Pirate Themed Birthday Party

I had no idea this would be one of the most fun party’s to plan and decorate for! My little one is into pirates so it only seemed fitting that be the theme for his birthday. We had his party at an indoor trampoline park and the kiddos had so much fun! Enough of that though here is the details for decorating and the cupcakes/ cake. Since COVID is still a concern I had an individual cake made for him and made cupcakes for everyone else so he could still blow out his candles. Thank God for ETSY and the talented people on there! I have link backs to everything.

The Tee: I do a tee shirt for him every year and this one is the absolute cutest! MacieMoo Creations is the best! The embroidery is amazing and the fit perfect! Coop also loved this shirt and wants to wear it all the time now!

The Decorations: I ordered a Treasure Island Pirate Tablecloth from Amazon and it worked out perfectly! It is good quality and very inexpensive to purchase. I did get the plates and napkins from Party City. The Table Decor (Pirate Shark Table Decor) is also from Party City.

Cake Topper: Since I wanted him to still be able to blow out candles I had an individual small cake made. It was perfect and the topper from DazzlingsDesigns was the cutest! The cake itself was from Publix. I know I didn’t make a cake this time lol but I did make the cupcakes that were amazing!

Cupcake Toppers: Again Amazon delivered with the Shark Pirate Candle and the cupcake toppers/wrappers. It says 1st cake in the description but as you can see there was nothing indicating a 1.

Cupcakes: I planned on making my chocolate cupcakes but two days prior to the party Coop tells me he doesn’t like chocolate! Not sure we are related now lol. No really it was okay and this vanilla cupcake recipe hit the spot!

Print Pin

The Best Vanilla Cupcakes Ever

One of the best Vanilla Cupcake recipes and so easy! This will be your go to for any occasion!

Course Dessert

Keyword cupcakes, vanilla

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes minutes

Total Time 32 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour Make sure level and sift if you can
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 XL Eggs Room temp
• 2 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk If you don't have use milk with 1 tsp of lemon juice and let sit for at least 5 minutes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 °
• Line muffin tins with cupcake liners
• In a medium bowl combine your flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
• In a large bowl whisk together your oil and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well in between. Add vanilla and mix.
• Add half of your dry ingredients and mix well then fold in the remainder minxing just until conbined.
• I used an ice cream scoop to fill my cupcake pan about 2/3 full. Don't overfill!
• Bake for 17-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Some ovens may have a shorter baking time so check at the 15 minute mark.

Print Pin

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Frosting is so easy and you should never be afraid to try! I used a simple Vanilla Buttercream with Azul food color paste for these cupcakes.

Equipment

• Stand Mixer

Ingredients

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter softened/room temp
• 4 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 tbsp Real Vanilla Extract can also add some vanilla bean
• 2-3 tbsp Heavy Cream add liquid for the consistency you want

Instructions

• Add butter to your stand mixer and mix until creamy. Slowly add your powdered sugar using a spatula to remove from the sides of your bowl until well mixed. Add your vanilla and heavy cream until it is the consistency you need. I added 2 and that was perfect for piping. Add food color at this time and mix well.
• Fill your piping bag and decorate

Party Bags: Party City had the cutest bags and I filled them with Gold Coins, Gold Candy, Pirate Temporary Tattoos, Toy Telescopes & Eye Patches. Amazon has Pirate Party Favor packs that make this easy if your Party City does not have inventory. For an extra fun touch, you can also include a pirate-themed headscarf to complete the look, giving each guest a simple costume piece to wear during the party.

Food was super easy! Pirate Booty of course and Juice Boxes. Pizza was included in the party package. The Pirate Loot bag printables can be found here Loot Label. B.Nute productions has a ton of other free printables as well!

At the end of the day the kids had a great time which is wonderful especially in times like we are living. The theme was fun and I am happy I didn’t put a ton of stress on myself to do more. Hope your next birthday is Arrrgh of a Good Time and you find inspiration here!