Connie's Cup of Joy: Cake Pops! Cake Pops! Cake Pops!

We love making our Cake Pops to share with friends, family, classrooms and even special party treats! Cake Pop Production definitely goes into full effect when it comes to Valentines Day at this house! Let those adorable cuties of yours take full participation in making each one with their special touch, that's the fun part!!! Thanks to our dear friend Abbey that gave us the original and simple way to make them, perfecting it with a different recipe every time!! No special "Cake Pop Baker" needed!! Keep it super simple, fun, and as less dishes possible for clean up!!

Ingredients (all depending on what flavor cake pops you'd like!):

The following ingredients make an average of 100 Cake Pops (Smaller than Ping Pong Ball Size). Play around with recipe and sizes of cake pops as you like.

Dishes: 1 Large Bowl, 2 13 x 18 Sheet Pans, 1 Measuring Glass Bowl
(4 Cups is easiest)

2 Cake Mixes with ingredients from box; eggs, water, oil.
1 16 oz. tub of frosting,
4 12 oz. bags of "Melts" or
2 12 oz. bags of "Melts" & 2 bags of Chocolate Chips
Mini Clear Craft Bags (#50 at Walmart or #200 at Michaels)

100 Stix/ Straws (cut in half if they are straw-like from $1 store or use short/tall white stix from Walmart/Michaels whatever look you are going for. I stock up on the straw sales and cut straws in half to save $ and they still look great & colorful.)

Directions:
1. Prepare both Cake Mixes as directed on box. Bake in a 9 x 13 OR 13 x 18 pan.
2. Take COOKED Cake out of oven, let cool. Cut in large pieces and put in large mixing bowl.
3. Put entire tub of frosting into bowl with cooked cake. Mix together until "playdoh" like.
4. Roll into individual balls on 13 x 18 pan (easier to clean when using wax paper on sheet. I roll into 40 balls to a sheet, (8 x 5 give or take), with different sizes of little hands rolling with me!
5. Use Glass Measuring Cup to melt Chocolates/ Chips in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring with butter knife in between and repeating until smooth. May add a tsp. of grapeseed oil for shine!

6. Dip tips of straws into chocolate, then place straight into prepared dough. I tell the kids its the glue to keep the straws in the ball when completely dipping for later. You only need enough chocolate on the tip of the straw to hold/freeze into the ball. If this is not done, the balls will fall off stick when dipping!! VIP!

7. Put the pan of 'naked' cake pops in the Freezer. Then prepare a 2nd Sheet the same way.
8. When the 2nd cookie sheet is done, all rolled and stix placed into dough, take out sheet #1 from freezer & replace with sheet #2.
9. Now you are ready to dip & swirl! You may need to melt more chocolates in microwave as you go along. Gently use the side of your glass measuring cup to scrap any extra chocolate dripping from cake pop so its not wasted all onto the bottom of the cake pop pan & Balls won't fall off stick from being too heavy!!

10. "Sprinkle" as desired every 3-4 frosted cake pops. The chocolate dries fast so the sooner you sprinkle, the better the sprinkles stay on!

There are your 10 steps (way easier once you get the hang of it)! Feel free to wrap each one in the clear plastic bags as we've done for special parties with a colorful swirled ribbon or place in an upside down cake cover to send with your cuties as a class treat! My sister wrapped up a green flower foam square and put the stix in standing up looking like a cake pop garden and easy to distribute or display on a sweets table too! Here is just some Cake Pop Fun my kiddos and I have had and some different flavors we've tried!

*Use different colored Melts and mix and match with chocolate chips. I always did whatever was cheaper even mixing chocolate chips with melts too or putting colored dyed in frosting or white cake mix. Play around for your desired look!*

*White Cake with Cookies & Cream Frosting & White Chocolate Chip Dipping. (adding some crushed Oreos into above mix!)

*Chocolate Cake with Red Velvet Frosting & Chocolate Dipping.

*Rainbow Chip Cake with White Whipped Frosting & White/ Hot Pink Melts.

*Yellow Cake, White Whipped Frosting & Chocolate Chips Dipping.
*Red Velvet Cake Mix with Chocolate Frosting & Choco Dipping.