Wilton's "Pops in a post" Contest Entry

I really enjoy baking. I especially enjoy making dessert that not only tastes good, but that is good to look at too! When a friend told me about Wilton's "pops in a post" contest, I knew I had to take a stab at making some cake pops! Wilton also did something that is really awesome! The first 40 bloggers to pre-register, would receive a kit to help them on their way in pops paradise! And as you can imagine, I was squealing and jumping for joy when I received my giant box in the mail with all the free goodies! (Thanks Wilton!!)

and inside the box I found.....

My absolute favorite item in all my new loot was the Chocolate Pro Electric Chocolate Melter. 

Because this is a contest, and I'm very competitive, it took me a little while to try to decide what kind of cake pops I wanted to make. I was so wrapped up in trying to "reinvent the wheel" that I was frustraited and losing valuable time. So I decided to ask my youngest what she thought I should do. I had a good feeling I knew what she was going to say, and didn't surprise me in the least when she shouted "Princess pops!!". So, these pops are dedicated to my little Princess. (Here we are together)

And here are Her Royal Majesty's Pops....

Cute, aren't they? And to be honest, they weren't very difficult to make!

Here's what I did:

Please note that there are many ways to make these pops. I have found recipes that use cake mix and canned frosting, variations of that recipe using different amounts, some people choose to use a cake mix and add pudding.

I prepared a box cake mix, following the instructions on the back.

...and made a little boy happy

I popped it in the oven and baked as directed, in just a plain 9 x 13" pan

When the cake cooled (actually, I did this the next day), I crumbled it up - rubbing it against itself, and I added about 80% of a can of frosting.

Next came the elbow grease... mix it all up so it's evenly combined.

Then I rolled out balls, put them on a foil lined cookie sheet and stuck them in the freezer for a little bit. I also used the Wilton brownie pops silicone mold, and filled that up as well. (these were the princess's skirts) They were a bit harder to unmold, and with a little reshaping once they were out, the shape was perfect for some beautiful gowns.

While my cake balls were chilling, I took that time to decide what supplies I would use and incorporate.

A word to the wise, get yourself the pops decorating stand, it truly is a lifesaver! I've tried using the styrofoam blocks when creating confections on a stick, and Wilton really got it right with their stand. It wipes down easily with a wet cloth for easy cleanup too. I'll be getting a lot of use out of it!

And let the fun begin! Here are my chilled cake balls and the pink vanilla floavored chocolate candy melts beginning to melt in my chocolate pro - which I have set on "melt". (You can also set to "warm" when the chocolate is melted to maintain temperature desired for dipping. This thing rocks!)

It takes about 10 minutes or so to melt an entire bag of candy melts.

Before placing the sticks in each cake ball, dip the tip of the stick in the melted chocolate.

Push the stick into a cake ball, but be careful not to go all the way through to the bottom.

I put sticks in each cakeball before starting to dip each one. This allows time for the chocolate to act as glue.  Then I dipped each cake ball into the melted chocolate, being careful not to move it around too much as that would loosen the stick. Be sure to let the dipped pop drip off as much chocolate as it can before inserting it into the cake stand to set up.  If you are going to cover the dipped ball in sprinkes, now would be the time to do so.

*I have to apologize now, because I had so much fun dipping, and sprinkling, and decorating, I totally forgot to take any more photos of the actual dipping, and sprinkling, and decorating! OOPS! Sorry!

But here is what I came up with:

To make the princess pops, I used Wilton's Princess Pop Fun Pix and inserted them into the bottom of the pop (or stick side up). Remember, these were shaped using the brownie silicone pan, then dipped in chocolate just like the balls.  To finish them, I whipped up some Royal Icing, using some ingredients on hand - confectioners sugar, Wilton's meringue powder and water. (follow instructions for meringue powder if you aren't familiar)  I put the icing into a piping bag and used several different decorating tips, (attached with a coupler to make changing the tips a breeze) and piped different designs on each Princess's dress. That was the best part!

I used the sprinkle technique to make some of the other cake pops, but to make the crowns on the pink pops, I used Wilton's princess royal icing decorations and glued them to the top using the royal icing.

And, if you noticed the cute little stand, it is the two tiered Wilton's pops display stand that I embellished with some pretty ribbon!

and ENJOY!! mmmm

And once again, a big THANKS to Wilton, you guys ROCK!!