Cake pops...a beginners guide

Despite being immersed in the party world, it is only recently that I was able to sample a cake pop! Sure I had heard of this newest craze but I was yet to try one of these sweet morsels! Now that I have I can assure you they are worth checking out...rich, cakey goodness on a stick that can be manipulated into different shapes...baking gold!

I have found a great set of instructions at http://www.instructables.com/id/Cake-Pops/?ALLSTEPS, very simple to follow and complete with images...Let me know how you go, I would love to see images of your sweet creations!

STEP 1:  MATERIALS

• A design concept (V. Important for knowing what kind of decorating supplies to get!)

• Cake mix (or homemade)

• Frosting (or homemade)

• Lollipop sticks

• Candy melts

• Sprinkles

• Colored icing tubes

• Other neat stuff for decorating

• Styrofoam to stand them up in

 STEP 2: BAKE A CAKE & MASH IT UP

Either make your favorite from-scratch recipe or follow the instructions on the box.

Once your cake is cooled - really cooled - crumble it up into a bowl.
Stir in your jar (or homemade) frosting, a little at a time. Once it reaches a nice consistency that will cling together when you roll it in a ball, you're there.

Stick it in the fridge.

 STEP 3: ROLL INTO BALLS

Once it's nice and cool, you'll want to start rolling it into balls.

This is really baker'schoice - how big, what shape and how to make them.

I don't have one of those little melon-baller gadgets, but I might get one for the next round - my hands seems incapable of rolling a sphere - they all come out like footballs. It took some work to make the beautiful spheres you see here.

Nonetheless! Roll your cake mash into ball-like pieces. Mine were about 1 1/4" in diameter.

Next?

Stick em in the fridge.

STEP 4 : MELT THE COATING

Following the instructions on the package, I put them in a bowl in the microwave, on 50% power for 11/2 minutes.

Then I stirred them and zapped them again at 50% for 30 sec.

Repeat until nice and melty, then repeat once more for superior dipping quality.

I melted up some pink, yellow and white.

STEP 5: DIP YOUR POPS

Get those cake balls outta the fridge!

Get your lollipop sticks ready, and dip them slightly in the melted candy before inserting them half-to-three-quarters way in to each cake ball.

This is where I would say "Stick it in the fridge!" but when I did so at this step, I think it worked against me. So don't. Or, try it without sticking them in the fridge at this point, and if it turns out to be a hot mess, then, well. . .. stick 'em in the fridge.

Dip your newly-sticked cake pops into the candy coating and rotate to ensure even coverage.

Stand the dipped pops into styrofoam to let drip-dry.

STEP 6 : DECORATE YOUR POPS

Now it's time to get creative.
If you had any pops that didn't turn out so hot, practice on those.

I don't have any pictures of my decorating process, but I just used what I had in terms of glitter and confetti and such. The ducks' noses and wings were more melted candy coating, and the feet were little orange stars that came in the confetti mixture. The eyes were dotted on with the tube decorator icing