Caterpillar Cake Pops
-
-
Cake pops are a fun and creative way to serve cake. The cake and frosting are combined to form any shape you'd like, then dunked in chocolate or candy coating and served on a stick. Forming these cake pops into the shape of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a whimsical and exciting take on a birthday cake.
-
-
Amanda Haas is a cookbook writer, recipe developer, and founder of the website One Family One Meal.
-
“Since they're smaller than a serving of cake, I love these for parties with young children. They get the fun of a sweet treat without overdoing it.
”
Ingredients
- 1 box white or yellow cake mix (or homemade cake), baked and cooled in a 9 x 13" pan
- 1/2-3/4 cup vanilla or cream cheese frosting
- 2 14-oz. bags green candy melts (available at crafts stores and baking supply stores)
- 1 14-oz. bag red candy melts
- Decorations for the caterpillar's face: Candy “eyes” or yellow and green fruit candy strips for the eyes, sour candy straws for the antennae, fruit candy strips for the mouth.
Equipment (available at crafts stores and baking supply stores)
- 24 lollipop sticks
- 1 foam brick, green if possible, at least 8 x 4"
- Green moss
- Craft glue
- Happy birthday letters
Preparation
When the cake has cooled, use your hands to crumble it into a large mixing bowl. The crumbs should be no larger than the size of peas. Add 1/2 cup of the frosting and stir to combine. To see if the cake pops will hold their shape, pinch a piece of the cake mixture between your fingers. If it sticks together, it's perfect. If not, add another 1/4 cup frosting and stir to combine.
Using a small ice cream scoop or your hands, form 1 1/2-inch balls of cake. Place them on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Make at least 1 dozen small cake balls for the caterpillar's body, then use a larger ice cream scoop or your hands to form a 2 1/2-inch ball for the head. (Make an extra one if they're fragile.) Once all of the balls have been formed, place them in the freezer for 1-3 hours.
Before removing the cake balls from the freezer, melt the green candy melts in a glass bowl in the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between until they're melted. (It should take 60-120 seconds total.) To form the cake pops, dip the end of one lollipop stick 1/2" into the candy melts. Poke the stick into a cake pop, making sure it only goes halfway through. (This will help the pop adhere to the stick.) Then dunk the entire pop into the melted green candy, and gently spin the pop over the bowl to remove any excess drips. Poke the lollipop stick into the Styrofoam to let the cake pop dry. Repeat with the remaining cake pops, then melt the red candy melts to complete the caterpillar's head. Once the candy coating has dried, decorate the head. Cut the straws into 3-inch pieces. Run a toothpick through each one, then use the bottom of the toothpick to attach the antennae to the head. Cut the candy strips into the shape of the eyes and mouth, then attach with a little bit of frosting.
Once the pops have set and are placed in the Styrofoam, glue the moss around the brick, then attach the letters of “Happy Birthday”, if using. Allow glue to dry before presenting the caterpillar.
