Cake poppin’, cocktailin’, & calorie burnin’

Cake pops have been on the scene for a few years now and maybe the rage is exiting stage left.  If you’ve had the pops at a popular coffee establishment –ahem- you’d probably agree that it should make its final exit.  Not a good representation of the cake pop.  However, cake pops will remain a mainstay in this girl’s party & baking fun repertoire forever.  Yes, forever!

But the only cake pops I make (and that’s a total of 3 times) are done Bakerella style.  She’s the gal who has made cake pops for years, but what makes her extra-special is that she has an amazing talent for decorating them.  If you’ve oohed and ahhed at a cake pop at a party, on the cover of a magazine, or on a blog :), chances are the maker got the idea (and method) from Angie of Bakerella Wonderfulness.

But the real reason I love her?  She generously shares ALL her secrets of success–tips, ideas, and methods–thereby making it a breeze to do just what she does.  And no, she does not use that cake pop machine (and you don’t need it either!  Really, it’s so easy).  I had to throw that in there because I’ve heard the rumor spread by haters.

Stop hating, start popping.

And that’s what I did with my friend Sandi on Tuesday.  Sandi fell hard for Bakerella and cake pops a few months ago and when she discovered that I, too, adore them and Big B (that’s what we can call her because Sandi pretty much knows Bakerella now…yea, check out this post and the comments on Sandi’s blog) we decided we needed to make them together.  After setting and resetting a date 47 times–pneumonia, work duties (Sandi, not me), furniture deliveries, overnight crop circles–we finally did it.

I’ve missed Sandi although we only live a handful of miles apart.  Life happens and I haven’t seen Sandi in a loooooong time so I was super excited for this day.  Super-Duper.

 In case the cake pops didn’t work out, I thought I’d bring girlie cocktail ingredients so Sandi’s memory wouldn’t serve her accurately.  Never you mind that it was 10:30 a.m. on a weekday.  Never you mind.

After spazzing out for several minutes, Sandi got to work making fondant shapes for the cake pop chicks we planned to make.  And I sat on a bar stool and jabbered.  Like she was the hardworking bartender with bleeding ears and I the barfly who needed counseling. 

After much talking, cutting, fondant-shaping we finally started dipping the cakeballs Sandi had made the night before.  She’s demonstrating Bakerella’s tapping method.  So technical.

Happiness is cake popping.

 Here’s Sandi’s first ever cake pop

This is why Suddenly Sandi is fun (I shall call her Suddenly Sandi because I think she deserves her own TV show.  Cute & funny=hit sitcom).  The little things excite her just as they do me.  Apology:Sandi, I’m sorry I doubled over in obnoxious laughter when you started prance-dancing with cake pop glee and nearly killed yourself running into the trashcan.  I would’ve called 911 if you needed it. I’m also sorry I’m laughing again as I type this. 

So many calories consumed AND burned that day.

Me getting the candy melts prepped (i.e. dumping them in a bowl).

While our dipped pops dried before we could decorate them, Sandi went to work again (I’m quite the taskmaster) making a lunch of salads (that wasn’t exactly planned…but was a good idea since cake pops were going into my mouth whole) including the delish quinoa salad I talked about here.

And here’s our first cake pop chick.  Aw.  He’s a little messy, but we didn’t care.  We love him for all his deformities. 

Look at how his little behind looks like a chick!  Clearly intentional–that’s how good we are at this.

With his buds.  And I’m particularly enamored with chick on the far right who bears an uncanny resemblance to Steve Martin à la Roxanne.  We ate the really lumpy pops you see in the background.  They had no chance at being cute chicks.

Our cake pops weren’t perfect, but that didn’t matter.  I had a perfect morning catching up with my pal and making chick pops.  We’re planning on another baking day soon.  I wonder what deformed little objects of dough we will come up with.  Munchie ate 2 cake pops and declared them, “So so so so delicious.  I probably should eat more?”  No mistaking she’s my child.

Thanks for a fantastic cake poppin’ day, Sandi!!!