For An All-American Kid...Happy Birthday, Reed!

Happy 9th Birthday, Reed! I hope you enjoyed your Birthday Treats!

This assortment of cake pops were created as a gift for a friend's son's birthday. I love the opportunity to be creative with the ingredients I already have. I have sprinkles, jimmies, non-pareils,  and sugar crystals in an assortment of colors. I also have the larger "balls" you see in the pictures which are considered sugar pearls. You actually see three different sizes in the picture below. The little ones are called non-pareils. The other ones are just two different sizes of the sugar pearls for which I had to go to two different locations to find!

Pictured are the 5 different ways I used the Red, White and Blue theme. First, there is the cake ball dipped in red with white non-pareils. Then there is the one dipped in red with just sugar crystals on top and then a sapphire blue sugar crystal sprinkled as a ring around the cake pop. Those were Strawberry Cake Pops. The beautiful bold blue candy melts turned out to be very nice. There is the blue with just the white pearlized jimmies. There is the blue with an orbit of large sugar crystals around the cake pop, then topped with a red swirl. Then there is the blue with the larger white sugar crystals with a red drizzle on the under part of the cake pop. THAT was a fun one to create. The blue ones were Vanilla Cake Pops.

 

The birthday boy is fond of sports so I figured an All-American All-Stars kind of theme for the decor. In addition, Independence Day is just around the corner.

I typically wrap each cake pop individually unless it is specifally requested to NOT do so. I order these 4 X 5 cello bags by the 5000Q from Uline and the bags end up being less than one cent a piece. You just have to order that many and remember where you keep them! Hahaha!

Pink is for Girls...Baby Shower!

Pink for a Girl's Baby Shower! Just Lovely!

For sure, I love when I get orders that challenge my creativity. These cake pops were a special request of a friend of a friend (THANK YOU Natalina AND of course, TARA!!)...for the request. I hope your guests enjoyed them just as much as I enjoyed making them!

The request was for Red Velvet and White Cake Pops. I have to say that the simple White Cake Pops are one of my favorite flavors! I used a white candy melt, but blended it with a few darker candy melts to get more of a 'cream' color than the original bright white. Then I dipped the bottoms in pink for baby girl, and adorned with small sugar crystals. I actually did have to shop around a bit for the right size sugar crystals. My! The varieties of sprinkles etc. out there are many!

These cake pops were decorated with a pink ribbon tied to the stick. To distinguish which were Red Velvet and which were White Cake, I simply colored the end of the lollipop stick with a red sharpie for the Red Velvet cake pops- subtle and did the job!

When I remember to, I try to grab some ribbon and props for the cake pop photo shoots! The little details add something special, doncha think? Well, regardless, it's fun for me! Welcome to the world Baby Girl! 

Happy Graduation to my Nephew!

This past weekend, my nephew graduated from High School, yes my alma mater, Milpitas High School in California! It was so nice to be there this past weekend and to reminisce for a moment, seeing the school campus and all the places I used to hang out with my fellow Trojans! The hill, the senior glen, the grass area at the amphitheater, the library where there once was a PAYPHONE, the lines to buy my regular a la carte chocolate brownie cookie and peanuts & raisins pack. I did that almost everyday!

These simple cake pops are choclate cake with a dark chocolate candy melt and rainbow assorted non-pareils. These tiny ball sprinkles add a nice crunch to the texture as you bite into it. Yes, I know I keep sharing my simple cake balls dipped in candy melts with sprinkles on top. Sometimes simple is good. Less is more. However, stay tuned for some varieties as well!

Ube Cake Pops....Yum and Yum!

Ube is a purple yam that is popularly used in many Filipino desserts and breads. It is different from the purple potato or purple sweet potato. Sometimes, you can find the ube ingredient in a powder form to prepare and mix with your heart's desire of a treat!

These treats were created for my cousin who won a Facebook contest I threw together. I will not share my special secrets on this recipe, but he knows! LOL

The nice thing about the Ube Cake Pops is that they are not too sweet.  I have a big sweet tooth, yet occasionally enjoy and appreciate mild sweet (if that makes sense.) Plus the purple color of the sprinkles I found on Etsy is really nice and bold. I, however, did not take pics of the inside of the cake pops itself which closely matches the color of the sprinkles. Next time, I'll remember!

So, if you are feeling a little ube, you can find Ube Mamon cakes, Ube Ice Cream, Ube crackers, Ube Cake, Ube breads, OH SO MANY yummy things in the Filipino Dessert aisle for ube! I liken it to a coconutty flavor, but that may be because it is many times mixed with a macapuno.  Uh-oh, I'm craving! Ube Cake Pops! Yummsters! And Congrats, James!