Red Velvet Cake Pops Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter as directed on package; stir in food coloring. Bake as directed on package for 13x9-inch cake. Cool completely.
• Crumble cake into large bowl. Mix cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add to cake crumbs; mix well. Shape into 56 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min.
• Melt semi-sweet chocolate, then white chocolate as directed on packages; pour each into separate medium bowl. Immediately add 1-1/2 tsp. shortening to chocolate in each bowl; stir until shortening is completely melted and mixture is well blended.
• Cover rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Remove cake balls from freezer in small batches. Insert lollipop stick into center of each ball. Dip, 1 at a time, into one of the melted chocolate mixtures, turning to evenly coat each ball with chocolate, then place, stick side up, on prepared baking sheet and top with sprinkles.
• Refrigerate 15 min. or until firm.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, egg whites, food color and cocoa with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
• Bake and cool as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Crumble cake into large bowl. Add frosting; mix well. Shape into 1 1/2-inch balls; place on cookie sheet. Freeze until firm; keep refrigerated.
• In microwavable bowl, microwave candy coating and shortening uncovered on Medium (50%) 2 minutes, then in 15-second intervals, until melted; stir until smooth. Dip tip of 1 lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into melted coating and insert stick into 1 cake ball no more than halfway. Repeat. Return cake pops to cookie sheet. Refrigerate 5 minutes. Remove from refrigerator a few at a time. Dip each cake ball into melted coating to cover; tap off excess. Poke opposite end of stick into foam block. Sprinkle with red sugar. Let stand until set.

Steps:

• After the cake has been cooled place it into a stand mixer.
• Add the cream cheese.
• Mix on medium until combined.
• Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Roll about a tablespoon into a ball. Repeat until of the mixture is finished.
• Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.
• Now, Dip a popsicle stick into the chocolate just to coat a bit of the bottom.
• Place it into the cake ball.
• Repeat until all balls have a stick.
• Dip each pop into the chocolate and let the extra chocolate drip off.
• Repeat.
• Place in freezer until ready to serve.
• Best served with coffee and frozen.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour three 9 by 1 1/2-inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
• Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
• Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
• Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the Cream Cheese Frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.
• In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
• Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Steps:

