Every year, I make a "signature item" for the Christmas season. Usually it's a baked good- last year it was my peppermint chocolate cookies, the year before gingerbread men. But basically I make a ton of whatever item I pick and then pass them out to co-workers, take some to neighbors and bring them to just about every holiday party that I'm invited to. Makes life easy!
And this year's signature item? Christmas cake pops, baby.
Here's what you need to make yourself some Christmas cake pops:
INGREDIENTS:
-cake mix (and whatever you need to prepare according to box)
-can of icing
-candy melts
-lollipop sticks
-sprinkles
DIRECTIONS:
Let me just say that for those of you who haven't noticed, I'm sort of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of chef. I spend my time in the kitchen with "a dash of this" and a "hint of that" and measuring things to taste. Needless to say, I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to baking, which you can see in my crooked sloppy silly completely unprofessional hot mess cake pops. They certainly don't look like the fancy ones at Starbucks! But trust me, they are goooood.
1. Bake cake according to directions.
2. Once cooled, spoon the cake into a bowl. Add about 3/4 cup canned icing and mix.
Just a thought... I actually put a whole can of icing in at this point. I think it's easiest to use whipped icing so that it was easier to mix. But next time I plan to use about 3/4 of a can of icing- I think that will give the perfect icing + cake mix.
3. Roll your cake + icing mix into little balls.
This is where I had trouble. My balls are not exactly even. (TWSS) I was kind of thinking that the candy shell would cover up my glitches in the ball-making department, but um... it doesn't. But I'm sure all of you won't have a problem and are better ball-makers than I. (Humor me again... TWSS)
4. Melt a small amount of your candy melt. Coat the top of each lollipop stick with candy melt and then stick into each ball. Refrigerate.
The hardened candy melt helps the lollipop stick adhere to the cake mix.
5. Once the candy melt and mix have been refrigerated for at least a couple of hours, melt the rest of the candy melts in a bowl. I used chocolate and peppermint candy melts for these. Simply swirl each cake ball in the candy melt and sprinkle with fun holiday sprinkles.
I let the cake pops dry in the cake pop carrier that I made. I simply wrapped a foam block with wrapping paper and stuck each stick in the foam. Voila! A festive cake pop holder.
So there you have it, my holiday cake pop recipe. My mix made about 40 cake pops.
And yes, friends and family... get excited because I will be bringing these to all of our holiday functions this year! Speaking of... who wants to help me make 200 cake pops for this weekend?
Now it's time to link up your holiday recipe over on Natasha's blog, Schue Love!
I'm also sharing with Lisa over at Shine Your Light, Stephanie at Under the Table and Dreaming, Katie at Bower Power and Kate at Centsational Girl.
Looks adorable!
ReplyDeletemichelle, the cakepops look amazing! yummy!
ReplyDeleteI love love love cake pops. I mean seriously, they are so good. I could eat all 200 of yours easy! :)
ReplyDeleteCake pops are the best! Yours look so good and festive too :)
ReplyDeleteNever made cake pops before, but they sure are darling! I am an admitted Christmas baking sloth... I do plenty of it but I'm all about the path of least resistance. No fanciness over here - I love your signature item idea (in theory, she says, as she goes back to lazily making the things she could bake in her sleep...) :)
ReplyDeleteI love cake pops! I especially adore your idea of wrapping the styrofoam - this could work for virtually every occasion!
ReplyDeleteThose are so cute. I have always been too afraid to try and have stuck to marshmallows. I think I need to take a risk. Hope you are feeling much better today. Thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteThe cake pops are SOOO cute! Love all the colors and I can only imagine how tasty they are!! :)
ReplyDeleteI am so going to try this! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteoh man! those look de-lish!! I have always wondered how they made those things. Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI am obsessed with the cake pops at Starbucks! Now I can make my own!
ReplyDeleteAdorable! Great display idea too. Now I'm craving sweets!!
ReplyDeleteI may have to make some of these. My kids would nominate me mom of the year if I did!
ReplyDeleteThese are not only ADORABLE, but look super tasty! Love your photos, too (:
ReplyDeleteThese are sooo cute! My girls would go crazy for one.
ReplyDeletexo,
cristin
I totally pinned this recipe! I'm going to make them at my house warming party next month! Delish.
ReplyDeletecheck out my post today on DIY holiday decorations. I loved your idea of cranberry glass ornaments so much that I decided to make my own!
xoxo
Erica
http://3point1journey.blogspot.com/
Those are so cute! I love how you popped them in the foam. I featured cake pops once...but they use donut holes instead of baking cake...that's my kind of shortcut!!
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting via Natasha's Party-so glad I found this yummy post and recipe! Thanks for sharing your delicious idea!
ReplyDeleteBest Christmas wishes,
From another Natasha!
oh yum those look great! and i love the stand you created, that paper is so cute
ReplyDeleteThose look delish! I'm loving all your TWSS references! :)
ReplyDeleteOh my word how delish do these look! xo
ReplyDeleteSo, so cute, Michelle! I love how you make a cake pop stand too - that is such a clever idea! I have to make these for Christmas day....or maybe New Year's Eve! Thanks for sharing at Mangia Mondays! :)
ReplyDeleteI think I have eaten about 100 of these at various parties and have always wondered how to make them. They look so good!
ReplyDeleteWhen making the balls use an ice scream scooper. They will be a little more consistent and maybe help in the roundness. But I like them bumpy they look like I actually did make them :) haha thanks for the helpful idea! :)
ReplyDeletewhere do you get the candy melts nad lollipop sticks? i've tried everywhere i can think of
ReplyDeleteHow good do they look? My kids would love them and I reckon I could easily polish off the whole tray by myself!
ReplyDelete