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How to Drizzle Cake Pops

June 22, 2018 Add Comment Basics, Cake Pops, How-To Edit

A friend recently emailed me to ask how to make the cute drizzle/swirl on the cake pops like you see here. It's really easy with the right tools.

What You Need:
Cake Pops (follow my tutorial on how to make cake pops here)
Squeeze Bottle or freezer zip-top bag
Candy Melts in a drizzling color
1 tsp. oil, optional

After you have made your cake pops, you may want to put them back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up if it's a warm day, or if you noticed that they were at all wobbly on (or falling off of) the sticks.

To drizzle, you'll want to melt the candy (with the oil, if you wish to thin it a little) in a squeeze bottle. (The bottle I'm using here is from Wilton. It's available in the candy/cake decorating section at most craft stores. I like it because it's microwave safe.)
Tap the bottle on its lid a few times before you start.
Squeeze the bottle to start the stream of candy first...

...then twirl the cake pop under the stream of melted candy while you continue to squeeze. You can move the bottle in different directions to achieve different designs. Be sure you move the cake pop so that you get some drizzle on the top.

*Tip: Place the bottle on a heating pad set to low or medium between pops to keep the candy nice and liquid.

If you don't want to buy the bottle, melt the candy (with oil) in a small dish, then pour it into a zip-top bag. The storage or freezer bags are better than sandwich bags because they can handle the warm candy better without melting the bag. Cut a very small hole in the corner to squeeze the candy out.

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Banana Split Cupcakes {Recipe}

June 20, 2018 Add Comment Basics, Cupcakes, How-To Edit

Sometimes it's just too cold for ice cream... or so I'm told. I would actually eat ice cream all day, every day if given the chance, but... I hear some people don't do that.
So, here's a warmer twist on an old favorite... the banana split, cupcake-style.

What You Need:
Banana Cake Recipe (one batch will give you about 2-dozen standard cupcakes)
Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
Strawberry Buttercream Recipe
Dark Chocolate Candy Melts or Semi-sweet chocolate
Sprinkles
Maraschino Cherries (drained)
Equipment:
Cupcake pans/liners (standard or mini-size)
Dough scoop or Ice Cream Scoop
Tip #1M and #230

Start by making a single recipe of my Best Banana Cake. Use a dough scoop to get evenly-sized cupcakes. (This one is slightly smaller than 1/4 cup in size. I don't know exactly what size or brand because I got it as a gift from a student and threw away the box. Oops!)

If you don't have the scoop - or an awesome student to give it to you - you can use a 1/4 cup measure for standard cupcakes.

If you want to do the mini cupcakes, because these guys are RICH, use a 1 tsp. sized scoop for mini-cupcakes. (This is the same size as I use for my cake pops. It's a good investment, to get one of these! Check out the shopping list below if you want to get one.)

When your cupcakes have baked (about 20 minutes for the standard-size, about 13 minutes for the minis-- at 350-degrees), let them cool on a cooling grid for at least 30 minutes before decorating. That should be enough time to get your icing made!

Make one batch of vanilla buttercream, and one batch of strawberry buttercream. You will need a total of EIGHT egg whites, and SIX sticks of butter. Yes, six. I told you they were rich!

*Note: To make it easier on yourself, you can make a single batch of vanilla buttercream, and remove half of it from the bowl, then add one-half of the strawberry puree to the remaining icing. It may be a little thinner consistency if you do this, but it should still work just fine.

To assemble the cupcakes, you'll want to start by filling the cupcake with vanilla icing. You can either use a Bismarck Tip like seen here... (Click the link to see a tutorial on filling cupcakes.)

... or you can use a spoon to carve out a little cupcake- or use a 'cupcake corer' like you see here. (My grandma got this for me, and I'd never used it before, but I like it!)

Then you can scoop or spoon the icing in the middle.

* Note: this was a toss-up for me, fill with vanilla, top with strawberry or fill with strawberry and top with vanilla. After some trying, I think my friend Kirk's recommendation of strawberry on top is definitely the way to go.

Top them in one of two ways, with a big ol' scoop of strawberry icing... (Trust me, with this icing, a big ol' scoop is the only way to go... it is so good!)

* Note to self, shiny things like ice cream scoops reflect, Beki, so you shouldn't take a picture just like this. Hi!

