You can make a cruise ship shaped cake for a bon voyage party or a special event for a cruise enthusiast. The cake is easier to make than it may at first appear and requires very little experience with decorative icing techniques. Even a novice cake decorator can make an edible creation worthy of becoming a party centerpiece. The cake can be made up to two days ahead of time for a less hectic to-do list the day or night before the big event.

Prepare a homemade or store-bought cake mix and grease a large rectangular cake pan with butter. Pour a little bit of flour into the cake pan and tap the cake pan to evenly distribute the flour. Pour out any excess flour and pour the cake batter into the pan. Bake the cake and then allow it to cool for 3 to 4 hours.

Prepare 2 homemade or store-bought cake mixes while the rectangular cake is baking. Grease 3 long oval cake pans and a 4-inch round cake pan with butter and then coat the butter with flour. Pour the batter into the four pans and bake. Allow the cakes to cool for 3 to 4 hours after removing them from the oven.

Remove the rectangular cake from the pan and place it on a rectangular cake tray. Spread a layer of blue buttercream icing over the entire top and sides of the cake. Make “waves” in the icing with an icing spatula.

Remove the oval cakes from the pans and spread a layer of white buttercream icing on the top of two of the cakes. Stack the cakes on top of one another.

Make the cruise ship shape. Choose one end of the cake to be the bow of the ship and cut approximately two inches off from the top two layers with a serrated knife. Shape the top two layers into a gently pointed end. Shape the bottom layer into a more sharply pointed end. Shape the stern of the cake (the opposite end) so that the upper decks of the cruise ship slant forward toward the bow. Cut away approximately 1 inch from the top layer of cake to make the upper deck.

Remove the 4-inch round cake from the cake pan, spread a layer of buttercream icing on the bottom of the cake and place it on top of the cake near the stern of the ship.

Cover the entire cake in a smooth layer of white buttercream icing. You can use a different color icing if you prefer.

Roll out a sheet of black-tinted fondant to a thickness of approximately 1/8-inch. Cut small square shapes from the fondant, approximately 1 inch square in size. Moisten the backs of each square and press the squares gently against the sides of the cake to make the windows for a completed cruise ship cake.