Cake Pops And Legos

With how busy we've been lately I did not plan very well to have a birthday party for Ben.  I know, bad parenting moment.  So this week I threw together a birthday party, inviting people at the last minute and hoping they didn't have other plans.  Luckily, a few of Ben's friends were able to join us after (and between) soccer games. 

Ben had an absolute blast in any case.  The kids spent the day swimming.  The adults spent the day hiding in the shade of an umbrella and drinking sangria.  Ben was given several different sets of Legos, which he loves, and the boys spent all evening putting them together. 

Ben originally told me he wanted a Scooby Doo / Pirate cake for his birthday.  This caused me quite a bit of anxiety because while I'm a pretty good baker, I am HORRIBLE at decorating cakes.  And there is no way I could buy an all natural Scooby Doo / Pirate cake at a store.  So I got the crazy idea to try cake pops instead, and when Ben saw a picture of them online as I searched for recipes, he was totally on board. 

They were pretty fun to make, and after several batches I finally got the hang of it and made much less of a mess.  The picture below is from my first batch, which is why the chocolate is running down the stick.  Thankfully, the pops were a hit with the kids and the adults (and with our dog Trixie who got to eat the ones that fell off the stick)!  Recipe below. . .

Thanks so much to those who were able to make it with such last minute notice, and for making Ben's Lego dreams come true! Thanks to my cousin Denise for giving me her cake pop tips.  A big GIANT thank you to my bestie Shawna for coming over early to help me get ready for the party.  And a big thank you to my other bestie Kate for helping me clean up this morning.  You girls rock! 

Cake Pops

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix, bake as directed

1 can frosting

1 bag chocolate chips, or melting chocolate

cake decorations (such as sprinkles, nuts, marshmallows, peanut butter chips, etc.)

Lollipop Sticks

Styrofoam

Directions:

Bake the cake according to the instructions.  Cool completely.  In a large bowl, completely crumble the cake.  Mix in 3/4 to 1 container of frosting, until mixture resembles play dough.  Form into golf-ball-sized balls and place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Put lollipop sticks into cake balls, freeze for 30 to 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips using double boiler.  Dip frozen cake balls into chocolate, letting excess drip off.  Add decorations and stick into Styrofoam to let set.  Place in refrigerator to help cool. 

Tips:

1.  Make sure you have your Styrofoam to let your cake pops set.  Or you could use a lot of friends to sit around and hold them while they set.  But it's hard to fit your friends in the refrigerator.   

2.  Use a little frosting or chocolate on the tip of the lollipop stick before inserting into cake ball, to help the lollipop stick stay secure. 

3. Use a little shortening to help thin the melted chocolate. 

4.  Let the melted chocolate cool a little bit before dipping the cake balls - this will help prevent the constant dripping off the stick onto the Styrofoam (like you see in my picture above!).

5.  Keep your husband and children out of the kitchen while you make these or the cake pops will disappear before you can finish the batch. 

Products I used:

To save time, I did not make my cake or frosting from scratch, but you totally could.  Instead I used these products, all found at Whole Foods, and all are all-natural. 

Cake Mix: Dr. Oteker Vanilla and Chocolate (I keep these on hand all the time, just in case.)

Frosting:  The Frosting Queens, Vanilla and Chocolate

Melting Chocolate:  Guittard Real Milk Chocolate Chips (These are AWESOME!  They blow Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips out of the water. Try them in your chocolate chip cookies.)

Decorations:  Let's Do Organic Sprinkelz, Chocolatey & Confetti; Sunspire Peanut Butter Chips