Cake Pops (8 page)

Get creative with candy and decorate funny faces in an assortment of expressions.

48 uncoated
Basic Cake Balls

Serrated knife

48 or fewer sugar cones

48 ounces (3 pounds) white candy coating

Deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl

48 paper lollipop sticks

96 French burnt peanut candies

Styrofoam block

Toothpicks

48 red regular or peanut M&M’s

Confetti colorstick sprinkles

Life Savers Gummies candies

Fruit Roll-Ups

Rainbow chip sprinkles

Black edible-ink pen

Have the cake balls chilled and in the refrigerator.

Prepare the clown hats first. Using a serrated knife, cut off about 1 inch of the tips of several sugar cones and set the tips aside; you won’t need the tops of the cones. You don’t have to do enough for all the cake pops. Some clowns can be hatless.

Melt the white candy coating in a microwave-safe plastic bowl, following the instructions on the package. The coating should be about 3 inches deep for easier dipping. (I usually work with about 16 ounces of coating at a time.)

When you are ready to dip, remove a few cake balls at a time from the refrigerator, keeping the rest chilled.

One at a time, dip about ½ inch of the tip of a lollipop stick into the melted candy coating, and insert the stick straight into a cake ball, pushing it no more than halfway through. Dip the cake pop into the melted coating, and tap off any excess coating, as described in
Dipping Methods
.

Right after dipping each pop, gently attach 2 of the burnt peanut candies in position for the hair, and attach the sugar cone piece on top for the hat. Hold each in place for a few seconds, until the candy coating sets like glue. Place the pop in the Styrofoam block to dry. Repeat until you’ve used up the sugar cone “hats” and all of the clowns have hair.

For the face, use a toothpick to dot a small amount of melted candy coating in position for the nose and attach a red M&M. Hold it in place until set.

Using the same technique, attach 2 colorstick sprinkles for the eyebrows, using matching colors. Then add 1 Life Saver Gummies candy for the collar by sliding it up the lollipop stick and attaching it to the clown head with more melted candy coating. Try cutting out small sections from the candy for a more decorative effect before you attach it.

For the mouth, cut about a 1-inch rectangular piece of Fruit Roll-Up candy and roll it up tightly. Attach it, using more melted candy coating as glue.

Attach a colored rainbow chip sprinkle on the top of the sugar cone hat with candy coating.

Draw eyes with an edible-ink pen and let dry completely in the Styrofoam block.

• Switch things up. Don’t make all the clowns alike. Some can go without hats and without collars. Some can have different-sized noses made of red peanut or regular M&M’s. Attach the eyebrows and mouths at different angles for varied expressions.
  

• Reserve the tops of the sugar cones for the
  Easter Baskets
  , if you like.
  

These miniature ice cream cone–cake pops will make a big impression.

48 uncoated
Basic Cake Balls

48 sugar cones

Serrated knife

Styrofoam block

Several lollipop sticks

48 ounces (3 pounds) pink candy coating

2 deep, microwave-safe plastic bowls

Multicolor sprinkles

16 ounces dark chocolate candy coating

Spoon

48 red peanut M&M’s

Have the cake balls chilled and in the refrigerator.

Cut off the tops of the sugar cones, using a serrated knife, so that the width of the opening is about 1¼ inches.

Prepare your Styrofoam block. Since these have cone-shaped bottoms, you’ll need to do more than just poke holes in the Styrofoam to support them. Take a lollipop stick, insert it at an angle, and then work it around in a circular motion until you have an opening in the Styrofoam that mimics the bottom shape of the cones.

Melt the pink candy coating in a microwave-safe plastic bowl, following the instructions on the package. The coating should be about 3 inches deep. (I usually work with about 16 ounces of coating at a time.)

When you are ready to coat, remove a few cake balls at a time from the refrigerator, keeping the rest chilled.

One at a time, cover a cake ball with the melted coating as described in
Dipping Methods
. Then insert a lollipop stick into the ball to lift it out. Transfer the coated cake ball to the prepared ice cream cone, and remove the stick. Don’t worry about any excess coating or the hole left by the stick.

The coated cake ball should rest nicely in the opening of the ice cream cone, and any excess coating will only enhance the look as it drips slightly down the edge. If the cake balls don’t fit just right, make another cut in the cones so the opening is smaller, or make the cake balls bigger. Decorate with sprinkles while the pink candy coating is still wet.

Place the cones in the Styrofoam block to dry completely.

Melt the dark chocolate candy coating in the second microwave-safe plastic bowl. Spoon just a small amount over the very top of the ice cream cone. One at a time, attach a red peanut M&M on top before the chocolate coating sets, and return to the Styrofoam block to dry.

• You can reserve the unused sugar cone tops for the
  Easter Baskets
  project.
  

• For a variation, place a coated cake ball on wax paper, add sprinkles, and place the cone at an angle on top of the cake ball; it will look like a fun mistake.
  

Everyone loves a chocolate cupcake, but for even more fun add swirls to the top for a decorative touch. And don’t stop at chocolate; these can be made using any candy coating color scheme.

48 uncoated
Basic Cupcake Pops

48 ounces (3 pounds) chocolate candy coating

2 deep, microwave-safe plastic bowls

Dish towel

Wax paper

2 baking sheets

48 paper lollipop sticks

Styrofoam block

Toothpicks

16 ounces white candy coating

Small squeeze bottle

Have the molded cupcake shapes chilled and in the refrigerator.

Melt the chocolate candy coating in a microwave-safe plastic bowl, following the instructions on the package. The coating should be about 3 inches deep for easier dipping. (I usually work with about 16 ounces of coating at a time.)

When you are ready to dip, remove a few cupcake shapes at a time from the refrigerator, keeping the rest chilled.

One at a time, take a cake ball and, holding it by the mounded top, dip the bottom into the melted chocolate candy coating—just to the point where the mounded shape starts. Remove it from the chocolate, turn it upside down, and swirl your hand in a circular motion. This will cause any excess chocolate coating to slide down slightly. When the coating reaches the bottom of the mounded cupcake top shape, you can stop. Have a dish towel handy to wipe off your fingertips, as it is highly likely that you’ll get some coating on them. Don’t use water to rinse your hands, as getting water in the coating can make it unusable.

Place the half-coated cupcake shape on wax paper–covered baking sheets, with the candy-coated side up. Immediately dip about ½ inch of the tip of a lollipop stick into the chocolate candy coating, and insert the stick straight into the flat, chocolate-coated bottom of the cupcake while the coating is still wet. Push it no more than halfway through.

Continue with the rest of the cake balls and let dry completely in the Styrofoam block.

Now you’ll decorate the tops, resulting in a finished cupcake pop.

Holding its lollipop stick, dip the top of a cupcake in more of the melted chocolate candy coating. It should completely cover the rest of the exposed cupcake and meet the edge of the first chocolate coating.

Remove the cupcake pop from the coating, and turn it right-side up. If the chocolate is too hot, it will start to drip down the sides. If this happens, let the coating sit for a few minutes to thicken. Then when you dip the tops, the coating will stay in place. Use a toothpick to touch up any areas the melted chocolate didn’t cover.

Let the pops stand in the Styrofoam block to dry completely.

Melt the white candy coating in the second plastic bowl, and pour it into the squeeze bottle. Pipe white swirls on the top of each cupcake pop for decoration and let dry.

• You can make these using pastel colors for a totally different look.
  

• You can dip the shaped cupcakes entirely in chocolate candy coating instead of using the two-step method; however, the cupcake tops will not be as defined.