DIY: Labbit Cake Pops

In the past the labbits have made a labbit shaped carrot cake, snow labbits (a couple times, here and here), labbit butt cookies...it seems the labbits are really into...themselves. This past weekend, Ted got ambitious and decided to try making labbit cake pops. What's a cake pop? It's a small cake on a stick, and they're oh so cute! Ted learned a lot from his first attempt at making cake pops, most important is that you should get the hang of making simple cake pops before getting into something elaborate like a shaped labbit. His labbits came out a bit lumpier than he would have liked, and if he had practiced first, maybe these guys would have come out nice enough to give away as gifts. (Hmmm, or did he do it on purpose so he could keep them all to himself? Nom nom nom!)

You might want to go with box cake and store bought frosting because if you are experimenting for the first time, you might not want to invest the time and money making your own cake and frosting from scratch. If you're quite confident or have all day, then hey, go for cake from scratch!

Ted was disappointed in the edible ink pens he bought from Wilton. They didn't write well at all! Bakerella likes to use Americolor brand edible ink pens, so Ted will have to try making cake pops again using those pens. Looking at Bakerella's cake pops, the ink goes on so deep and rich and smooth, just like drawing with a Sharpie! (Okay, so Bakerella is THE expert on cake pops and she's been doing it for years, but still, Ted's going to blame at least some of this on not having the right tools.)

Look for Americolor Edible Ink Pens. These two options did not work well.

Well, enough complaining about how they didn't come out perfect, they're still pretty cute and they're quite tasty! If you give these a try, take a photo and share it with the labbits on their facebook page. You can print out a text version of the recipe (without all the cute, adorable pictures, sigh) here. Here's how Ted (and Pipkin's little brother Pipsqueak) made them:

Happy Labbit & Smorkin' Labbit Cake Pops

Some of the supplies you'll need. Note: those treat bags are too small, you'll need bigger ones.

You'll need a 9"x13" prepared cake, cooled, and some cake frosting.

What you'll need:
1 9"x13"cake, baked and cooled, any flavor (Ted made dark chocolate)
Cake Frosting, any flavor (Ted used dark chocolate)
6" Candy sticks (Ted found these in the cake decorating section of a craft store)
Candy melts, white
Mini marshmallows
Raw almonds, unsalted
Raw peanuts, unsalted or lightly salted
Chocolate cake/cookie icing
Icing tip (Ted used Wilton tip #14)
Box of candy cigarettes
Edible Cake Decorating Pen (try Americolor brand. The Wilton brand pens were terrible)
Cellophane treat bags
Twine, twist ties, or ribbon
Block of foam and saran wrap

Preparation:

In a food processor, crumble the prepared cake until you get fine crumbs.

From this...

...to this.

Clean those paws, it's time to mush some cake! Place the crumbs in a large bowl and add in frosting, a little at a time, and mix into your crumbled cake. You want a texture that will form cake balls, but isn't too wet and sticky. It should still be able to crumble. Ted started with 1/4 cup of frosting, and then added another 1/8 cup. Play around with the amount until you get a texture that holds together but is moldable. Working with clean paws (or hands, as the case may be) allows you to get a sense of whether the dough will hold together or not.

Pipsqueak is our muse. Try to roll your labbit bodies smoother than Ted has done.

Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to measure out your dough, and roll the cake mixture into an oval shape with your clean paws for the labbit body. Set aside on a cookie sheet.

Pipsqueak models the nutty features of the labbit cake pop.

Here's what the cake pop looks like before dipping.

For the ears, gently push an almond into the labbit body. Repeat, for the second ear. For labbit feet, gently push a peanut into the bottom of the labbit body. Repeat for each foot. When you dip these labbits into the candy melts, you'll be dipping them upside down. This means you'll want to reinforce the almond ears so they don't fall into the hot candy melt.

Melt a small amount of candy melts according to the directions on the package. You can melt them in the microwave or in a double boiler.  Dip the end of the almond into the candy melt, then insert into the hole you made in the body. It's like gluing the ear into place!

Doddy Blue took one look and said it looks like a cold, brutal, medieval death sentence.

Next, take your lollipop sticks, dip the ends into the candy melts, and gently insert them into the labbit bodies, about 2/3 of the way through. Again, the candy melts act as a glue for the lolly sticks. Stand the cake pops on a foam block wrapped in saran wrap, and pop the tray into the refrigerator to firm up for about 60 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Snap the candy cigarettes into 1" pieces. These will be the smorks. Cut the mini marshmallows in half. These will be labbit tails. Melt the remaining candy melts in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour the melted icing into a bowl that will allow your pop to be fully submerged while dipped, at least 2" deep.

Gently tap off excess candy melt.

Carefully dip each cake pop fully into the candy melts, including a bit of the stick. Gently spin or tap the cake pop to allow excess candy melt to drip off. While still wet, stick on a half mini marshmallow for a tail.

For a smorkin' labbit, dip the end of the candy cigarette into the labbit's face low and to the side. Remove the candy cigarette, dip, then reinsert the candy cigarette into the labbit and add the marshmallow tail. Stand the dipped cake pop into the foam tray. Repeat for all labbits. Pop the tray once more into the refrigerator and leave them to set.

Once they've set, you can draw on the eyes, stubble and buttholes with your edible ink pen. Pipsqueak couldn't get the Wilton pens to write very well, so Ted hopped out and got him some black gel icing. Pipsqueak dipped a toothpick into the icing and drew on the eyes, stubble and buttholes. Don't forget the signature Kozik K for the smorkin' labbits!

For mustaches, attach an icing tip to your tube of cake frosting or your piping bag. Draw on a mustache, and allow to set.

If you're giving these away, you can wrap each in a cellophane bag and secure with a bit of ribbon or a twist tie. Store in an airtight container in a single layer. ENJOY!!

Yield: One 9"x13" cake will make about 20 1.5" labbit cake pops.