CAKE POPS and CAKE BALLS...The Saga Continues

My son walked into the kitchen Sunday and took a step back..."whoa, Mom, you said you weren't doing those again" and then he smiled.  I shrugged and said "well, I changed my mind...I'm giving it another go".  Thus began 5 1/2 hours of a labor of love.  Christmas cake pops and cake balls for my family.  They love them.  The teen loves that he gets to eat the mistakes :-)

I've written a post about these last year, which you can find here.  I've written a review on Bakerella's book "Cake Pops"...because she was my catalyst for making these most excellent creations.  My 2010 blog post on Christmas Cake Pops has moved into the #1 all time post for my blog.  I almost didn't post these - I wasn't sure I had much to add.  However, since I'm not a pro at this, maybe another home baker might enjoy seeing my photos....although, they are not excellent.

That's part of the pure pleasure I get form blogging and reading other blogs.  Many of us are just home bakers and cooks who enjoy sharing our antics with other like-minded readers.  I can say this:  my cake pops have gotten a lot smoother this year.  I continue to make mistakes when trying to hurry.  Keeping the cake pops chilled firm to the last possible moment was key to them not falling off the stick.  Anytime I moved more than 2 out of the fridge at a time, the 3rd one fell off the stick.  Lesson learned.  Lesson eaten :-)

So, here are the photos.  I encourage you to visit Bakerella.com for better instructions (and a lot better photos).  You can also see a demonstration of exactly how to do it from start to finish in this link link, scroll down to "Related Media" and click on the link that says "cake pops" - it is a 3:49 minute tutorial and I've watched it about 5 times!  While you are there, buy the book.  Even better, go to an independent book store and buy it in person.  Shop small businesses this season!!!

Go get your supplies (the book has infinite resources for the supplies - I live in the boonies and have to depend on Amazon, Wal-mart, and Michael's...and many other online vendors).  Bake the cake, let it cool, crumble it to pieces, add in frosting, squish it up, roll it up, chill, set up your work area, melt, dip, and decorate  It's that easy!  Happy cake popping everyone.

Measured mixture with scoop for consistent sizing

Rolled cake balls

Shaped cake trees

Set up the work station - mis en place for this too! 
Have lots of paper towels
and toothpicks ready. 
Wear an apron if you are as messy as me!

Set up the sprinkles and get out the craft tweezers

Wax paper covered baking sheets ready to set the
cake balls on when finished dipping

I decorated as I went for the most part but sometimes, did a few trees
and then went back to decorate and pipe additional features. 
The "tinsel" for the trees was piped after the tree
dried and I added sprinkles after
I piped on melted chocolate coating.

Add the tree toppers while chocolate is still soft.
To make the "tree-like texture" of the tree pops, rapidly use
the side of a toothpick and touch and pull up and down
the cone.

For sprinkles - need to adhere while it is still melty.
You have to move really, really fast to get the tree texture,
the little sprinkles, and the star on top.
 Come back and use the craft tweezers and individually
apply the sugar balls to the tree
with a little dab of melted chocolate.

The finished cake balls - 22 survived out of 24...
we happily ate the 2 that perished!

24 cake pops and cake trees - drying and waiting to be individually
bagged up in cellophane bags for transport to our happy family
Christmas!  The important thing...pretty is as pretty does...
they must taste good too!

BON APPETIT, Y'ALL!

SHARED WITH:

IT WAS A DIPPING GOOD DAY!!!

I had a package of pink Wilton's chocolate candy melts.
I had 12 Red Velvet leftover rolled cake balls, frozen and thawed in the fridge.
I had several homemade marshmallows.
I had tiny sugar heart sprinkles.
I had a tiny heart cookie cutter
Hmmmm...yep, dipping was gonna be involved!

I dipped a few cake balls (a couple got eaten for quality control)
I dipped a few cake pops
I cut some heart shaped marshmallows and put them on a stick and dipped them
I dipped some of the square marshmallows - not very neatly...
I dipped one of the squares that had a heart cut out and ran a stick through the middle and put an upside down heart on the end (to look like Cupid's arrow) ....not sure that worked - but ya gotta try or you'll never know!

The arrow through the heart...Cupid wuz here
I personally ate this one.  Yum!

With the last bit of pink chocolate, I spooned it into a Ziploc bag, snipped a corner, and squeezed it into my dolphin and flip flop molds...I'll use them for cupcake toppers later on this week!

My favorite?  The chocolate covered marshmallow hearts...and they taste pretty darn good too!
(I love chocolate covered marshmallow anything!)

