Cake Pops Halloween: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for 20 Spooktacular Treats

By Bakerella

“Sweet and spooky recipes” from the New York Times–bestselling author: “There’s a trick and treat for everyone in this festive tome” (Brit + Co).
 
Make your Halloween pop! Cake pop creator Bakerella is back with Cake Pops Halloween, a new e-book that collects twenty cake pops to chill and thrill you including brand new designs and her classic favorites, all created to get spirited ghosts, ghouls and goblins ready for the most deliciously scary night of the year. From adorable black cat candy buckets and very cute vampires to bubbling cauldrons and scary sweet monsters, along with a section on tools and techniques, Bakerella shares everything you need to know to make your Halloween extra boo-tiful. You’ll also find links to printable templates to make your treats, gift tags for your cake pops, and garlands for your get-togethers.
 
“I’m telling you . . . if you love to make festive, sweet treats for the season, you’ll want this book . . . Bakerella has this incredibly creative mind. Her way of making a cake pop into a work of art is unparalleled.” —Bake at 350

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781452140209

Book preview

Introduction

Eeek!

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year to bake and decorate so I’m super excited to share this sweet collection of spooky cake pop treats with you. Yes, I’ve created a bunch of brand-new cake pops devoted solely to Halloween! I’ve included a few bonus designs from my website and my first book (it wouldn’t be Halloween without my Jack-o’-Lanterns or Eerie Eyeballs, would it?), and I’m thrilled to reveal some new designs that you’ll find only in this book. Halloween is a perfect occasion for making cake pops—they showcase candy and chocolate in the cutest way possible—and they’ll be the perfect centerpiece to any Halloween party.

Just as in my first book, Cake Pops by Bakerella, this new collection of sweet projects gives you all the basics for making cake pops: crumbling cake, mixing it with frosting, shaping, and dipping with a lollipop stick, so everything you need is right here. You’ll see how easy they are to decorate with simple candies and sprinkles to create adorable bite-size treats like the Dangling Spiders (page 74), Yummy Mummies (page 45), and Candy Corn Cuties (page 63).

And the possibilities for customization are endless. Change the colors or shapes of the sprinkles, use a different color of candy coating, or form the cake ball into a different shape to create your own unique designs. The 20 boo-tiful projects I’m sharing here will inspire you this Halloween to create amazing treats for friends and family.

You’ll also find links to printable templates to make your treats, gift tags for your cake pops, and garlands for your get-togethers.

I hope you have a frightfully good time making these spooktacular sweets!

Bugs and Hisses,

Getting Started with Cake Pops

Cake pops are crumbled cake mixed with frosting and rolled into bite-size balls, which are dipped in candy coating and served lollipop-style on a stick. They are the basis for the projects in this book and a canvas for your creativity. Once you know how to make them, you will have the skills to create beautiful tiny treats that enchant your friends and family.

Don’t be scared. You can make cake pops with just about any cake and frosting you like, but I usually tell people to learn how to make them using purchased mixes and frostings. Cakes made from box mixes provide consistent results and crumble beautifully, and they go together quickly and easily, allowing you to focus on the design and technique as you learn.

Once you feel comfortable making cake pops, branch out with your own cake and frosting recipes for even more fun. I’ve also included a few homemade recipes on pages 88 to 89.

Read through the following pages for easy instructions and helpful information that will get you started making your very own Halloween cake pops.

Basic Cake Pops

Once you know how to make a basic cake pop, it’s easy to start making the projects in this book or create your own out-of-this-world designs.

MAKES 48 CAKE POPS

YOU’LL NEED

18.25-oz (520-g) box cake mix

9-by-13-in (23-by-33-cm) cake pan

Two baking sheets

Wax paper

Large mixing bowl

16-oz (455-g) container ready-made frosting

Large metal spoon

Plastic wrap

48 oz (1.4 kg) candy coating

Deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl

48 lollipop sticks

Styrofoam block

 1. Bake the cake as directed on the box, using the 9-by-13-in (23-by-33-cm) cake pan. Let cool completely.

 2. Once the cake has cooled, get organized and set aside plenty of time (a couple of hours) to crumble, roll, and dip 48 cake pops. Line the baking sheets with wax paper.

 3. Crumble the cooled cake into the large bowl. You should not see any big pieces of cake.

 4. Add up to three-quarters of the container of frosting to the bowl. (You will not need the remaining frosting. Save it in the refrigerator for a later use.) Mix it into the crumbled cake, using the back of the large metal spoon, until thoroughly combined. If you use the entire container, the cake balls will be too moist.

 5. The mixture should be moist enough to roll into 1 ¹/2-in (4-cm) balls and still hold a round shape. After rolling the cake balls by hand, place them on the prepared baking sheets and let them rest for about 20 minutes before chilling.

 6. Cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and chill for several hours in the refrigerator, or place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. You want the balls to be firm but not frozen.

 7. Place the candy coating in the deep microwave-safe bowl. These bowls make it easier to cover the cake balls completely with candy coating while holding the bowl and without burning your fingers. The coating should be about 3 in (7.5 cm) deep for easier dipping. I usually work with about 16 oz (455 g) of coating at a time.

 8. Melt the candy coating, following the instructions on the package. Microwave on medium power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval. (You can also use a double boiler.) Make sure you do not overheat the coating. See Working with Candy Coating, page 17, for more candy coating basics.

 9. Now you’re ready to dip. Take a few cake balls out of the refrigerator or freezer to work with, keeping the rest chilled. If they’re in the freezer, transfer the rest of the balls to the refrigerator at this point so they stay firm but do not freeze.

10. One at a time, dip about ¹/2 in (12 mm) of the tip of a lollipop stick into the melted candy coating, and then insert the lollipop stick straight into a cake ball, pushing it no more than halfway through.

11. Holding the lollipop stick with cake ball attached, dip the entire cake ball into the melted candy coating until it is completely covered, and remove it in one