Cake Pops (9 page)

Turn any movie night into a sweet experience with these “popcorn” cake pops.

48 uncoated
Basic Cake Balls

48 ounces (3 pounds) white candy coating

Deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl

48 paper lollipop sticks

Styrofoam block

Small, sharp knife

144 miniature marshmallows

Black edible-ink pen

Red edible-ink pen

Remove the cake balls from the refrigerator and mold them into rectangular shapes to resemble popcorn bags.

After shaping, put the cakes in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm them up for dipping. Once they are firm, transfer them to the refrigerator.

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 ½ inch of the tip of a lollipop stick into the melted candy coating, and insert the stick straight into a rectangular 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
. Place in the Styrofoam block to dry.

Prepare the popcorn. Use a sharp knife to make 2 or 3 diagonal marks on each mini-marshmallow. Don’t cut through the marshmallows.

When the cake pops are dry, dip the tops back in the melted candy coating. Hold them right-side up and attach 3 mini-marshmallows to each one. The marshmallows will attach more quickly if the candy coating is not too hot.

Repeat until all the cake pops have marshmallows attached, and let dry completely in the Styrofoam block.

Write “POP” on the front of each cake pop with a black edible-ink pen.

Draw vertical lines on each pop using a red edible-ink pen.

Return them to the Styrofoam block to let the ink dry completely.

These are great little treats for teachers, for the first day of school or just for fun. You can make them plain or with sprinkles and edible-ink details for personality.

48 uncoated
Basic Cake Balls

Wax paper

Baking sheet

48 ounces (3 pounds) red candy coating

Deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl

48 paper lollipop sticks

24 pretzel sticks, broken into ½-inch pieces

48 green jumbo diamond sprinkles or similar green candy

Styrofoam block

Toothpicks

96 large white confetti sprinkles

Black edible-ink pen

Reshape the round cake balls so they are slightly wider at the top than the bottom. You can press down on the top and up on the bottom with your fingertips to make subtle indentations, creating an apple shape.

Place the apple-shaped cake balls on a wax paper–covered baking sheet and put in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm them up for dipping. Once firm, transfer them to the refrigerator.

Melt the red 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 the bottom of an apple-shaped 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
.

While the coating is still wet, insert a pretzel piece on top for the stem, and attach 1 green jumbo sprinkle for the leaf. Place in the Styrofoam block to dry. Repeat until all the apple cake pops have the stems and leaves.

When the pops are dry, use a toothpick to dot a small amount of melted candy coating in position for the eyes, and attach 2 white confetti sprinkles. Place in the Styrofoam block to dry completely.

Draw on facial details, including pupils, eyelashes, and big smiles, using a black edible-ink pen.

Place in the Styrofoam block to dry.

• You can use a black edible-ink pen instead of sugar pearls to draw seed shapes on the strawberries once they are dry.
  

Pick these pops for any occasion and brighten someone’s day.

48 uncoated
Basic Cake Balls
, formed into rounded triangular shapes

48 ounces (3 pounds) red candy coating

2 deep, microwave-safe plastic bowls

48 paper lollipop sticks

White sugar pearls

Styrofoam block

16 ounces dark green candy coating

Large squeeze bottle

Wax paper

Baking sheet

Toothpicks

Green Sour Punch Straws (optional)

Have the cake balls chilled and in the refrigerator.

Melt the red 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 of the 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 the bottom of each shaped 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
.

Immediately place several sugar pearls onto the surface of the strawberries, and place the pops in the Styrofoam block to dry. Repeat until all the strawberries have been sprinkled with sugar pearls.

Melt the dark green candy coating in the second microwave-safe plastic bowl, and pour it into a large squeeze bottle. Pipe flowerlike shapes with 5 rounded petals onto a wax paper–covered baking sheet for each of the 48 leaf tops. Fill in the shapes with more coating and let dry. You can place the baking sheet in the freezer to speed up the drying time. You can even make these the night before.

Reheat any leftover green coating and, with a toothpick, apply a small amount of coating to the top of the strawberry. One at a time, attach the leaf shapes, flat-side up, on top of the cake pops. Let dry in the Styrofoam block.

Optional:
Cut the Sour Punch Straws up into 48 quarter-inch sections. Dip one end in some of the remaining green candy coating and attach in the center of each green-leaf top. Let dry completely.

These do-it-yourself wedding favors will impress any guest.

48 uncoated
Basic Cake Balls

64 to 80 ounces (4 to 5 pounds) white candy coating

Deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl

48 paper lollipop sticks

Styrofoam block

Wax paper

2 baking sheets

Large squeeze bottle

Black candy coloring (not food coloring)

Toothpicks

192 miniature white confetti sprinkles

48 miniature black heart sprinkles (from Poker Shapes)

Have the cake balls chilled and in the refrigerator.

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
.

For the grooms, place half of the cake pops in the Styrofoam block to dry; you will be dipping these a second time.

For the brides, place the remaining coated cake pops, ball-side down, on a wax paper–covered baking sheet, and let dry completely.

Transfer one-third of the remaining white candy coating to a large squeeze bottle, and pipe candy coating for the bride’s dress in opposite directions (as shown in the photo). Place back on the wax paper to dry.

Tint the remaining two-thirds of the candy coating with black candy coloring. Keep adding color until you achieve a rich black. Then dip the groom cake pops in the black candy coating, holding the pop in a diagonal direction and dipping it into the coating until half covered. Remove and dip the other side in the opposite diagonal direction to form a black V-shaped jacket. Place the groom pops, ball-sides down, on a wax paper–covered baking sheet. Let the brides and grooms dry completely.

When the pops are dry, use a toothpick to dot a small amount of melted white candy coating in position for the bride’s necklace and the groom’s buttons, and attach white confetti sprinkles. Use the same technique to attach 2 black miniature heart sprinkles in position for the groom’s bow tie. The pointed ends of the hearts should be facing each other when attached.

Use some of the leftover black candy coating to finish the bow ties. Just dip a toothpick into the coating and apply a small dab over the heart sprinkles where the two pointed sides meet. Let the brides and grooms dry completely.