Pirates

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Treasure island

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  1. Make all the individual items before assembling the scene.

TREES

  1. To create palm fronds, spread a mini biscuit with royal icing and arrange six green, orange-segment sweets in a circle (thin edge facing downwards). Place a green mini chocolate button in the centre. Set aside until the icing hardens.
  2. Create stems by threading marshmallows onto two wooden skewers (five marshmallows on one skewer and four on the other). Melt some milk chocolate in the microwave and dip the marshmallows into it until completely covered. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off, then place on wax paper until the chocolate has set.
  3. Use a little melted chocolate to attach the mini biscuit ‘foliage’ to the top of the marshmallow stems. Set aside until the chocolate has hardened.

TREASURE CHEST

  1. Brush a variety of small sweets with edible gold paint and set aside to dry. Halve the wafer chocolate bar lengthways. Spread melted milk chocolate over one half and pack the painted sweets, gold and silver balls (dragées) and sugar pearls on top. Place the other half of the chocolate bar at an angle on the back edge so it resembles an open lid. Set aside until the chocolate has set.

BOAT AND ISLAND

  1. Prepare the Rice Krispies mixture as per the recipe. Place a handful of the mixture on wax paper and press flat (this will be used for the boat). Place the rest of the mixture onto the cake board and shape it into an island. Leave to set.
  2. Cut a boat shape out of the Rice Krispies mixture on the wax paper. Insert a skewer for the mast. Place the boat on a wire rack with a bowl underneath to catch the drips. Melt some milk chocolate and pour it over the boat until covered completely. Set aside until the chocolate hardens.
  3. Use melted chocolate to attach three ring-shaped sweets to either side of the boat. Cut the paper to a suitable size, pierce a hole at each end and thread the skewer through the holes to make the sail. Set aside until the chocolate hardens.
  4. Assemble the rest of the island using the pieces you have already made.
  5. Cut two marshmallow-size hollows in the Rice Krispies island. Spread melted chocolate in the holes and insert the trees. You might need to hold them until the chocolate sets and the trees are standing firm.
  6. Spread green melted chocolate over the centre of the island, leaving a strip around the edge. Melt the cream-coloured chocolate and spread it around the edges, for the beach. Crumble the blocks of fudge to resemble sand and sprinkle over the beach.
  7. Spread blue butter icing over the rest of the cake board to create the sea, making ridges and ripples to resemble waves. Position the boat on the sea. Shape three shark fins from the grey fondant and place them alongside the boat.
  8. Place the treasure chest at the base of the trees and scatter more painted sweets, silver balls (dragées) and sugar pearls around the chest. Place chocolate balls around the island to resemble rocks and position the plastic pirates as desired.

MAKES 1 ISLAND

Telescope

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  1. Roll out the white fondant and cut circles the same size as the open end of the ice-cream cone. Set aside until the fondant hardens. Draw a picture of an island on the white fondant circle using non-toxic marker pens.
  2. Cut a strip of the fondant and attach it with royal icing around the flat-bottomed rim of the cone. Fill the cone with sweets. Fill a piping bag with royal icing. Using a small round nozzle, pipe a strip of icing around the open rim of the cone and place a round biscuit over the open end, to seal the sweets inside. Pipe another strip of icing around the edge where the cone and biscuit meet. Set aside until the icing hardens. Paint the icing rim and the fondant strip with edible gold paint. Set aside until the paint is dry.
  3. Use a dab of royal icing to attach the fondant picture to the biscuit. Set aside until the icing hardens.

MAKES 10

Hidden treasure biscuits

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  1. Remove the foil covering from the chocolate coins and paint the coins and other small sweets with edible gold paint. Set aside until the paint is dry.
  2. Melt the cream-coloured chocolate in the microwave and spread it over the Marie biscuits. Press a selection of painted coins, sweets, silver or gold balls and sugar pearls into the melted chocolate. Set aside until the chocolate hardens. Sprinkle the coloured coconut over the top, to ‘hide’ the treasure.

MAKES 10

Parrots

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  1. Insert a lollipop stick into a marshmallow. Melt the red chocolate in the microwave and use some to attach a mini marshmallow to the top of the big marshmallow. Place in the fridge so that the chocolate sets quickly. Melt the chocolate again if necessary. Dip the marshmallows into the red chocolate until they are covered completely. Hold the marshmallows upside down so that the excess chocolate can drip off. Set aside until the chocolate hardens.
  2. Shape the parrot’s crest from red fondant and attach it to the top of the mini marshmallow (use a little water if necessary to get it to stick). Use a small pair of scissors to cut slits in the crest to resemble feathers. Roll out the white fondant and cut two small circles for the eyes. Attach these to the front of the mini marshmallow. Shape the beak from yellow fondant and attach it. Pierce two small holes in the top of the beak for the nostrils. Shape the breast from green fondant and the tail and wings from the blue fondant, and attach them to the body. Use the point of a sharp knife or a toothpick to make marks that resemble feathers. Roll out the orange fondant and cut out small flower shapes. Use two pieces with three petals each to make the feet. Add dots to the eyes with a non-toxic marker pen.
  3. Set the parrots aside until the fondant hardens.

MAKES 10

Treasure lollipops

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  1. Paint the small sweets with edible gold paint. Set aside until the paint is dry.
  2. Roll out the brown fondant and cut out 20 circles the same size as the lollipops. Use two circles for each lollipop and attach them to either side. Press the edges together so the lollipop is enclosed in fondant. Make marks in the fondant to resemble the wood of a treasure chest and dust with edible brown glitter.
  3. Use a little water to attach the painted sweets and sugar pearls to the fondant.
  4. Set aside until the fondant hardens.

MAKES 10

Brownie map

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  1. Prepare the brownie mixture as per the recipe and leave it to set in the dish. Cut the set mixture into squares.
  2. Roll out the fondant and cut into squares the same size as the brownies. Fold over some sections and cut slits into the edges of the fondant, to suggest an old map. Set aside until the fondant hardens, then draw the map using non-toxic marker pens.
  3. Spread the top of the brownie with royal icing and attach the fondant map.
  4. Set aside until the icing hardens.

MAKES 10

Pirate loot bags

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  1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, pour it into the pirate moulds and leave to set in the fridge. Unmould the set chocolate shapes. Place the liquorice allsorts and chocolate coins in the cellophane packets. Place a pirate chocolate shape at the front of each packet and tie with ribbon.

Biscuit coins

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  1. Roll out the white fondant and cut out small numbers. Attach the numbers to the biscuits using glacé icing. Paint the whole biscuit and number with edible gold paint.
  2. Set aside until the paint is dry.

MAKES 10

Coins in a Rice Krispies cup

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  1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and brush it onto the inside of a silicone cupcake tray. Place in the fridge until the chocolate has set. Repeat the process until the chocolate layer is thick enough. Unmould the chocolate cups carefully and set aside.
  2. Prepare the Rice Krispies squares mixture according to the recipe. Place a spoonful of the mixture into the chocolate cups. Make sure the mixture isn’t too warm, or it will melt the chocolate cups.
  3. Decorate with chocolate coins.

MAKES 10

Ship’s wheels

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  1. Melt the chocolate and spread it over a biscuit. Place pretzel sticks in a circular pattern so the ends stick out beyond the biscuit. Spread a second biscuit with chocolate and place it on top of the pretzel sticks. Set aside until the chocolate hardens.
  2. Melt the chocolate again if necessary and dip the wheel into the chocolate until it is covered completely. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off, then place the wheel on wax paper until the chocolate hardens.

MAKES 10