And I’m back!  Well, not back into the full swing of things, but I’m back to posting :)

If you recall, I moved in November to a lovely townhome where I live with my boyfriend and another friend.  Things have been great, but moving is SUCH a pain!  Even though we have been here for almost 3 months, I feel like I haven’t even made a dent in actually getting things put away and situated.  Which has resulted in the silence on the blogging end.  But I’m optimistic for February!  I promise you will be hearing from me at least once every week :)

Because of all the house stuff I’ve been sorting through, I still have not had an opportunity to create a tutorial for you.  BUT – I did enlist the help of one of my lovely friends, and fellow JMU alumn – Kristen from Miss Prissy Paige!

Kristen and I met many moons ago in a General Education Science class (boring!), and came to find out that we share the same affinity for DIY and design!  I recently started following her blog and pinterest boards and saw that she was pretty awesome at making cake pops – and I was in the market to make some for a baby shower.  So she is here today to share her tutorial on cake pops – enjoy!

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Hi there! So nice to meet you! I’m Kristen {Miss Prissy Paige} and I write a little blog about DIY, sweets, decorating and of course baking! I was thrilled when Jordan asked me to write a tutorial on cake pops. I’ve made them a few times and definitely have had my ups and downs with them. Hopefully some of these tips will help make your adventure a big success!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of cake mix (and required ingredients)
• 1 tub of icing
• Sprinkles
• 2 bags of chocolate melts (you can find these at any craft store in the cake decorating area)
• Lollipop sticks (you can find these at any craft store in the cake decorating area)
• Styrofoam
• Jelly roll pan
• Deep bowl
• Extra spoons
• Toothpicks
• Jelly roll pan (or any deep dish)

Directions:

Bake your cake according to the package. I make a 13×9 pan and it will make about 35-40 cake pops, depending on your size. HINT: Bake the cake the day before you want to do the cake pops. Then it can cool completely.

Once cooled, crumble the cake using a food processor. You want the consistency of bread crumbs.

After crumbled, slowly start adding your icing to the cake crumbles.  HINT: I add about 2 spoonfuls at a time.  Too much and the cake will be gooey.   Too little and your ball wouldn’t hold.  Once added, start working it into the cake crumbles.  It should begin to stick together and start to look like dough.

HINT: Make sure the cake is COMPLETELY cool.  If not, it will end up in a gooey mess.  Trust me on this.

Once the crumbles start to resemble dough, you’re ready to roll.  HINT: This will get messy.  If your hands are clean, you’re doing it wrong.  I take about a spoonful scrape it off with my fingers, and then I start rolling.  Once I get it to the size I like, I lay it down on a cookie sheet.  Keep doing this until you have rolled the entire dough.  If you notice at the bottom that your cake crumbles aren’t sticking together, add a little more icing.  HINT: I use about ½ to ¾ a tub of icing once its all said and done.

Stick in the freezer to cool while you clean up.  I keep them in the freezer for about an hour before I start dipping.  Set up your station in the meantime.  I like to use several types of sprinkles, so I pour a little out into small bowls.  HINT: Here’s where the jelly roll pan or deep dish will come in handy.  When you’re ready to decorate, do it over this dish and then you won’t have sprinkles ALL over the kitchen counter and floor.  It keeps the mess contained.  Again, trust me.

Decorating:

Take your chocolate melts and pour about half the bag into a microwave safe bowl.  HINT: Find a deep bowl; you want to be able to completely submerge your cake pop into the chocolate.  You may need less or more, depending on the size of your ball.

Start melting your chocolate, SLOWY.  I’m talking 40% power and checking every 30 seconds or so.  HINT: It only takes a second to go from perfectly melted to burned, and if you get to burned, there’s no coming back.  And keep it away from water.  Melted chocolate + water = BAD.

Once melted, stir really well.  The chocolate should be thin.  HINT: If needed, you can add some vegetable oil to thin out the chocolate.  Pour a little in and stir really well.

You’re ready to start dipping.  Take a deep breath, pull out the balls from the freezer and get ready.  I like to dip the tip of my lollipop stick into the chocolate and then insert it about halfway into my cake ball.  I think it adds a little extra security.  Once the ball is attached, dip the ENTIRE cake pop into your melted chocolate, being careful to check that it is all covered.  Slowly pull the cake pop out and tap and swirl any excess chocolate back into the bowl.  Turn right side up and start decorating.  HINT: The chocolate will cool quickly, hence why its important to be prepared.  Once decorated, pop the cake pop into your Styrofoam to cool completely.

Continue this process until you need to add more chocolate.  Again, watch those melts in the microwave!

To store, I keep them in the Styrofoam in my fridge.  They will keep for about 3 or 4 days in the fridge.

I hope this tutorial helped.  And trust me when I say this, practice makes perfect.  Don’t get discouraged if your first few aren’t perfect, they will still taste as good and your family & friends will be so impressed!

If you run into a question I didn’t cover here, feel free to e-mail me at missprissypaige@gmail.com and I’ll try to help.  And to see some of my work, visit my cake pops here.

Happy Popping!

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Thanks so much Kristen!  Isn’t she great!!  Now I’m ready for some cake pops :)

I’m planning on posting again this week – a new Atkins friendly recipe!  I just came across Tofu noodles, only 3g of carbs per serving!!  I can’t wait to try them!  Until next time!!