Nothing fancy - but a cute addition to the Valentine offerings around my house!

Cake Balls, Chocolate Covered Homemade Marshmallows and
the sweet little dolphins and my flippy flops :-p

Christmas Cake Pops and Cake Balls

Monday:  Today I'm baking the Red Velvet Cake as I prepare to make Christmas Cake Pops and/or Cake Balls.  Never made a Red Velvet cake before...dang, that is some RED batter!  I hope I am successful in making some Christmas Tree shapes for the grandchildren, as well as just some cake balls to have out for munching...without sprinkles.  My older boys said they were just too sweet with white chocolate and sugar sprinkles both...so I'll dip some in milk chocolate too!  They always end up looking more like a truffle and I find the adults go for them first.

I had every intention of making two batches...but I found myself overwhelmed with the things I have to do today and the following 2 days...so one batch it is!  Today, after the cake cools, I'll crumble the cake and add the frosting...and I'll make some cone shapes and some round balls.  Dipping will be Tuesday.

Monday Evening:  OK - let me be heard loud and clear...I will never roll Red Velvet Cake Balls again!!!  My hands are stained red and I've washed 3 times (and several times during the course of the activity)!  Oh my.  Well, they're rolled out (more balls than trees - it's not as easy to make a cone as it is to make a ball).  I made 20 cone shapes (either hats and/or trees - we'll see what tomorrow brings)...and a huge number of balls...well, it felt like a huge number.  It's been a long day - up since 6:00 a.m. wrapping 20 gifts, made 4 dozen rolled, cut and baked sugar cookies, wrote and posted a blog about the sugar cookies, baked the Red Velvet cake and made the "stuff" to roll into all those soon-to-be luscious cake ball treats!  I'm pooped, so I'll continue writing this Tuesday and post it after I finish the dipping and decorating...and fit in going to lunch with my girl friends (I deserve that, don't you think?)!!!

Tuesday Afternoon:  I was up until 3:00 a.m. (Monday night/Tuesday morning) watching the Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse...awesome experience...but I "slept in" until 8:30 and was a zombie when I finally got up...no way I was getting started on any cake pop or cake ball dipping until after my fun lunch with my girlfriends...we went to Steamers on the Bay - it was a glorious day, tons of pelicans and gulls perching within yards of our table.  It was just what I needed. 

I came home and was ready to get started.  I've only dipped a few balls, Christmas Tree pops, and one round pop and I'm already needing a break.  So, I took a few photos and will finish up this blog post before I return to finish the many I have left to do!  This may take me two days to accomplish...or else it will be a late evening.  I feel sluggish today.  However, tomorrow is the final baking day before I head to Austin, so better get some caffeine in my system and get rolling...uh, I mean dipping :-)

Here are some photos of the first attempt at trees and a couple of the balls I've done.  I tasted one for QC...must say they are indeed tasty.  I do like spice cake balls better though.  I just thought the red velvet would be a good look for the holidays.

I'm liking the trees a lot!  After the plain ones are dry - will add balls

The first cake balls of the Christmas batch...not as smooth as I'd like

I hope my readers are busily baking and creating Christmas treats ... but don't forget to take time for yourself so that you are not so worn out from the preparations that you can't enjoy Christmas.  Well, break time is over - back to the dipping.

Bon Appetit Y'all!!!

(See comments below)

28 cake pops and cake pop Christmas trees...whew!

Holiday Cake Balls - I cut the piping bag too far up...way too thick for "drizzle"

Messy ones were the early ones - then I got into the swing of things :-)

FOR STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CHECK OUT THE BAKERELLA VIDEO HERE!  Scroll down to "Related Media".  She shows you how to make the basic cake pop!

Cake Pops - I'm exhausted!

This is going to be brief...because I'm exhausted...and I have about 2 dozen more cake pops to dip.  I forgot how labor intensive this is.  Bakerella makes it look so easy :-)

So, if you read my review of her fabulous book, and look at my photos...you will see that I am in the infant stages of cake poppery!  The teen has already snatched one and he had a big smile when he bit into the pop...so I guess they taste good anyway!  My granddaughters like Tinkerbell, so I bought some Tink sprinks...purple and green jimmies, purple sugar, and some candy butterflies.  I bet they will be a hit when I arrive in Austin in a few days!  Those cute girlies are never critical of Grandma's goodies...they are happy to dig in.

These cake pops are spice cake and cream cheese frosting with white chocolate coating.
Don't laugh at my cake pops ...I'll keep trying!!!

The teen ate the two unsprinkled pops before I could type this blog post!