Thank you to my friend Michelle from www.aordinarymommy.blogspot.com for sharing her Cake Pop Tutorial!! We hope she will be back to share a fun Christmas tutorial in time for the holidays too -but please note she included a link so you can see all kinds of seasonal ideas!

Here’s Michelle ~

They’re a cake….

No they’re a lollipop…….

No cake….

Nooooo lollipop!

Ok let’s just call them cake pops… And lo and behold the deliciousness that is cake pop was born. No one knows how it was really born, or why, or even when, all anyone knows is they are cute, delicious and everyone is going absolutely CRAZY for them.

So are you hooked yet? Did you try them at a holiday party, birthday or even Starbucks (yes even the coffee mogul has bitten the proverbial pop)?

No worries my friend cake pops are not only super delicious they are super-duper EASY! Here’s how:

STEP 1: Assemble your ingredients

1 box of cake mix

Necessary ingredients for cake mix

1 can pre-made frosting

2 bags candy melts (craft store or even Wal-Mart)

1 bag of 50 lollipop sticks (get these at your local craft store)

1 block of Styrofoam to stick the cake pops in to dry

Pans/Plates/Something to sit cake pops on while the cool

STEP 2: Bake your cake

Bake it, that’s all… See I’m not lying, it’s that easy, just bake it following the directions and let it cool because the next step you’re going to LOVE!

STEP 3: Destroy it

Yes!!!!! that’s right I want you to destroy that cake you JUST made (and let cool). I personally love this part and use it as my own little stress relief… ahh…

Now there are methods to the destruction you can:

1. Cut it into pieces and rub it together so it crumbles into little crumbs

2. Cut it up into prices and throw into your food processor

3. Put it into your mixer

The end product: FINE CAKE CRUMBS (doesn’t matter how you get there)

STEP 4: Mix it up baby!

Remember that canned icing? Well now’s the time to open it, stir it a couple times and dump about 4 big spoonful’s into your cake crumbs (approximately 3/4 can).

Then STIR!!

I use my hands sometimes to make sure its fully mixed, and because sometimes its just fun getting messy when you cook…

You are trying to get a playdoh type consistency, delicious, edible, fattening, “I really shouldn’t eat this but I’m going to anyways” playdoh.

*****HINT: you can always add more frosting if it’s too dry but if you go crazy with the frosting it’s really really hard to add more cake… Trust me on this one friends, trust me…

STEP 5: The cake ball we call pop

Now we make the cake balls- take about a tablespoon of the dough (I use a cookie dough scoop to help measure) roll into a ball, place it on a cookie sheet/plate, and place in the freezer for 25 minutes MAX!

IMPORTANT: For the sake of the cake pop do NOT put it in the freezer for more than 25 minutes, it will cause all sorts of bad things to happen (think frost bitten) this also you can trust me on- NOT PRETTY.

After they have been in the freezer switch them to the fridge to keep cool until you coat them and stick them.

STEP 6: Melt my melts

NOW we get to the fun! Candy melts… These daunting and fickle semi chocolate coating chips are the bane of many bakers existence, here’s some instructions and follow them EXACTLY for success:

1. Set your microwave on defrost setting

2. Put the melts in a deep microwavable bowl

3. Melt them for 30 seconds then stir and repeat, NEVER walk away, and as soon as they are melted STOP!!!

HELLLLLPPP ME MOMENT!!!! Are your melts super thick and not runny? Add a little LITTLE vegetable oil, a teaspoon at a time until they are thinner.

STEP 7: Magic happens

Remove about 10 cake pops from the fridge at a time, this ensures they stay as cool as possible. Dip your stick in the candy melts about ¾ inch then insert into the cake pop until it’s about halfway through, sit it down and start on the rest of the 10, when finished with those return them to the fridge and start on the rest of the batch until all have sticks.

NOW take that first batch (they melts should have hardened) and dip the pop straight down into the melts, pull out and hold over the side tapping your wrist gently to remove excess melts.

And..

VOILA!

The birth of your first cake pop!!!

Sit it in your Styrofoam to allow it to set up and…. ENJOY!! Oh yes.. and repeat (about 25-30 times depending on the size of your pops).

NOW.. You’re hooked??

AWESOME! Join my support group (my husband is threatening an intervention)

Go CRAZY!

Try different combinations of cake/frosting, toppings, shapes, YOU name it!!

Check out some of my favorite sites for inspiration:

http://www.bakerella.com/ The Queen of Cake Pops

http://www.365cakepops.com/ A Cake Pop for Every Day

In Honor of THANKSGIVING:

TURKEY POPS!

STEP 1: Follow the basic cake pop recipe above and get some special ingredients for turkeys

Make the basic cake pop (I suggest having a cake pop party like I did with my family, TONS of fun and results in some very humorous pops) and some special things:

Hershey Drops

Cookie icing (in a bag)

Black Gel icing tube

Candy Corn

Pretzel sticks

STEP 2: Assemble Faces

Make the eyes by putting a little dot of white cookie icing on the Hershey drop (this is also an AWESOME way to make edible eyes if you need them) followed by a small drop of the black gel for the center of the eye (toothpicks are essential)

This is an AWESOME way to make edible eyes if you ever need them, just put them on wax paper until they harden then you can peel and transfer onto about anything you want!

Use a small bit of the white frosting to glue on a orange sprinkle “beak” and you have a pretty cute turkey face!

The “angry bird” face is for my hubby, he’s an fan.

Step Three: GLUE!

Take some of the excess candy melts and “glue” on the heads to the cake pops, just hold it onto the pop for a few seconds and it will harden. Do the same with the candy corn “turkey feathers”, and the pretzel “legs”. For alternate legs (the pretzels can be… difficult) try two little flower sprinkles glued on in the same manner.

STEP FOUR: GOBBLE GOBBLE!!

This was my daugthers favorite part as you can see…. Eat, enjoy and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!