It's been awhile since I updated this blog... my apologies. To tell the truth, I haven't made cake pops in a long time so there was nothing to update. No fear, though, I'm back at it and I even learned some new stuff I'm willing to share.
My co-worker asked me to make cake pops for his daughter's birthday and we decided on on Boston Terriers with an Oreo Cookie cake. I threw some ideas around in my head and finally came to the realization that I would HAVE to work with fondant if the pops were going to resemble a dog. I've used store-bought fondant before and absolutely hated it so, after some research, I decided to make marshmallow fondant. It was actually much easier than I anticipated but VERY messy. Here's the process from beginning to end...
INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE:
1 box of vanilla/yellow cake mix (The preparation calls for eggs, vegetable oil and water so make sure you have all the ingredients listed on the box)
1/3 box of Oreo Cookies
1/2 can of prepared buttercream or vanilla frosting. I used buttercream because I prefer the taste.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE COATING:
1 bag of Wilton white candy coating OR 1 bag of white chocolate chips (I used white chocolate)
1 bag of Wilton milk chocolate candy coating OR 1 bag of milk chocolate chips (tastes the same in my opinion)
Vegetable Shortening
Black food coloring (you will need this for the fondant too... remember, with black, a little goes a long way)
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FONDANT:
1/2 bag of marshmallows (8 oz)
1 pound of powdered/confectioner's sugar and extra for dusting
2 tablespoons of water
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES NEEDED:
1 microwave safe bowl
13X9 baking pan
Parchment paper
Cookie scooper (not a necessity but it will make this project much easier)
Cake pop sticks (I get mine from Michael's)
Styrofoam or makeshift stand for your pops
Plastic wrap
Rubber gloves (food safe)
PREPARATION:
- Preheat your oven according to the directions on the cake mix box
- Mix your cake ingredients and pour the mixture into a 13X9 pan, pop into the oven as directed
- While your cake is baking, take 1/3 box of Oreos and scoop the filling out of the cookies. Discard the filling and crush the cookies.
- After your cake is done baking, let it cool for about 20 minutes
- Take a large bowl and crumble your cake into it. Add the cookie crumbles and about 1/2 can of frosting.
- You will need to use your hands to mix everything together evenly.
- Put the mixture into the fridge for about 20 minutes so it stiffens up a little.
- Prepare a couple of trays with parchment paper
- Scoop the mixture with a medium sized cookie scooper and roll it into a perfect ball with your hands. Place the ball onto the parchment paper and repeat. The mixture should make about 30 balls. If you have a lot less, your pops will be too big. Beware of making them too large as they WILL fall off the stick.
- Pop the rolled balls into the fridge for about an hour.
- Get your sticks and pop stand ready.
- Microwave a small portion of your candy coating or chocolate (you won't need more than a couple of tablespoons)
- Dip the top of the stick about 1/4 inch into the melted chocolate, slowly push the dipped end into the cake ball about halfway through. Be careful not to push too far as you will tear through the whole ball.
- Stand the pop onto your stand and repeat
- Put the pops back into the fridge for about 20-30 minutes
- Take about half of the white coating/white chocolate and microwave in a cup until smooth. Add about a teaspoon of vegetable shortening after you heat the coating and mix well until the entire mixture is smooth.
- Dip the cake into the mixture and roll off any extra coating. Return the pop back onto the stand.
- After all of the cake pops have been covered, place them back into the fridge while you melt the darker coating.
- Take your milk chocolate and melt it in the microwave as you did the white chocolate. Add a few drops of the black food coloring and mix. You will notice the mixture start to harden. Add vegetable shortening 1/2 a teaspoon at a time. You don't have to re-heat, just mix well and the mixture will soften again. Do not add too much shortening as this will make your mixture oily and it will not firm up properly when dry.
- After you've reached the desired consistency, dip the pop into the mixture sideways on both sides making sure the dark chocolate does not touch in the middle.
- Place the pops back in the fridge while you work on the fondant.
- For the fondant, take half a bag of marshmallows (about 8oz) and drizzle 2 tablespoons of water on top before you place into the microwave. Make sure you use a big bowl as the marshmallow will rise.
- Microwave for about a minute. Do not let the marshmallow brown on top so watch it in the microwave!
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar with a spatula, about one cup at a time. After about 4 cups, you will notice the mixture start to stick together. Don't worry if it is lumpy, that's normal.
- Sprinkle a smooth surface with powdered sugar as well as your hands.
- Take the mixture out and knead it with your hands until it is smooth and no longer sticky. This part if very messy and takes a while. Don't worry, it will eventually do what you want it to.
- Separate your fondant into halves and wrap one half with plastic wrap.
- Take the other half of the fondant and shape it into a bowl. You might want to use gloves for this next part.
- Take a few drops of black food coloring and drop it into the middle of the bowl. Knead the fondant until the color is evenly distributed. Don't worry, this part is not as hard as you think, the color distributes pretty easily.
- Once you have your two fondant colors, you can begin to shape the face the way you want. I will not describe this part because you can use several variations. I will remind you to use powdered sugar every time you handle the fondant because it will stick to your hands.
Enjoy making these fun cake pops!!!
