Christmas Packaging

A friend of mine taught me how to make these cute little gift bags. I decided to put cake pops in them to give as presents. We used Wonder Under to attach the fabric to the bags. Here's a link to show you what the Wonder Under looks like if you want to use it. http://www.pellonideas.com/products/1001-805-wonder-under.aspx



I lined the paper bags with cellophane. Then I tied the cellophane closed with ribbon.



Here are the chocolate cake pops. I wrapped each cake pop individually with plastic wrap and tied them with ribbon before placing them in the paper bags.



Here's a link to a great cake pop tutorial:

http://decoratethis.blogspot.com/2011/02/cake-pops-tutorial.html

Merry Christmas!

Creepy Eyeball Cake Pops

I volunteered to make some baked goods for my son's school this week, so I decided to make some cake pops.



I used fondant for the blue and green irises, and I used royal icing for the red veins and the pupils.



I found some cute boxes to package them. I used a small Styrofoam round inside the box to help the cake pops stand up.



Here's a link to a simple cake pop tutorial:
http://decoratethis.blogspot.com/2011/02/cake-pops-tutorial.html

STATS:

Basic Marshmallow Fondant
http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm

Royal Icing
http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Royal-Icing

Purple Bridal Shower

I made this cake for a friend's bridal shower. Her favorite color is purple and she loves dogs, so this is the design I came up with. This cake was huge - three 9x13" sheet cakes stacked and iced!



After the above photo was taken, I outlined the dog's bow tie in purple.



Here is the sketch I made of the dogs, if you'd like to use the pattern:



I decorated the side of the cake with Jessica and Andy's initials. I thought it looked okay, but felt like it didn't look finished - or something was missing.



I decided to pipe trios of dots around the heart. It's a small detail that I think made a huge difference. It looks kind of lacy, don't you think?



I also made cake pops using the scraps left from leveling the cake. It was carrot cake and very moist, so I only used a Tbsp. or two of frosting in the cake pop mixture. I dipped them in white candy melts and sprinkled them with white edible glitter.



STATS:

Royal Icing Transfer to make dogs
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=648450&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=15
(Once you click the link, scroll down for the tutorial.)

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting for the cake filling
http://deborah-harding.suite101.com/pumpkin-cut-out-cookies-a160005
(Once you click the link, scroll down for the recipe.)
This is the most delicious cream cheese frosting you will ever eat!

Crusting Cream Cheese Icing for the outer layer of cake
http://www.food.com/recipe/crusting-cream-cheese-icing-frosting-297863

Basic Cake Pop tutorial by Bakerella
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/03/back-to-the-sweets-bakerellas-signature-cupcake-pops/

Red Baron Cake Pops

My dad is a pilot, so for his birthday I tried to make some cake pops that looked like the Red Baron.



Here's what I did:

1. Dip the whole cake pop in white candy melts for the face. Let dry.
2. Roll the back half of the cake pop in melted chocolate for the ear flaps of the helmet.
3. Dip the top of the cake pop in chocolate for the top of the helmet.
4. Attach brown M&M's for the goggles.
5. Attach small circles of white fondant to the M&M's for eyes.
6. Pipe black royal icing for the pupils and mouth.
7. Use red modeling chocolate for the scarf.

STATS:

Basic Cake Pop tutorial by Bakerella
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/03/back-to-the-sweets-bakerellas-signature-cupcake-pops/

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3183/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Modeling Chocolate
Melt 10 ounces of candy melts (or any kind of chocolate) in a microwave or in a double boiler. Stir in 1/3 of a cup of light corn syrup. Stir for a couple of minutes until well combined. Spread on waxed paper and allow to cool at room temperature for 2 hours. When cool, break large chunks off and knead until soft. Store in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag for up to a month. Break off small pieces and knead when you are ready to make something with your modeling chocolate. Return to refrigerator for 10-15 minutes if it starts to get too warm and sticky from the heat of your hands.

Pirate Cake Pops

Things I've learned about cake pops:

1. They're not as easy as they look.
2. They are time consuming, but worth the effort.
3. Add a little vegetable oil to your candy melts to get a smooth look.

(Thank you for the tip, Heather!)

Heather made some awesome pirate cake pops from Bakerella's new cake pop book, and I had to give them a try. My son saw the pirates Heather made and said, "THAT'S what I want for my birthday!"

Here it is!



...and a little pirate cake to match!



Shiver me timbers! Those are some cute pirates!



...but not as cute as my own little buccaneer! Happy birthday!



Cake Pop STATS:

Cake Pops
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/03/back-to-the-sweets-bakerellas-signature-cupcake-pops/
Here's a tutorial Bakerella did for The Pioneer Woman Blog

Glace Icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar : 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup : 1 Tbsp. milk
(Adjust amount of milk to achieve desired consistency in icing.)

(I didn't have an edible food marker or sprinkles on hand, so I used glace icing for the polka dots and the face. They turned out fine, but if I make the pops again, I'll try to use the right stuff.)

Cake STATS:

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/vanilla-buttercream-frosting/39107a19-be94-4571-9031-f1fc5bd1d606

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant (for the polka dots)
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3183/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Chocolate Apple Cake Pops

1 baked and cooled chocolate cake (can use cake mix or any favorite recipe)
2/3 can of your favorite pre-made frosting (or your favorite homemade recipe)
14 oz. bag red candy melts
pretzel sticks
green royal icing

lollipop sticks

Crumble entire cake into very large bowl using fingers.

Add about 2/3 of can of frosting to crumbled cake, using fingers to incorporate well. Use slightly more or less frosting, depending on the consistency of your mixture. It shouldn't be dry and crumbly, but it shouldn't be sticky either. It needs to be able to hold together when you start shaping it.

Shape into quarter-size balls. (You'll end up with about 45 or 50.) Pinch one end in a little to give it the tapered shape of an apple. Create an indentation in the top of the "apple" with your finger. Place apple-shaped cake balls into the refrigerator to help them become firm.

While they are cooling, start melting your candy melts. Heat for 30 seconds at a time on 50% power in your microwave. Stir every 30 seconds, and repeat until the candy has completely melted and looks smooth. Boil a cup or two of water in a tiny pot. Remove from heat. Place bowl of melted candy on top of the pot of hot water. This will keep the melted candy warm and smooth, without burning it.

Retrieve cake balls from refrigerator and place a lollipop stick 1/2 way up through the bottom of each ball. Dip in candy melts and use spoon to coat evenly. Place sticks in styrofoam blocks to allow candy to harden.

While the candy is still soft, place 1/4" piece of pretzel stick on top of each apple cake pop. Allow to completely dry and harden (15-20 minutes). Pipe leaves onto apples using royal icing. Allow to dry completely before wrapping.

And...a close up of the cute little apple!

All dressed up and ready to go!


Thanks to www.mylittlecupcakepop.com and http://bakerella.blogspot.com/ for the inspiration!