Cake Pops!

So, my brother is getting married May 15th! Ohmygoodness, I'm excited. He's marrying a gorgeous Zooey Deschanel look-alike. I have no idea how he landed such a good-looking woman. At least I will have cute nieces and nephews (=

I hosted a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law on Sunday. We made cake pops. Super trendy, super cute, and SUPER easy.



















How to make the pops:
1. Bake a cake (from scratch, out of a box, football shaped, round, lumpy. Doesn't matter as long as it is a cake).
2. Crumble the cooled cake into a bowl and mix with half a can of frosting (or 1/2 cup of homemade frosting...I dare you :-p).
3. Roll the mixture into small balls (approx 50 balls).
4. Freeze the balls for at least one hour (get your mind of the gutter my friend).
5. Melt chocolate/white chocolate in a double boiler, put sticks in the balls, and dip in melted chocolate. Coat with sprinkles. (Find lollipop sticks at Michaels/craft stores...OR go to Starbucks and get free wooden stir-sticks. I personally enjoy free things)
6. Let chocolate harden by placing the bottom of the stick in a shallow cup or bowl.

For the shower we made 2 different pops. #1: chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a semi-sweet chocolate coating and #2 red velvet cake with vanilla frosting and a white chocolate coating. I think it would be fun to experiment with different combinations of flavors and colors. Perhaps: carrot cake, German chocolate with coconut, lemon, dulce-de-leche, pistachio...the possibilities are endless.

If you wish to color the outer shell, use white chocolate and a concentrated icing/chocolate dye. DO NOT use food coloring, as it will ruin the chocolate. The concentrated oil-based Wilton colors can be found at Michaels.

A fellow bridesmaid, Rachel Ruelas and I created the adorable pink flower tree's with Styrofoam from Michaels. We made rosette's out of crepe paper, and glued them to the tree. We shoved the pops into the trees, and refilled them during the event.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love red velvet (-:















Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

BTW: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.