Recipe

Pirate face birthday cake

Arrrr you looking for the best kids' birthday cake ever? Pirate Pete is the the way to go! From The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook, this easy cake is sure to impress.

Nov 30, 1974 1:00pm
  • 45 mins cooking
  • Makes 1
    • Print
    Print

Ingredients

Pirate pete
  • 1 x 470g packet butter cake mix
Butter cream
  • 125 gram butter
  • 1 1/2 cup (240g) icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoon milk
  • yellow food colouring
Decorations
  • 1 ice-cream wafer
  • 1 gold-covered chocolate coin
  • cardboard
  • 1 round chocolate biscuit
  • 1 black licorice strap
  • 1 red jelly snake
  • 1 chocolate-covered licorice bullet
  • 1 green jelly bean
  • 1 clinker
  • 2 yellow fruit sticks

Method

Pirate pete
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease deep 22cm (9-inch) round cake pan; line base and side with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above side.
  • 2
    Make cake according to directions on packet; spread into pan. Bake about 45 minutes. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.
  • 3
    To make butter cream, beat butter until white as possible, gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar then milk, then remaining icing sugar. Beat until smooth.
  • 4
    Level cake top; turn cake cut-side down. Cut out shape of pirate's face. Secure cake, cut-side down, on 30cm (12-inch) round cake board with a little butter cream.
  • 5
    Tint one-quarter of the butter cream yellow; spread carefully over hat. Spread remaining butter cream over rest of cake for pirate's face.
  • 6
    Shape ice-cream wafer for pirate's ear, using picture as a guide, spread with butter cream; press ear into side of cake. Press chocolate coin (or ring jube) on ear to make earring.
  • 7
    Cut a small skull and crossbones out of cardboard; position on pirate's hat. Trim one side of chocolate biscuit, position on face to represent eye patch; cut thin strip of licorice to make strap of patch.
  • 8
    Cut red jelly snake for mouth. Position chocolate bullet, jelly bean and thin strip of licorice for eye. Position thin strip of licorice for moustache, trimmed Clinker for nose and long thin strips of fruit sticks for hair.

Notes

Ho ho ho and a bottle of red cordial will soon have Pete smiling again. We were lucky enough to find an odd-shaped chocolate- coated sultana for the eyebrow, but use some licorice instead.

The Latest from Australian Women's Weekly Food

More From Women's Weekly Food