Monday, October 17, 2011

Pumpkin Cake Pops

These festive pumpkin cake pops are perfect for fall. And they're not hard to make. I use my favorite pumpkin cake recipe, and cream cheese frosting

What You Need
One recipe Pumpkin Cake*
One recipe Cream Cheese Icing
Orange Candy Melts (if you want them to be a darker/brighter orange, use some oil-based coloring to deepen the color)
1-2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
50-60 Lollipop sticks
Chocolate "jimmie" sprinkles
Optional:
 Green Candy Melts
  Squeeze Bottle (with coupler ring)
 Tip #352 & #2
 Heating pad 

*Note: If you make my pumpkin cake recipe, you will end up with about 60-80 cake pops. It makes about 7 cups of batter, compared with 4-6 cups in a regular cake mix.

When your cake is cooled, use a fork to crumble the cake into small crumbs. (I twist the fork around the cake to crumb it up.)
Click here or a step-by-step tutorial on how to make cake pops.

Add the icing a little at a time until you get the right consistency to roll into a ball that will hold its shape. The pumpkin cake recipe I use is very moist, so it uses less icing than some other cakes. If you add too much icing, it can be really hard to get the cake pops to hold their shape, so go slowly. I usually add maybe 1-1 1/2 cups of icing to this cake.

I make these cake balls a little bigger than most of the cake pops I make. I use two level scoops from my 1 tsp. scoop.

Then, you roll them together to create a nice, compact ball. (Notice the difference in texture between the photo above and this photo. You want the cake balls to be smooth and compact, not rough and loose.)

To make the "bumps" in the pumpkins, use a spoon, and gently make 4-6 marks all around the ball. (I usually hold it in my fingers while I do this, but that pesky third arm still hasn't appeared for taking such photos.)

While you add the bumps, also smoosh the ball a little on the top and bottom to make the pumpkin look less round. (Kind of like we did with these apple cake pops.)

Put the cake balls into the refrigerator for three hours or overnight. (In a pinch you can freeze them for 30 minutes then move them to the refrigerator. But overnight in the fridge is the best way to go.)

Melt your orange candy in a tall mug. Add 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil to allow candy to coat more easily.
Dip a lollipop stick in the melted candy.

Insert the stick about halfway in to one of the cake balls. (I usually work with just 5 or 6 at a time to keep the others cool while I work.)

Dip the cake pop into the melted candy. (Try not to twist it while you dip it. I dip, and if necessary, lean it once each way to completely coat it.)

Gently tap the stick against the edge of the mug to allow excess candy to fall off.
*Note the angle I hold the pop while I tap it. It helps keep it on the stick.

Immediately set one jimmie sprinkle on the top to make the stem.
Place the pop in a styrofoam sheet or disk to set.

If you want to add the leaves and vines, use a tip #2 for the vine, and a tip #352 for the leaf. You can use a squeeze bottle that fits with a coupler ring, or you can use a decorating bag.

Enjoy!

Want to purchase a printable version of this recipe? Click here to purchase an easy-to-view version of this recipe/technique. The link will take you to Pay Pal where you will enter your email address when you pay. I will then email you a .pdf version of this recipe complete with photos and instructions.

Click the Links Below to See:
More Cake Pop Decorating Ideas
More Fall Decorating Ideas

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5 comments:

  1. Thank you for the step by step instructions! Ijust bought a cake pop pan, from Bed Bath & Beyond, but I think I will return it and go this route instead. I am going to attempt to make these pumpkin ones!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Melanie, you won't regret it. These are SO yummy. I think they'll be so much better than the pop pan. (Though, to be honest, I haven't used it yet, so maybe I would change my mind--- but I doubt it!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. My cake pops cracked while drying. Is it because they we're too big?

    ReplyDelete
  4. My cake pops cracked. Do u have any tips

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy, this is very common. See this link for some more information:
      http://bekicookscakesblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-do-cake-pops-crack.html
      Good luck!
      - Beki

      Delete

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