Last night my dance studiohaad a holiday party. It was a lot of fun! Nothing says happy holidays like a pot luck, tap dancing and an ornament exchange. Or so I've been told.
As I said in my last blog, I made snowman cake pops.
This blog may get a little lengthy, as I've never blogged about cake pops before. But I promise you it's worth it. These cake pops are a holiday treat that will impress everyone.
So let's start with the basics.
There are several methods of making cake pops. You can buy a fancy cake pop machine, or a pan to bake them in (much like cupcakes). Or there is my personal favorite, the crumb technique. I like making cake pops this way for two reasons:
- You aren't limited in the shape of just a ball. You can mold the cake pop into virtually any shape you can imagine.
- Frosting! Frosting is mixed into the crumbled cake to hold it together. Plus, it makes it delicious!
What you'll need to make cake pops is :
- Cake
- Frosting
- candy melts (white for snowmen) or almond bark, any type of confectionery coating
- lollipop sticks
- Styrofoam block (at least 2 in. thick)
- accessories
- for snowman:
- regular oreos
- mini oreos
- orange sunflower seeds
- edible ink pen
The first step is to bake a cake. One 13in x 9in cake will make 48 cake pops. That is quite an undertaking. I normally make 24 at a time. What's great is that you can wrap the other half of the cake in plastic wrap and freeze it until the next time you want to make cake pops.
Once the cake is baked and cooled, crumb it. Cut the cake into fourths, then, pick up two fourths and rub them together over the top of a large mixing bowl. If any large chunks fall in, be sure to break them up. Also, remove any dark corner pieces.
Here is the result of half a crumbed cake.
Next, mix in frosting. If you're working with premade frosting, add about 1/3 of a can of frosting for half a cake (just less than 3/4 of a can for a whole cake). If you make your frosting, go with just over 1/2 cup of frosting for half a cake.
Mix the frosting in until it disappears into the cake. I know it sounds funny, but just keep mixing until the frosting can't be seen any more. It's easiest to do with the back of a spoon.
It should look like this when done.....
Here comes the fun messy part. Take your frosting and cake mixture and form it into balls. I find that squeezing a small amount in my hand and then rolling works best. Aim for 1 into1 1/2in size balls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.
Remember, 24 for half a cake, 48 for a whole cake.
Once you've shaped all the cake balls (they're not pops yet), place them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, or in the refrigerator for several hours. You want them to be firm, but not frozen. That way they will stick together better while you shape and dip them. But if they get too cold, the candy melts will solidify too quickly around the cake pop and it won't look smooth and may get too heavy for the stick and fall apart.
I normally take this time, while the cake balls are chilling, to start melting my candy melts. Just follow the package directions. Make sure you use a bowl that is deep enough to dip your cake pop in. Keep in mind that candy melts are oil based, so if you get any water in them, they will be ruined. So don't try to thin them out by adding water. Add some melted shortening instead :). The same goes for coloring your candy melt. There are many colors available, but if you want one you can't find in the stores don't add food coloring or gel coloring for frosting. They are water based and will ruin the candy melts. Instead, use candy coloring. AmeriColor makes some. They also make the best edible ink pens I've ever used. They're amazing!
I also get out any accessories that I'm making at this time and lay them all out on plates or bowls so that they are easily accessible. Also, prepare your styrofaom block. Use an empty lollipop stick and poke holes at two inch intervals. Make sure the holes go far enough down that the sticks will stand upright, but not so far down that you poke a hole through the bottom. That can prove problemsome when it comes to moving your cake pops, trust me.
Once all this is done, and your cake is firm, but not frozen, let the dipping begin.
Take a lollipop stick and dip it about 1/2 an inch into the candy melt. Then insert it half way through the cake ball.
I like to dip the bottom of the cake pop, where I insert the stick in, in the candy melt. I find that it gives a little sturdier base when I go to dip the pop.
Let the cake pop rest for a minute so that the candy melt can solidify and the cake will stick when you dip it.
Once it's hardened.... dip!
Make sure that the candy melt touches the stick at the base of the cake. Then pull out and let any excess candy melt fall back into the bowl.
The technique that I use is what my sister refers to as the s'more technique. Slowly rotate the cake pop above the candy melt with one hand (like when roasting marshmallows) while taping your wrist gently with your other hand. The tapping obviously shakes the pop to allow the excess to come off and the rotating makes it so one side doesn't get too heavy; it evenly distributes the candy melt.
For basic cake pops, you are now done! Set in the styrofoam block and let dry.
Now for the snowman cake pops!
As stated before, you'll need Oreos(TM) (reguar and mini), orange sunflower seeds and an edible ink pen.
Before the candy melt solidifies, add an orange sunflower seed for the nose.
Repeat with the remaining cake pops.
While the candy melt is solidifying, assemble the hats.
Remove the filling from 12 regular oreos (if making 24 pops). Then, using some melted candy melt as glue, attach one small oreo to the center of each cookie piece.
But somehow it ended up turning into a monster cookie....
Back to the cake pops....
Using the glue method once more, place a small amount of candy melt onto the bottom of the cookie hats.
Then hold the hat on the snowman's head until the candy melt has slightly solidified.
Once dry, draw on a face with a black edible ink pen.
Then...
Get creative. Give them different faces! They don't all have to look the same.
The monster cookie felt left out.
That reminds me... toothpicks come in very handy. Let's say you want to make a full sized snowman and add some buttons and a scarf. The toothpick allows you to be very accurate with your placement of the candy melt.
Let me show you....
Pretzel arms, licorise rope scarf and confetti sprinkles.
And there you have it... snowman cake pops.
They were a big hit at the party last night. Everyone oooed and ahhhed as I walked in with them. Plus, they were delicious. I look foward to eating one when I get home tonight.
Next time I blog about cake pops I'll tell you about how to store and transport them. And the best ways to display them.
Merry Christmas!
Hope you enjoy your snowmen.
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