Strawberry-Shaped Cake Pops

The following will also be required in order to complete the recipe:

Leaf decorating tip, disposable piping bag (or a Ziploc works, too),
toothpicks, a large styrofoam block (for cake pops), 48 lollipop sticks (for cake pops) or 48 mini cupcake liners (for cake balls).

1. Mix and bake cake as directed on the packaging. Allow to cool completely. While cake is still in the pan, cut the cake into 4 sections. Remove the first section and crumble it into a large bowl so that there are no large pieces remaining, only cake crumbs. Repeat this process with the remaining three sections.

2. With a spatula, scoop ¾ of the can of frosting into the bowl of cake crumbs, and mix well. Do not use the entire can or the mixture will be too wet.

3. Use a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion out 48 balls. As you scoop them, roll each one between your hands to form a smooth ball, and then use your fingers to create a strawberry shape. Lay them onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet as you go. Once you have shaped all 48 balls, put the cookie sheets into the refrigerator for 20 minutes (or in the freezer for 10 minutes) to firm them up. If you put them in the freezer, be sure you don’t allow them to freeze!!

4. Pour the first bag of red candy melts into a heatproof plastic bowl and melt according to package instructions. Each package will coat approximately 24 pops/balls, so prepare the second package when needed. When ready, remove the first cookie sheet from the refrigerator or freezer.

5. For cake pops, stick a lollipop stick into the bottom of the ball no more than half-way through. In one motion, fully submerge the cake ball in the melted candy. Remove and allow excess candy to drip back into the bowl. Then stick the pop upright into the styrofoam block to dry.

6. Repeat this process with remaining pops and remaining melted red candy melts.

7. For cake balls, have wax paper laid out on the counter or on a cookie sheet. Place the ball into the bowl of melted candy, and use a tablespoon to cover the ball in the melted candy. Try not to move the ball so that pieces of cake do not mix into the melted candy. Scoop the ball out of the candy and tap your spoon lightly on the side of the bowl to remove the excess candy and create a smooth texture. Hold the spoon at an angle over the wax paper until the ball falls onto it. If you are having trouble, use a toothpick to help it off of the spoon. If there is excess candy around the strawberry, use a toothpick to separate it, by “drawing a line” around the strawberry – so that once it dries, the excess will not be attached.

8. Repeat this process for remaining balls.

9. Once the red candy has dried, place ½ of the green candy melts into the piping bag or Ziploc baggie. Heat according to package instructions. Allow to cool slightly, then insert the leaf decorating tip onto the piping bag. Pipe 4 leaves onto the cake pops, or 3 leaves (leaving the back side plain) on the cake balls. Place the cake pops back into the Styrofoam or onto the wax paper to dry.

10. Once this layer is dry, use the black (or white) decorating gel or edible marker to place black dots (seeds) onto the strawberries. For the cake pops decorate all sides, for the cake balls only decorate the top. The black decoration gel does not dry completely, so be careful when storing and/or transporting!

11. For the cake balls, once you have added the “seeds” place each strawberry into a cupcake liner for storage/presentation.