CHEEKY CHOCOLATE PIRATE SHIP

MODERATE Pirates are such a popular theme for children’s parties that this is certain to be a huge success. It’s not difficult to make if you follow the step-by-step instructions. You are basically baking two big sponge cakes, one at a time, and cutting them into pieces, like an edible jigsaw. Do make sure you use skewers to support the boat... my first attempt capsized! This recipe has a special place in my heart as we were making it for my Celebration Cakes book when my husband Kishore called to say we’d been asked to make the wedding cake for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – a day I’ll never forget.

Serves 20-24

For the cakes

450g (1lb) unsalted butter, really soft, diced, plus extra for greasing 360g (12½oz) self-raising flour

2tsp baking powder

8 eggs

450g (1lb) golden caster sugar

2tsp vanilla extract

6tbsp cocoa powder, mixed to a paste with 6-8tbsp boiling water and cooled

For the buttercream

225g (8oz) unsalted butter, really soft

300g (10½oz) icing sugar, sifted 1tsp vanilla extract

A few drops of blue food colouring paste

3tbsp cocoa powder

To decorate

Icing sugar, for dusting

250g (9oz) white sugar paste (or buy brown and white and knead together to make light brown for a wood-like colour)

Wood grain-textured mould (windsorcakecraft.co.uk, optional) 12 Polo mints

10 chocolate caramels

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Butter your cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. The quantities for the ingredients given are to make 2 cakes, which are baked separately. To make the first batch of mixture, sift 180g flour and 1tsp baking powder into a bowl, add 225g butter, 4 lightly-beaten eggs, 225g golden caster sugar, 1tsp vanilla and half of the cocoa water paste. Beat but do not over-mix. Scrape into the tin. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer emerges clean. Leave to cool slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully. While this first cake is baking, make the second batch of mixture using exactly the same ingredients, so it’s ready to bake when the tin has been turned out.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until pale and fluffy and add the icing sugar and vanilla. Put 3tbsp of the buttercream in a bowl and colour with blue food colouring paste. Beat the cocoa powder into the remaining buttercream and set aside while you assemble your ship, as below.