Thursday, April 7, 2011

Cake Pops



So I couldn't wait anymore to get this post up! If you haven't heard of Cake Pops then look no further and LISTEN up! :)





I've wanted to make Cake Pops since I first found Bakerella, the Queen of Cake Pops, a few months back but wasnt really sure I'd have the time. I thought that they were really difficult so I just kept them on the back burner. I saw another food blogger I follow, vanilla sugar, post about some Midori Cake Pops and got some motivation to do it from her. I mean, the idea of Midori and cake got me just a little (ok a LOT) excited! I did some research on Bakerella and found that Cake Pops really weren't as difficult as I thought. They are time consuming, but man are they fun! And the possibilities are endless. You can be so creative with these little guys.


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I decided to throw a little party for a few family birthdays, with the help of my dear Auntie M, and I was going to do a cake. Why just do a plain ole cake when these little Cake Pops have been just waiting for me? I was a little worried about finding the time to do them since I had to work everyday until the party, but I knew I HAD to find the time. So I did.


I sketched up a few ideas that would go along a Celebration theme and I came up with these...



So after a few YouTube videos I knew these little pops wouldn't be any trouble. And they weren't, but figuring out how to get them to stand up was.


I had some foam that I started using, but I really didn't like the way it was leaving the bottom of the stick covered in foam. So, after a little request, I had someone make me a stand. Just sandwiched two pieces of peg board together with some small pieces of wood. Rather simple, not exactly beautiful, but worked perfectly! I do recommend getting a stand from Michaels or some good sturdy foam. Or you could get creative and make a stand. :)


Here's what you will need for the Cake Pops:


- 1 prepared cake, box or homemade
- 2 cups frosting, can or homemade
- lollipop sticks
- Wilton Candy melts
- Cake Pop stand
- bowls & spoons for candy melts
- Creativity and time


The recipe for the actual Cake Pop is quite simple and options are almost endless. You simply take a prepared cake, box or homemade, and crumble it into a large bowl. You add 2 cups of frosting, I used homemade Cream Cheese Frosting, and mix together until you get a consistent "dough". I used a small cookie scoop to try and get the same size cake balls. You can simply roll the dough into a cake ball or you can shape the dough into just about anything your creative mind can think up. 


You should take a quick view at this video below to see the steps of making a Cake Pop best described.





Here are the pops I came up with for my first attempt...


Party Hat Cake Pops


To make these I rolled the dough into a ball and then shaped them into a cone. I sat them on some wax paper to get the bottom flat and then shaped the cone with my fingers. It took a few tries to get the perfect shape, but it was worth the testing. 


Balloon Cake Pops


For these pops I simply rolled the dough into a ball and coated. I was going to add some kind of edible string to make it look more like a balloon, but I forgot to pick anything up to do that. I just decided to leave them simple.


Strawberry "Margarita" Cake Pops


I decided I would try something a little different with these pops. I didn't see any cocktail Cake Pops out there so I thought why not give it a shot. I used a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting and pureed strawberries. I shaped the pop with the small cookie scoop and then some shaping by hand. I used red sugar and licorice to make the top of the glass. The bottom of the glass is made with a candy melt that I melted a whole in and then put it in the stick. I secured the candy melt with a little royal icing, but you could easily use melted candy.

Cake Pops have to be one of the best things I've made as far as cake goes. While cupcakes and cakes allow you to be creative to no end, these little pops are just pure genius! If you haven't tried them, you MUST!

Go and start getting creative with cake! Have fun! - Chad









2 comments:

Angela Alexander said...

Wow! I ♥ the margarita idea. I'm baking this summer to pay for my last class so that I can graduate and I want to try cake pops. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

Chadi said...

You're most welcome for some inspiration. I hope you have fun making cake pops. Best of luck in school as well!