stripes & olives

(this is my first posting and i'm still new at taking pics every step of the way. there are quite a few pics missing... i promise, i'll get better at this!)

red velvet cake pop

earlier this week, before going on a business trip to Ohio, i saw on my friend's facebook page about cake pops. as soon as i saw them, i thought it was such a cute idea and decided to make them for my niece's 100th day party. little bit of a warning! there are a lot of steps to follow.... so be sure to read through all the steps before you start this project. and make sure you have plenty of time to do this. i was able to do this in one day with my busy 2 year old running into the kitchen every 5 min.

and to my surprise, it was a hit! it's definitely something i will make again.... but will plan my time better next time.

SUPPLIES!

1. your favorite cake mix (can be boxed or from scratch)
**i baked from scratch - scroll down for recipe.
2. your favorite frosting (can be premade or from scratch)
**cream cheese frosting - scroll down for recipe

3. candy melt (2 bags of one color)
**contrasting color to decorate
4. lollipop stick (approximately 60-70 cake balls)
5. sprinkles **optional
6. decorating gel **optional
7. styrofoam
8. shortening
9. ziploc bag

BAKE THE CAKE!

choose a cake recipe, preheat the oven at 350 and line 9 inch x 13 inch pan with aluminum foil and grease the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

cool the cake completely!

STEP 1: CRUMBLE THE CAKE

crumble the cake - either by hand or a food processor. I used my hands. It's definitely easier to crumble the cake when it's COMPLETELY COOLED~! :)

I made my favorite cream cheese frosting. (scroll down for recipe). pls. make sure to have plenty of frosting on hand

mix crumbled cake and frosting together. mix it thoroughly! your cake frosting mix should be moist enough to shape into a large mound and keep its shape **below frosting recipe was not enough for the red velvet cake recipe. i added 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla and 3tbs powdered sugar. this did the trick!

STEP 2: ROLL THE "DOUGH"

begin rolling the cake frosting mix into a 1 inch ball. this is just like rolling playdoh! cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour

STEP 3: MELTING POT

melt the chocolate according to bag instruction. once melted, add 1 large spoon of shortening to thin out the candy melt. mix completely until shortening has dissolved.

dip 1 inch of the lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and then place it into the center of the cake ball. This will act as a glue keeping your cake pop and stick attached.

**i allowed the pops to cool in the fridge for about an hour.

STEP 4: COAT AND DECORATE

Now, it's time to coat the cake pops! It's little tricky, so have extra cake pops handy for practice.

dip the cake pop into the melted chocolate

let the excess chocolate drip back into the cup by gently tapping the cake pop against the cup/bowl edge. Be very gentle! your cake pop may fall into the melted chocolate!

before the chocolate hardens (and it will harden rather quickly), make sure to sprinkle the chocolate jimmies.

decorate with decorating gel (although these didn't dry completely!) Next time, i'll use contrasting color candy melt to decorate.

let it dry by placing it in the styrofoam. (i didn't have styrofoam, so i covered a large deep bowl of uncooked rice with foil and place the finished cake pops to dry!)

FINISHED CAKE POPS!

Red Velvet Cake Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ounces red food coloring
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk **
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

**if you don't have buttermilk handy, use (almost) 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and let it curdle for 5 min. **scroll down for cream cheese frosting recipe

Line 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and grease the pan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring. Set aside.
Combine the buttermilk, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the cocoa mixture. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Stir together baking soda and vinegar, then gently fold into the cake batter.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Allow to cool completely

Cream cheese frosting
Ingredients