Valentines day

With Valentines day just 2 days away, things have been a little crazy here. Our bakery offers cake pop bouquets as an alternative to flowers (and cheaper too only $20!). For those that have never experienced a cake pop you are missing out. A cake pop is like a cake lollipop. First, you start with baked cake, crumbled up. Any flavor of cake works. I have found that using cakes with something baked in them, like chocolate or peanut butter chips, gives a little trouble when inserting the stick. Then, it is mixed with frosting (any flavor) and rolled into balls. Be careful with the amount of frosting used. I have seen some recipes call for 3/4 to 1 entire can of frosting. That Is too much. You only want to use enough frosting to moisten the cake and so that the cake holds its shape when formed. (We always use home made frosting at the bakery)

There are a few ways to form the pops. You can roll them into balls like a meatball, the typical shape. Or you can shape them using cookie cutters. Once they have been chilled, (dont freeze them or the chocolate will crack once dipped) they are dipped in chocolate. A little trick, dip the stick in chocolate before sticking the ball or it will just fall right off the stick. Now comes the fun part, decorating! Use whatever you feel. Nothing is off limits. I prefer using sanding sugar. It gives a nice little crunch into the moist cake inside the chocolate. Don't be fooled by the cake pop pans and cooking sets that are out there now. They are not the same! You will get a very cakey, dry ball that sticks to the pan and falls apart. It's not worth the money, even with a coupon! (And im a diligent couponer too, but that's for another time)

Cake pops may be tasty and look nice but they are hard work, and time consuming. So here is what a completed cake pop bouquet looks like. I think they are better than flowers...and tastier too!