Cake Pops

I am a huge cake pop fan! For those of you who do not know what they are you have no idea what you are missing! A cake pop is just what it sounds like, cake on a stick. A perfect little portion of sweet tooth gluttony without the extra party expense and mess of plates and forks. I have just started to dabble in this new found baking technique but the possibilities for versatility and customization seen endless. These were ones I made for Adelyn's second birthday party. They doubled as my favors and center pieces!

I wanted to share my step by step method because as easy as they seem, I had some trouble. To be exact, four experimental tries before I finally got it down. With countless tutorials and online researching I found the little tips that make this recipe a cinch! Once I sorted out the little glitches this is now my go to recipe for all party events!

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix (will yield approximately 28-30 pops) Moist cakes work best (yellow and chocolate!)
3/4 can of frosting (Love the combo of Yellow cake mix with lemon frosting)
1 bag of colored candy melts
4 tbsp vegetable shortening
lollipop sticks
styrofoam block

Step 1: Bake your cake according to the directions on the box. Let cool completely and break into chunks.

Step 2: Place cake and 3/4 can of frosting into a mixer. Mix on medium until it becomes the consistency of play dough. Place in freezer for 10 minutes to help settle it (This is the first trick I learned. If you try to roll them immediately they will fall apart).

Step 3: While cake mixture is cooling, melt 1/4 of the candy melt bag in a glass mixing bowl with a tbsp of vegetable shortening added. I chose the microwave directions. (Second tip I learned, vegetable shortening is a must! Without it I could never get the melts thin enough and they would weight down the cake pop so much it would fall apart)

Step 4: I used a small 1 inch cookie scoop to help form consistent size balls.

Step 5: Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted candy melt and insert halfway into the cake ball. This will help hold it together later when you coat the entire thing. Place the tray in the freezer for 45 minutes to where they are almost frozen. (Third and most important tip! Most recipes I read either skipped this step or only said 10 to 15 minutes chill time. I found it wasn't long enough and if they weren't cold enough they fell off the stick in the coating process).

Step 6: Melt the remaining candy melts and vegetable shortening in the glass container. Remove cake pops from the freezer and dip it into the melt (DO NOT SPIN IT! They will beak off!) use a spoon to pour the melt over the cake pop. Turn it vertical and tap excess coating off. Place upright on a styrofoam block to dry. Viola! Cake pop!

Now I made mine into daffodils using yellow construction paper and orange mini cupcake holders.

I drew the shape of my flower on the construction paper and cut it out. This became my template. Once I had them all cut out I used an exacto knife to make a small hole in the center of my cupcake holder and flower.

Then I just placed the cake pop through the cupcake holder and flower. I arranged them on my styrofoam block.

Finished it off with a ribbon and bow. Here is another picture of plain ones I made for the Fourth of July utilizing sprinkles for my coloring. I cracked a few because it was extremely hot outside and they started to melt when I transported them :(