By now you’re probably all picking up on my love for pumpkin (wait till you see next week’s pumpkin recipe)! And every year I use Libby’s Pumpkin Bread Kit (usually you can find it at Costco), and add a couple of my own tweaks to the recipe to make some truly yummy pumpkin breads. For example add 1 cup of diced apples to the mix and you’ll have amazing pumpkin apple bread. Add mini chocolate chips for some serious melt-in-your-mouth chocolaty goodness. Anyway, this year I thought instead of bread why not cake pops?
Everyone by now has heard of cake pops, and obviously no one does them better than Bakerella (all hail the queen). And I personally love cake pops because they’re cute and super easy to eat. My mom friends especially adore them for their little ones because you have no where the magnitude of a mess as say a cupcake or cake. So I decided Cake Pops it is, and I made 2 different types; some fun purple googley eyed guys and a more classic white with black sugar pearl pops.
Now I am not a professional cake pop maker. My chocolate is never smooth (though I sometimes prefer it that way), I break more pops than I make, and by the time I’m done I swear I’m never making cake pops again. Because if you’ve made cake pops before you know it’s a process. A pretty long process. So be prepared to be patient and a tad frustrated. Just a friendly warning from me to you.
Anywhoo, below are the pics, what you’ll need and of course the how to-s. I’ve got just the basics because again patience isn’t my best quality so writing an hour long blog post is just never going to happen. If you need more in depth cake pop knowledge I highly suggest you check out KC Bakes video tutorials. Happy cake popping! xoxo
What you’ll need…
Libby’s Pumpkin Bread Kit || Nutmeg || Buttercream or White Frosting (I use C&K) || Wilton’s Candy Sticks || Wilton’s Candy Melts in White and Lavender || Googley Eyes || C&K Sugar Pearls in Black || Some mechanisim to holdy our cake pops while they are drying, I use Cake Pop Stands by KC Bakes || Waiting On Martha Striped Paper Straws (I used colors black, green, orange, and purple)…And though these other few items are not a necessity they sure spruced the pops up…Waiting On Martha black and white diagonal washi tape to decorate my cake pop stand || Rosannas Noir Cake Pedestal || Target Black/Orange/Silver pail (I got this in the $1 section at Target right when you walk into a store)
Here we go…
1. Follow the directions via Libby’s, but add 1 tabelspoon of nutmeg and bake the mix in 2 round cake pans or 1 large square pan.
2. Let cool. Once cooled, in a large bowl combine cake and 3/4 of a can of frosting. Mash together till all of the cake is sticking enough to be rolled into balls. (If you’ve made meatballs or meatloaf before it’s the same idea).
3. Using a small/medium ice cream scoop create cake balls, rolling between your hands to smooth out edges, and place on a lined cookie sheet. (I line all of my cookie sheets with a Silpat Mat, if you don’t have a Silpat you really should invest. Life changing).
4. Melt 1/4 cup of the white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave for approximately 1-1:30 minutes. Do not burn the chocolate! You will have to stir the chocolate to make it completely smooth. Stick one end of your paper straw slightly in to the chocolate then add one of your pre-rolled cake balls to the top. Place in your cake stand. If you’re using a cake pop stand simply put the candy sticks into the stand then slide the paper straws over the stick. If you’re using a cup to hold the cake pops then no candy sticks will be needed. Repeat until all of your cake pops have been created.
5. Put cake pops into the freezer for 20 minutes to solidify the chocolate. Take out and let stand on the countertop either over night or for at least 1 hour. If you immediately begin covering your cake pops in chocolate right when they come out of the freezer they will likely end up cracking the chocolate.
6. After cake pops have stood melt the rest of the candy melts in a small bowl. Take each cake pop and cover with chocolate. There are many ways and opinions to do this. I tend to use a spoon and hold it gently under each cake pop and swirl. Whatever works for you works for you. Repeat till all of your pops have been covered.
7. Decorate with googley eyes, black pearls, or anything else your little heart desires. Place in your stand and let sit.
8. Eat and enjoy.
