Hidden Treasure Cake

A hidden treasure hunt is a perfect birthday party activity! So a hidden treasure cake, complete with a map to the treasure makes for a great cake to go along with a pirate-themed party. Pick up some Kit-Kat candy bars, a package or two of gold/silver chocolate coins, some Hershey nugget candy and a few Rolos and you are ready to bake!

Start

First, bake the cakes, cool and place on your board. I also made a banner from fondant to say “Happy Birthday Eamon” to jazz things up. You can wait to place this all until you are finished, or place it at the beginning. I chose to place it at the beginning because I like to see progress happen quickly, though frosting would have been easier if I placed it at the end.

Crumb Frost

Next, crumb frost the cake and make the treasure map. For the map, I rolled out a thin piece of tan colored gum paste and formed it into a scroll. It dried quickly, but this is something you could do the day before if you would like to. Once dry, I drew the treasure map using an edible marker. Crumb frost your hidden treasure cake after your map is ready.

Add the treasure

For the treasure, I placed Kit Kat bars around the edge of the round cake. This makes it look like a barrel. Then, add brownulated sugar as the sand for the treasure bin in the hidden treasure cake.

Finishing Touches

Decorate your main cake and fill your treasure bin with the chocolate “loot”. I chose to decorate my main cake with grass and water, using a grass tip and a spatula to make the water and grass. For the bottom boarder, pull in any color you would like as accent. Place a few coins around the edges to add to the theme, and consider putting a pile of brownulated sugar for a sand island on the cake. Now you have a hidden treasure cake for your party!