Step 1

Prepare Icing
We suggest that you tint all icings at one time while cake cools. Refrigerate tinted icings in covered containers until ready to use. Bring to room temperature for decorating.

Make 6 cups buttercream icing:
Tint 1/2 cup dark brown
Tint 1 cup light brown
Tint 3/4 cup dark violet/rose combination
Tint 1 1/4 cups light violet/rose combination (thin with 4 teaspoons light corn syrup)
Tint 1/4 cup blue
Tint 1/4 cup red
Tint 1/2 cup lemon yellow/golden yellow combination
Tint 1/2 cup black
Tint 1/4 cup gray (use a small amount of black)
Reserve 3/4 cup white

Step 2

Decorate in Order

Ice sides and background of cake smooth with thinned light violet/rose combination icing.

Step 3

Use tip 5 and lemon yellow/golden yellow combination icing to outline and pipe in sails (smooth with spatula).

Step 4

Use tip 3 and red icing to pipe lines on sails.

Step 5

Use tip 3 and gray icing to overpipe outline on sails.

Step 6

Use tip 12 and dark brown icing to pipe in posts on mast and "boom" lines on sails.

Step 7

Use tip 3 and black icing to outline and pipe in flag (smooth with finger dipped in cornstarch).

Step 8

Use tip 3 and white icing to pipe in skull and crossbones.

Step 9

Use tip 3 and black icing to pipe dot facial features.

Step 10

Use tip 3 and gray icing to outline ship.

Step 11

Use tip 3 and light brown icing to pipe in deck (smooth with finger dipped in cornstarch).

Step 12

Use tip 3 and black icing to pipe in porthole windows.

Step 13

Use tip 21 and light brown icing to pipe stripes wooden planks on ship.

Step 14

Use tip 5 and dark brown icing to outline portholes.

Step 15

Use tip 12 and white icing to pipe in ghosts.

Step 16

Use tip 3 and black icing to pipe dot facial features on all ghosts.

Step 17

Use tip 3 and red icing to pipe in kerchief on ghost on top of ship.

Step 18

Use tip 3 and blue icing to pipe in kerchief on ghost left side of ship.

Step 19

Use tip 3 and black icing to pipe in hat on ghost right side of ship.

Step 20

Use tip 3 and lemon yellow/golden yellow combination icing to outline black hat on ghost.

Step 21

Use tip 3 and white icing to pipe dot on black hat.

Step 22

Use tip 21 and dark violet/rose icing to pipe c-motion bottom border.

Step 23

Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F or temperature per recipe directions. Before first and after each use, we recommend hand washing pan in warm soapy water. Your cake will unmold easily, without sticking, when you prepare the pan properly. Grease the inside of pan using a pastry brush and solid vegetable shortening (do not use butter, margarine or liquid vegetable oil). Spread the shortening so that all indentations are covered.

Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons flour inside pan and shake so that flour covers all greased surfaces. Turn pan upside down and tap lightly to remove excess flour. If any shiny spots remain, touch up with more shortening and flour to prevent cake from sticking. (You can use vegetable oil pan spray or Wilton Cake Release or Wilton Bake Easy™ Non-Stick Spray, in place of solid shortening and flour).

Make one 2-layer cake mix according to package or recipe directions. Pour the cake batter into pan, and if necessary, spread the batter around with a spatula to fill all areas of the pan evenly. Be careful not to touch sides or bottom of pan.

Bake cake on middle rack of 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done according to recipe directions.

Remove cake from oven and cool on cake rack for 10 minutes. While the cake is still in the pan, carefully slice off the raised center portion of the cake. This allows the cake to sit more level and helps prevent cracking.

To remove cake from pan, place cooling rack against cake and turn both cake rack and pan over. Lift pan off carefully. Cool cake at least one hour. Brush loose crumbs off cake.

To transfer cake to serving board, hold a cake board against cake and turn both cake and rack over. Lift off rack. Hold another board against bottom of cake and turn cake over. Be sure to hold cake, rack and board close together while turning to prevent cake from cracking.