Strawberry Cake Pops

I'm not really sure how many attempts it will take before I will consider myself proficient at making cake pops but I can tell you - it's more than a dozen.  They can be tricky little things but I'm fascinated by them so I continue to try and perfect my cake pop skills.

For complete instruction on how to make cake pops, check out my blog post on Hot Air Balloon Cake Pops.  The hot air balloon pops turned out really cute but they weren't without their challenges. 

My lastest idea for a cake pop came from bakerella.com.  (If you haven't seen her website, you need to check it out.)

I started by baking my cake, crumbling it into a bowl along with some frosting and then shaping the cake into strawberries.  (You have to use your imagination to make them look like strawberries.)

Chill the cake for 1 hour in the refrigerator.  Melt some red candy melts, dip one end of a lollipop stick into the chocolate then insert it into the small end of the strawberry cake pop. 

Chill for another hour.  Melt some green laffy taffy in the microwave for 3 seconds until pliable.  Roll out between sheets of waxed paper.  Cut out leaves with a cookie cutter.  (Or a knife.)

 Get supplies ready.  (Melted chocolate, cake pop stand and pearls for decorating.)

Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate and then add pearls while the chocolate is still wet.  I didn't take pictures of the dipping process because I was afraid if I stopped to take a photo, my chocolate would harden and I wouldn't be able to press the pearls onto the sides. 

Wrap cake pops in cellophane bags for easy transport.

You can imagine that this would be a somewhat messy task - working quickly with melted chocolate and tiny pearls, etc.  After my last cake pop had been dipped and set into the cake stand to dry, I went to the sink to wash my very messy hands and ... no water!  The water main in the neighborhood had burst and there was absolutely no water in the house!  I considered jumping in the pool to rinse off but instead, I opted for tiny wet wipes and bottled water to wash my hands.  I went to bed, leaving mounds of dried chocolate all over the kitchen counters and a sink full of dirty dishes.  Thankfully, I woke up the next morning to the most wonderful sound - drip, drip, drip of the faucet.  (Why is it that I don't appreciate things like running water until I don't have any?)  I am happy to report that things finally got cleaned up and the cake pops were a success. 

Ciao!