... If you want to be a little fancier, you can do a cupcake swirl with your tip #1M. It is pretty, and I will admit that they are easier to eat this way. (Click the link to see How to Swirl a Cupcake.)

Then you'll use your melted chocolate to either add a drizzle- to your swirled cupcakes - or add a cute little hot fudge-looking smear to the top of the icing. I used a squeeze bottle and moved it around to get the perfect little "drips." You could also put the melted chocolate into a disposable piping bag or a freezer storage zip-top bag to do the same thing.

Add your sprinkles and cherries on top quickly, especially if you're using candy melts rather than chocolate, because it will set rather quickly, then they won't stick.

That's it! Easy Peasy! (Well, if you don't consider how many eggs and how much butter you just went through!)

The minis aren't quite as cute because the cherries were too big to go on top... but they were a lot easier to eat. (And not quite as rich.) I used the small 1 tsp. scoop - again - for the icing on these guys.

I recommend serving these cupcakes at room temperature. When you refrigerate the icing, it gets really hard - think of all that butter. So, if you do need to store them in the fridge, just take them out 30 minutes or so before you eat them. I also ended up eating some of mine with a spoon... just because.

Click the Links Below to See:
Banana Split Cake Recipe
Banana Split Cake Pops
Other Cupcake Decorating Ideas

Pumpkin Cake Pops

June 15, 2018 Add Comment Cake Pops, Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving, How-To, Printable Edit

These festive pumpkin cake pops are perfect for fall. And they're not hard to make. I use my favorite pumpkin cake recipe, and cream cheese frosting.

What You Need

One recipe Pumpkin Cake*

One recipe Cream Cheese Icing

Orange Candy Melts (if you want them to be a darker/brighter orange, use some oil-based coloring to deepen the color)

1-2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

50-60 Lollipop sticks

Chocolate "jimmie" sprinkles

Optional:

Green Candy Melts

Squeeze Bottle (with coupler ring)

Tip #352 & #2
Heating pad

*Note: If you make my pumpkin cake recipe, you will end up with about 60-80 cake pops. It makes about 7 cups of batter, compared with 4-6 cups in a regular cake mix.

When your cake is cooled, use a fork to crumble the cake into small crumbs. (I twist the fork around the cake to crumb it up.)
Click here or a step-by-step tutorial on how to make cake pops.

Add the icing a little at a time until you get the right consistency to roll into a ball that will hold its shape. The pumpkin cake recipe I use is very moist, so it uses less icing than some other cakes. If you add too much icing, it can be really hard to get the cake pops to hold their shape, so go slowly. I usually add maybe 1-1 1/2 cups of icing to this cake.

I make these cake balls a little bigger than most of the cake pops I make. I use two level scoops from my 1 tsp. scoop.

Then, you roll them together to create a nice, compact ball. (Notice the difference in texture between the photo above and this photo. You want the cake balls to be smooth and compact, not rough and loose.)

To make the "bumps" in the pumpkins, use a spoon, and gently make 4-6 marks all around the ball. (I usually hold it in my fingers while I do this, but that pesky third arm still hasn't appeared for taking such photos.)

While you add the bumps, also smoosh the ball a little on the top and bottom to make the pumpkin look less round. (Kind of like we did with these apple cake pops.)

Put the cake balls into the refrigerator for three hours or overnight. (In a pinch you can freeze them for 30 minutes then move them to the refrigerator. But overnight in the fridge is the best way to go.)

Melt your orange candy in a tall mug. Add 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil to allow candy to coat more easily.
Dip a lollipop stick in the melted candy.

Insert the stick about halfway in to one of the cake balls. (I usually work with just 5 or 6 at a time to keep the others cool while I work.)

Dip the cake pop into the melted candy. (Try not to twist it while you dip it. I dip, and if necessary, lean it once each way to completely coat it.)

Gently tap the stick against the edge of the mug to allow excess candy to fall off.
*Note the angle I hold the pop while I tap it. It helps keep it on the stick.

Immediately set one jimmie sprinkle on the top to make the stem.
Place the pop in a styrofoam sheet or disk to set.

If you want to add the leaves and vines, use a tip #2 for the vine, and a tip #352 for the leaf. You can use a squeeze bottle that fits with a coupler ring, or you can use a decorating bag.

Enjoy!

