Monday, December 13, 2010

Pop Go The Cake Pops

I've been focused on trying to wrap up my Christmas cards ( and what genius makes almost 60 handmade Christmas cards which means you also have to make an inside, then write something in each oh and write a family Christmas letter?) I know... "we" do.

I did take some time away to do some baking for a treat exchange I attended on Friday. You could bring cookies, candies, or appetizers....everyone brought 5 plates of whatever they brought and you left with 5. Great idea. I tried my hand at cake pops since they're "popping" up all over. I saw them in this month's "Food Network" magazine and there are shops in NY and Dallas and CA selling these for around $30 a dozen?! I won't be buying them.

If you've not tried these, they're not too hard. The basic is one 13x9 cake ( you can make from scratch but I cheated and used a mix....cards cards cards) and 3/4 can of frosting ( or whatever that works out to if you make your frosting from scratch!) . You can use any combination you want. Of course I did, chocolate cake and chocolate frosting! You were expecting maybe lemon? No. Bake your cake, let it cool, crumble it ( this is good for getting out frustration at your decision to make almost 60 cards...crumble crumble grumble grumble) , mix in your frosting and refrigerate for several hours while you work on cards. Then roll your filling into balls and dip in candy melts. I used Wilton white chocolate melts. You can stop there or sprinkle with stuff. Yep I sprinkled. I wanted a "Winter Wonderland" feel so I used white sparkly sanding sugar.

Lesson Learned: Miss Smarty Pants read that you should insert your lollipop sticks AFTER you coat your cake pops and they set but no, I decided I was going to put the sticks in and then dip. Worked OK except I got impatient after a few of these and didn't let the candy melt set up before putting on waxed paper to and the tops got a little flat on some. So if you dip, dry and then stick, your flat tops can be your pop bottoms.

I presented them in upcycled tomato sauce cans, decorated w/ scrapbook paper and embellishments. I stuck styrofoam balls inside to hold the pops:
I decorated some with gold Wilton gel....Jo Ann's
Tonight we return to addressing cards. Again...whose idea was that?

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15 comments:

  1. They look awesome. How were they? Did you eat a bunch? I would have. :-) The wrapping looks so classy. I love it.

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  2. I love a good cake pop : ) The look yummy!!!

    WHAT...you made that many cards by hand, wow lady. I'm UBER inpressed, haha.

    Paula

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  3. Too freakin' cute!! I love the "pop" idea!

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  4. Yup, I hear ya on the grumbling...I too am making 60 handmade cards...I do it every year:-) You can still put your sticks in the cake pops and then dip...you just have to put them in a styrofoam block to dry. Love the sparkling winter pops!

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  5. Very nice! I make cake balls around the 4th of July. I had a bit of a hard time with mine so I don't know if I will tackle these any time soon.

    And good for you making 60 cards! If I ever decided to make Christmas cards, I would have to start at the beginning of the year! lol

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  6. Oh well done my friend, you are a martyr to yourself...lol
    Have never heard of these sort of cakes. Will definitely look these up for future reference as they look and I bet they taste fab.
    Annette x

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  7. What a cute presentation, and yum, they look good!!!

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  8. These look beautiful AND delicious!!

    Kelly

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  9. Whew! I am impressed with your ambitious undertaking (not to mention exhausted!!). I have never made these, but they look and sound very yummy.

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  10. They look fantastic!!
    I haven't even started baking yet...ugh...seems like everyone keeps me from going in my kitchen...there's so much going on...I should probably stay up at night and just do it...
    But I will post some German recipes this week!!

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  11. Super cute! Flat tops or not, they look great! I'm stuffing envelopes tonight with my pre-made cards. That may make me a bad crafter, but I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief that all I have to do is print my labels! ;)

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  12. They sound absolutely delicious.

    I've done the sixty homemade cards thing in the past - not this year. :)

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  13. Love this idea .... I haven't seen these cake pops before but I'm sure that I'll notice them now! Really like the wrapping. I do 60 plus handmade cards every year ... hard to stop beacause everyone expects them and saves them ... I find that my mailing list grows every year since I can't manage to drop any names and we always seem to have a few new names to add! Have a very Merry Christmas and I hope that there is lots of chocolate under your tree.

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  14. Yum-o! Good Lord, what will they think of next?

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  15. Thanks for linking up these as well! :)

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