Hello Kitty Cake Pops

While you're all waiting on my Mario Blanket Completion post, why not enjoy a couple of cake pops? =)

I made these off Bakerella's cake pop instructions. She's the Queen of Cake Pops, as far as cake pops are concerned. Look her up and give her some Kudos. She deserves them.

So...PROBLEMS.

The "chocolate" coating is actually a candy chocolate-like coating. Water dare-not touch it or it will seize up and become a gross blob monster- chalky and lumpy. Also, your ban marie cannot be too hot. If the temperature is too hot it will scorch it and seize up and become a blob monster. The instructions on the package says that if it is not liquid enough to stir in a little vegetable shortening...which I did. It didn't help much.

I used left over red velvet cake and some leftover cream cheese frosting. I tossed in a shot of Frangelico for good measure and followed Bkerella's instructions from there as far as cooling, shaping, sticking, and dipping. Like I said, the coating never became completely liquid enough for it to enclose over my cake pop once I had it completely submerged. I stuck it in, and you could still see the cake pop through the hole it created in the coating which was just at the right temp. I had to coax the coating to enrobe the bottom with a stick and then coax it to coat the top just right so that the ears were still visible. I nearly lost a couple of pops that almost came off the stick during the dipping process.

From there, I experimented with a few things to try and get the face just right. Since I didn't have perfectly smooth ovals like Bakerella, it was hard getting a perfect face on there. I tried using mini chocolate chips for the eyes and nose but it looked wrong. I didn't have any of the mini candy coated chips she had on her sight. I painted on the face with food color when it was all said and done, but I had the candy hearts and red hot to make the bow.

I also didn't have any white "chocolate" coating on hand so I had to use the pink, which I thought was fine since this is Hello Kitty, afterall. I actually ate one to try it out. I try to stay away from anything more than a taste in order to avoid being obese, but I wanted to see what the big deal was. It wasn't. I rolled one around in sprinkles to see how a "pretty" one would taste and I didn't like that at all. I think my palate is too sensitive. I could taste the coloring in the sprinkles and it was off-putting.

The best of the bunch.

I used a dot of red icing for her nose on this one.

The good, the bad, and the UGLY.

The Best and the Worst side by side.
You can see the mini choc chips don't make cute eyes.

Materials:

Leftover cake
Leftover frosting
Frangelico
Cookie Dough scoop (to form balls)
Lollipop sticks
Pink Candy Coating
Candy cake decorating hearts
Red Hot
Black Gel Food Color
Drop of whiskey (to thin food coloring)
Small Paint Brush

You can buy all this stuff (except the cake, frosting and liquor) at any local craft store like Michaels, AC Moore, or Jo-An.

Old School Mario Bros DS Cake

I made this cake a couple of years ago for a customer who wanted a Nintendo DS shaped cake but with an Old School Mario scene from the very first game on the original NES. This is what I came up with. Granted, it's not the BEST DS shaped cake ever made. He didn't want much cake. He was more interested in the scene on the screen.

Most definitely one of the most fun cakes I have EVER made. It took me about 5 hours from start to finish.

My shaped cakes have come a looooong way since then! Still, you never forget your learning projects. I learned a lot from this one. I can't draw very well. So, I used shapes instead to get the picture just right! Cute, no?

Materials:

Two 11" x 7" butter cakes
Strawberry filling
Vanilla Buttercream
Wilton Fondant
Food Coloring

PacMan Lovin'

I know, I know. I like to keep my cake creations on my cake site: Queenie Cakes. However, I'm so tickled that these came out so great, I can't help but brag about it on my craft blog.

Chocolate Fudge cupcakes topped with fondant decorations.

Yo Gabba Gabba Group in Fondant

I usually put these things up on my cake blog: Queenie Cakes. However, I was so proud of how these came out that I felt they were crafty enough to put up here. I had serious doubts whether or not I could pull this project off, but the customer was more than happy with the results, and so was I. (Brobee was actually the main character on the cake done up on an edible frosting sheet. That's why he wasn't sculpted out of fondant.)

Materials:
Fondant
Toothpicks
Wire
Candy or Lollipop Sticks
Gel Food Coloring
(All these materials were bought at AC Moore- with a coupon, of course!)