Want to purchase a printable version of this recipe? Click here to purchase an easy-to-view version of this recipe/technique. The link will take you to Pay Pal where you will enter your email address when you pay. I will then email you a .pdf version of this recipe complete with photos and instructions.

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More Cake Pop Decorating Ideas
More Fall Decorating Ideas

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Mummy Cake Pops

June 13, 2018 Add Comment Cake Pops, Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving, How-To Edit

These mummy cake pops are SO easy to make! You only need one color of candy melts and some candy
buttons or mini M&Ms.

What You Need:
1 cake, baked, cooled and crumbled
Icing to make cake balls
White Candy Melts
Vegetable Oil
Candy Buttons or Mini M&Ms
Lollipop sticks
Styrofoam
Optional:
Squeeze Bottle
Food Writer Icing Marker

Click the link to see a complete tutorial on how to make cake pops.

Always remember to dip your lollipop stick in the melted candy first, then insert it about halfway into the cake ball. (This helps the cake stay on the stick.)

Dip the cake pop in the melted candy, and gently tap the stick on the side of the mug to remove some of the excess candy.

Drizzle the cake pop with white candy.
(Click the link to see tricks for drizzling cake pops.)

While the candy drizzle is still wet, stick in the eyeballs. Use a food-safe icing marker to make little pupil dots on the eyes if you wish.

The easiest Halloween cake pop of the bunch right here!!

Click the Links Below to See:
Halloween Cake Pops
More Cake Pop Decorating Ideas
More Fall Decorating Ideas

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Spooky Witch Cake Pops

June 13, 2018 Add Comment Cake Pops, Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving, How-To Edit

I love these witch cake pops. They're not hard to make, but you will have to make a run to the grocery store to stock up on the random crackers, cookies and candy to make them.

What You Need:
1 cake, baked, cooled & crumbled
Icing to make cake balls
"Spooky Green" Candy Melts
Dark Chocolate Candy Melts
Vegetable Oil
Bugles (look in the snack/chip/cracker aisle)
Flat chocolate cookies (I used Oreo Fudge Cremes)
Lollipop Sticks
Candy Buttons, Mini M&Ms or Halloween sprinkles (or a combo of all 3)
Styrofoam

Before you begin dipping the cake pops, you will want to dip the Bugles for the witches' hats. They're not refrigerated, so they take a little longer to set up.
Choose Bugles with a relatively flat bottom so that they will sit on the hat brim okay. Dip the top 3/4 of the cracker into the melted dark chocolate.

Set the hat on a lollipop stick that you already stuck into the styrofoam. Allow at least 10 minutes (pref. more) to set. We'll dip the bottom half when we're ready to put it on the witch... stay tuned.

Click the link to see step-by-step how to make cake pops.

For these witch cake pops, I made my cake balls a little larger than usual-- so that the hats would fit on better. I used about 2 tsp. of cake ball dough for each pop.
*Tip: Dip your lollipop stick in the melted candy before you insert it into the cake pop to help keep the cake on the stick.

Dip the cake pop into the melted green candy (thinned with about 1 Tbsp. oil). Remember not to spin the stick. Just dip it, and if necessary, tip it side to side before you take it out of the candy.

Gently tap the stick against the side of the mug to remove the excess candy.

Before the candy sets, add your eyes, nose and mouth. Here, I used mini M&Ms to add the details.

When the candy is set, add some dark chocolate hair, using a squeeze bottle or a plastic decorating bag with a small hole cut in the end. Add a little squirt of the chocolate to the top of the head to attach the hat brim.

Note: If you flatten the top of the head before you dip the cake pop, your hat will be lower on the witch's face.

Now you want to dip the bottom half of the Bugles for the top of the hat. This can be a little tricky. If you have hot hands, they'll melt on you. So, what I did was held an ice pack for a minute before I grabbed the hat to dip it. Then, just dip it as quickly as possible...

And place it on top of the cookie to set.

You can add some extra candy buttons or mini M&Ms to the front of the hat to embellish it if you want.

They're a hit with the 5-year-olds!

Click the Links Below to See:
Halloween Cake Pops
More Cake Pop Decorating Ideas
More Fall Decorating Ideas

Amazon.com Shopping List:
When you click on these links to shop at Amazon.com, you support this blog and its content. Thank you!