I couldn't resist. They are just too freaking cute. Seriously look at how cute they are! I am so humble.
I attended my boyfriend's cousin's bridal shower this past weekend and was asked to do the desserts. After some of the ladies saw my last cake pop post, they requested that I make them for the shower, of course I obliged. The wedding colors this time let me experiment with some new flavors and food colorings, plus I decided this time, I would go completely from scratch. I was regretting this decision a little when 4:30 am rolled around the night before the shower, and I was still sitting at my center island tying little tiny bows on the sticks, but was quickly reassured that they tasted WAY better than the boxed cake versions. Whew, all worth it. Thank god.
The colors if you haven't guessed by now were orange and blue, and I did my best to match the bride's invitations with the candy melt coating and the bows.
I made some with standard yellow cake, with an added buttermilk tang, which were then mixed with vanilla buttercream and dipped in orange candy melts. The second batch consisted of blue velvet cake, mixed with cream cheese frosting, and dipped in white candy melts. If i didn't have an severe dislike of any and all blue-colored foods, I would have eaten a whole lot of these guys. My waistline thanks me for this unfounded and completely irrational food aversion.
These turned out VERY blue, even though I used way less food coloring than called for. I need to work on my food coloring skills, well that among may other baking-related skills.
If I have learned anything though, it is that people love these bad boys, and I can imagine I will be making these over and over again, with endless possibilities of fillings and toppings, flavors and colors. I can barely stop thinking about the cake pops in my future, though that may be the fault of the sugar bomb I just consumed. Yep, I have leftovers. Thank god for leftovers.
Cake Pops
The majority of this round of pops (with the exception of the yellow cake, recipe below) is mish-mashed from previous posts on cake pops and cupcakes. I used my red velvet cake recipe and just substituted blue food coloring for the blue velvet pops. You can find the recipes and pop directions here:
Blue (Red) Velvet Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes
Buttercream Frosting Recipe and General Assembly Directions
The majority of this round of pops (with the exception of the yellow cake, recipe below) is mish-mashed from previous posts on cake pops and cupcakes. I used my red velvet cake recipe and just substituted blue food coloring for the blue velvet pops. You can find the recipes and pop directions here:
Blue (Red) Velvet Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes
Buttercream Frosting Recipe and General Assembly Directions
Yellow Buttermilk Cake
adapted from Culinary Institute of America
adapted from Culinary Institute of America
3 1/2 cups cake flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, sift or whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and half the buttermilk. Beat with the paddle attachment on a medium-low speed until combined and smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, with a fork, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, the rest of the buttermilk, and the vanilla to combine, just until eggs are broken up. Add the egg mixture to the batter in 3 additions, mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes after each addition, being sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl frequently.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans until they are cool to the touch, then turn out of pans and cool completely on wire racks.
As always, make sure the cakes are completely cool before you attempt the cake pops, otherwise your frosting will melt and you may some some trouble rolling intact balls.
Like I said the possibilities are endless when it comes to cake pops, if anyone has any interesting combinations or new fun flavors, I would love for you to share them in the comments! After all, cake pops are for sharing. Happy cake pop making, and hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
28 comments:
You are just too cute! I really need to make these at some point, but right now I am up to my eyeballs trying to figure out recipes to use my CSA veggies. This week it is beets, kohlrabi & chard. So no cake pops for me. :(
Let's talk soon!
Your cake pops look wonderful! I made them for the first time today, and I've definitely got a ways to go. I think part of it was I'd never worked with the candy melts before. How do you dip them so they look so good? I think my pops were too big because they definitely wanted to fall off the stick even after chilling for a while.
These are so cute and perfect for party favors :)
These are super cute! From the photo, I have to say that the blue coloring for the blue velvet looks just right. Nice work :)
Too cute! I've got to make something for a friend's birthday and I think I found the perfect treat!
I made some red velvet cake balls for my friends birthday party (have to admit I used box mix because I was short on time..) but when I make them for real I'm definitely using your recipe!
I wouldn't be able to eat these, they are just way too cute! :) But I probably would, cause they sound so delicious!!
Too, too cute! I've never tried cake pops before, but certainly feeling inspired now!
Wow these cake pops are so adorable! Nice work :). I definitely want to give these a try.
Quick question though, where can I find candy melts and lollipop sticks??
Thanks for the incredibly nice comments everyone!!