• Before you begin, you will need to gather the following tools: Nonstick baking spray, silicone popsicle mold, toothpicks, butter knife or fondant tools, wax paper, thin black food safe marker, food safe brushes, 2 piping bags, small round piping tips (I used Wilton #1 & 2), small open star piping tip (I used Wilton 16), any couplers necessary, and a lightweight or fondant rolling pin. *If you'd like to make the white icing from scratch please see the buttercream recipe with my mermaid cake pops. .
• To make the cake pops, preheat the oven to 350°F Spray your silicone molds generously with nonstick baking spray, and place them on a baking sheet. In a large mixing bowl add the cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, and red food coloring, and whisk together for 2 minutes. Fold in the crushed peppermint candy. Transfer the batter to either a piping bag or large zip top bag, and cut a small corner off. Pipe the batter into each popsicle mold filling a little less than halfway, then insert the sticks. Bake for 12- 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes in the mold before gently removing and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. .
• Melt 1 bag of red candy melts at a time in a small heatproof jar (easier for dipping). Start with heating them for 1 minute, in the microwave, at 50% power, and then decrease the time to 30 second intervals, at 50% power, stirring between each interval until the melts are smooth. If they are still lumpy after completely melting you can stir in either paramount crystals (this is what I use) or vegetable oil 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach a smooth consistency. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon peppermint candy oil (per bag of candy melts). Carefully dip each cake pop into the candy shell allowing the excess to drip off, before placing them on a piece of wax paper to set. I like to dip each cake pop twice for an even and smooth coating (toothpicks work great to pop any air bubbles or smooth out any smudges while chocolate is setting).
• Time to turn them into nutcrackers! Roll your different shades of fondant out to 1/8 inch thick. Use either a fondant tool or butter knife to cut a rectangle out of the fondant so that it'll cover about half of the cake pop. Smooth it over the top half of your cake pop, using a little water, if needed, to help it to stick. Repeat with the rest of the skin tones and cake pops. .
• To make the decorations simpler I am breaking them up into as many little steps as possible, starting with the helmets. Use a toothpick as a guide to section off the rounded top of the fondant covered pop for the top of the helmut, and paint it with the edible gold paint. Roll out the rest of the light fondant, and cut an oval shape, almost like an eye with the pointed corners, for the front of each helmet. Attach below the section you just painted. Paint this piece gold as well. Attach 3 of the gold dragees while the paint is still tacky - 1 to the top middle of the front you just attached, and 1 on either side where the front of the helmet meets the side of the cake pop. (The paint will take a bit of time to air dry, so we will work carefully around it for the next steps). .
• Roll a tiny ball of the black fondant between your fingers to form a small log. Place it down on wax paper, and use 2 fingers to carefully squeeze the sides in to form the shape of the tassels (or plumes) for the tops of the hats. Attach to the top of every helmet (use a little water if needed). Attach a small round piping tip to the black decorating icing, and pipe a line following the curve above where you attached the fondant for the hat, and then another right below it. You can add sideways "v" designs on either side of the sprinkle in the middle to complete the helmets (please see my image for further explanation).
• Next, I like to use a toothpick to carefully outline the sleeves as well as the design in the middle of each jacket. My jacket and helmet designs were inspired by the Nutcracker's costume in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, please see my images for guidance on replicating the look, or feel free to create your own design. .
• Now for my favorite part of all, the hair (it's super fun and easy thanks to that open star tip)! Fit your second piping bag with the open star tip, and add the white frosting. Beginning on either side of the rim of the hat, pipe and release 2-3 lines of frosting to look like the hair coming out from under the helmet. Then, pipe and swirl the frosting to create the curls, Repeat on both sides of the face.
• Use the black decorating icing and small round tip to add the eyes, noses, and mouths to each nutcracker. I like to change the faces for each cake pop to give them a bit more personality. You can add tiny highlights to any of the open eyes with the white frosting. For the nutcrackers with only a mustache I added noses and mouths, but I skipped this step if I was going to give them beards.
• Add mustaches to all of the characters by beginning right below the nose and piping one side of the mustache, then the other, with the white frosting. Wait until the jackets are complete to add the beards. You can also use the pink decorating icing, and a small round piping tip to create cheeks just under the eyes on each. .
• Paint the design in the middle of the jacket. Then use the black decorating icing to pipe around it, as well as to pipe the outline for each sleeve. Pipe the sleeve designs as I did, or get creative with your own. Wait at least 15 minutes for the black icing to set a little before using a thin brush to paint the gold over it. Add 2 gold dragees for buttons (you can use the white frosting, if needed, to attach them).
• Add the hands to each nutcracker using the same skin tone fondant as you did for the top of the cake pop. Just roll 2 little balls of the fondant and use a little water to attach them at the bottom of each sleeve. Now is the time to add your beards if you'd like. I created the cute nutcracker teeth using a little white fondant shaped like a semi circle, and I drew the teeth with the food marker before adding the mouth just below the mustache.
• For a fancy (and yummy) final touch I piped a little more of the white frosting across the bottom of each cake pop and sprinkled them with extra crushed peppermint. Now you have an army of cute nutcrackers all dressed up and ready to attend any holiday party!

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of two 20cm cake tins with baking parchment - if your cake tins are quite shallow, line the sides to a depth of at least 5cm.
• Put half each of the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well. If there are any lumps in the sugar, squeeze these through your fingers to break them up.
• Mix half each of the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, food colouring and 100ml water in a jug. Add 2 eggs and whisk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until well combined. The cake mixture should be bright red, it will get a little darker as it cooks. If it's not as vivid as you'd like, add a touch more colouring. Pour the cake mixture evenly into the two tins, and bake for 25-30 mins, or until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the baking parchment and leave to cool.
• Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the remaining ingredients, so you have four sponge cakes in total. Can be made up to three days ahead and will stay moist if wrapped in cling film, or you can wrap well and freeze for up to two months.
• To make the icing, put the butter in a large bowl and sieve in half the icing sugar. Roughly mash together with a spatula, then whizz with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the soft cheese and vanilla, sieve in the remaining icing sugar, mash together again, then blend once more with the hand mixer.
• To assemble the cake, stick one of the sponges to a cake stand or board with a little of the soft cheese icing. Use roughly half the icing to stack the remaining cakes on top, spreading a generous amount between each layer. Pile the remaining icing on top of the assembled cake, and use a palette knife to ease it over the edges, covering the entire surface of the cake. Tidy the plate with a piece of kitchen paper. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days, but bring back to room temperature for an hour or so before eating.This recipe was refreshed in July 2018 based on user feedback. For the original recipe, see our beetroot cake.