Cake)

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: This DIY Nautical Cake This Preppy Nautical Cake This Classic Nautical Cake This Ocean Sunset Cake

Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog . Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine, Country Living Magazine and featured online at People, Today, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Redbook, Real Simple, TLC, The Cooking Channel and more.

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July 20, 2015 at 2:35 pm

Some really gorgeous inspirational cakes! I have just made some anchors from florist paste and it was much harder than I imagined it would be. It would be amazing to find an anchor cutter!

October 7, 2015 at 8:55 am

Thank you for sharing this beautiful selection! I very much like the cakes with the shells, especially the last one – it looks very classy with the sea stars and white flowers.

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The Boat Galley

making boat life better

Happy Birthday Cake

Published on August 17, 2011 ; last updated on January 18, 2023 by Carolyn Shearlock

I originally wrote this for the one-year anniversary of when I began writing The Boat Galley . . .

Happy Birthday to The Boat Galley!

Just one year ago, I started writing The Boat Galley. So, to celebrate, I wanted to post one of my boat-friendly “birthday cake” recipes today.

As I looked back over the recipes I’ve posted in the past year, I see that I’ve put several “chocoholic” recipes up ( Chocolate Upside Down Cake , No-Bake Chocolate-Oatmeal Cookies and Chocolate Truffles ) but few other sweets.  Believe it or not, sometimes we want something other than chocolate.

Time and time again, I turned to this recipe for birthdays (ours and friends’), anniversaries, landfalls, holidays and other special occasions such as “it’s Wednesday!”  And since it’s hard to do more traditional cake decorations on a boat, I’ve found that a great alternative is to make an appropriate sign and, with a little tape and toothpicks, stick it into the cake to announce the occasion.

This oatmeal cake is great on a boat for several reasons:

• Easy to mix by hand if you let the shortening or butter soften;
• Ingredients are easy to find and store;
• Frosting that doesn’t require a beater;
• Stays moist;
• Can easily make half a recipe for an 8×8 or loaf pan;
• It takes just over an hour from idea to “ready-to-eat-still-warm-from-the-oven;” and
• It’s delicious!

This recipe originally came from our friend Betty Macy, who allowed Jan and me to use it in our cookbook, The Boat Galley Cookbook .

Oatmeal Spice Cake

Ingredients.

• ▢ 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• ▢ 1 cup old-fashioned (quick or instant oatmeal)
• ▢ 1/2 cup softened shortening (OR butter OR margarine)
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups flour
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter (OR margarine)
• ▢ 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup cream (OR half-and-half OR evaporated milk OR milk OR soy milk)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups flaked or shredded coconut
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped pecans (OR walnuts)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour boiling water over oatmeal, set aside and let stand while making cake. IMPORTANT: The first time I made this, I put the water and oatmeal in a pan together and then turned the burner on high, thinking I’d cook it like for oatmeal. But there’s a lot less water and the oats scorched — badly — before I realized it. Learn from my mistake: put the oatmeal in a small bowl, then pour the boiling water over them and let it sit. It’ll form a thick glob — that’s fine.
• Use the back of a spoon to cream together the shortening, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. If the shortening/butter/margarine is soft — that is, at room temperature — it’s easy to mix it by hand.
• Add eggs and beat so that it’s well mixed together.
• Then add oatmeal mixture. It’ll be one big blob, but use your spoon to break it up a bit. Then start mixing and it’ll break up into small pieces — it’s okay if it’s still a little lumpy.
• Mix together flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon in a measuring cup or small bowl, then add it to the oatmeal mixture. Stir it until it’s all mixed in, then beat 20 to 30 strokes so that it’s all thoroughly mixed and a little fluffy.
• Pour the batter into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• While the cake is baking, mix together the topping ingredients in a small bowl.
• If you have a BROILER: When cake is done, quickly spread the topping over the cake, then put it back under the broiler for about 5 minutes until it bubbles.
• If you DON’T have a broiler: Let the cake cool somewhat (it doesn’t have to be totally cool). Put the topping mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it just starts to boil, stirring occasionally. Spread over the cake.
• Serve warm or cooled.

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Reader Interactions

Jim Almond says

August 17, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Happy Birthday!!!!

Jonnie Combs says

October 22, 2021 at 8:18 am

Wondering if you have successfully made this cake with sweeteners other than the 2 cups of sugar (!) in the recipe.

I find many of the recipes you share very helpful, especially the ones for the spur-of-the-moment potluck get-togethers when we pull into a marina with just an hour or thirty minutes before the event begins!

Carolyn Shearlock says

October 24, 2021 at 10:05 am

I haven’t tried, but I’d bet that Allulose would work perfectly. Get it on Amazon .

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Canal Boat Birthday Cake

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