Brenna, make sure to dip the stick in a little candy melt before piercing the cake ball, and be sure not to stick it more than halfway through the ball, otherwise it may just split it right open. Also, you should get about 50-60 cake balls out of one box to make them the size that I do. Mine fell apart the first time I made them too, practice helps a lot with these guys.
Tiffany,
You can either order them online from wilton.com or go to any craft store such as Joann Fabrics or Micheal's, they both have large cake decoration/candy making aisles these days!
wow! these are so cute! I actually tried making cakepops again because of your last post! lol It tasted a lot better this time, but it had its own disasters too...a long story I wont get into right now. lol
But mine didnt look as cute as yours! ;)
Zahra-
Glad you didn't give up! These definitely required a few tries from me before I got them down. Keep going and soon they will be lovely!!
Im a professional Chef and i saw these cake pops on the Today Show.....i Googled them and ur blog popped up somewhere in the midst of the randomness that google spits out. I must say that you blog and pics convinced me that i should try these bad boys out. i made them today for a Coffee Shop that i deliver goods too. they turned out so cute. i rolled them in mocha chocolate shavings and Stuck them pop side up in a Vase full of Coffee Beans. Soooo Charming! Thank you for your Creativity and Passion!
Anonymous, Thank you so much! I am happy to hear that googling 'cake pops' led you here, I have been hearing about the today show segment a lot lately! Thank you for the kind words and encouragement, glad that you finally decided to take the plunge!!
I attempted these and they were very well received, however, mine were not nearly as attractive as yours. I did alright, but the main thing I had trouble with was the consistency of the candy melts. I think my cake balls may have been a bit on the large side to begin with, which may also have contributed to my pops decapitating themselves whenever I tried to fully submerge them, however, the candy melts did seem to be a bit on the thick side anyways, even though I consistently melted and re-melted them as directed. Any suggestions? I'm giving it another go today, regardless! :)
Snuffles,
A few things here. Did you use food coloring? If so was it the special candy food coloring? If you use regular gel food coloring, the candy melts can seize up a bit and create a really thick mess.
Also, candy melts are a bit like chocolate, if you heat them too fast or on too high of heat, they can seize up as well. So make sure to heat them low and slow, it might be more of a pain in the butt, but you won't run the risk of over heating them. Also, you will have to reheat and reheat to keep the hot, melty consistency, just be sure to do it gently. I would go on 50% power until you get a feel for it.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, but I have had this same thing happen to me. Always buy more candy melts than you think you need in case you get any seizing.
Hope this helps! Let me know how they turn out!
Thanks so much! I didn't use food coloring but that's good to know for future attempts. I probably heated them too fast, I'll take my time this round and see how it goes!
Maybe I missed this already, but do you use 4 or 6" sticks? Does it matter? (From the photos, I would assume 4"....) Thanks!
Sara,
I use 4" sticks when I make them in this orientation, otherwise the sticks look obnoxiously long. I think though if I were planning on making them pop side up, and sticking them into Styrofoam I would use the 6" sticks and press them an inch or two into my base. Great question, thanks for stopping by my blog!
These are absolutely adorable...I can't wait to try out this recipe...and love the bows too...the perfect touch. Thanks for sharing!
www.sweetjennies.com
I adore your cake pops...they are the inspiration for part of the dessert table for a shower I am throwing in June... the colors include blue, and I too have an aversion to blue food... just trashed my first batch because the blue frosting was frightening. I think I will adapt them like this batch of yours with blue ribbons instead. :)
Bossy chef- I did actually just make some blue cake pops with white accents that turned out very cute! I will share the pictures very soon, so be sure the check them out!
What recipe did you use for your blue velvet cake pops? The one I tried was just a red velvet recipe with blue coloring substituted, and the color was terrible. I'd love to get that same super blue tint you got!
thanks!
-natalie
Photo Vampire-
I used the recipe in this post:
http://thesepeasarehollow.blogspot.com/2010/05/tarts-and-cakes-and-bundts-oh-my.html
but intead of the red, I used a good amount of blue gel food coloring with a little bit of purple added. I just added it on low speed before adding the flour until it was a bit darker than I want it, then mix the flour in. Hope this helps!
-Bria
wow! wow wow .that all I could say looking at it.
I want to give it a try, but I have a couple of questions.
can we make it with cake from cake mix? is there any other type of coating other than candy melts. I need to color them too. lastly how far ahead can we make them. I am planning to make for graduation party. and I am making a lot of things singlehandedly.
thanks
What is the width of your ribbon?
Hello!
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These are beyond cute. Love them
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