Reindeer Cake Pops

For Christmas this year I decided to make festive Rudolph the red nosed reindeer cake pops! 

The following recipe makes 40-50 cake pops.

Materials:
-Make your favorite chocolate cake or use a box mix (about 9 cups crumbled cake)
-1.5 cups frosting (I used this Brownie Batter frosting)
-Mini Pretzels
-Wilton Candy Eyeballs (You can find them at a local craft store or Amazon)
-Lollipop sticks
-2 bags chocolate melts
-Christmas M&Ms (Red ones only)


Directions:
Bake the cake and allow to cool completely before crumbling into a large bowl. While the cake cools separate the red M&Ms for the nose.  If you want some non-Rudolph reindeer you could used brown M&Ms for the noses.  Next prep the pretzels by gently breaking or cutting in half.

 I baked my cake in a foil lined 13 x 9 pan so that it could be pulled out easily.

Mix crumbled cake (~9 cups cake) and 1.5 cups of frosting in a large bowl by hand.  To make uniform sized balls use a 1in cookie scoop then roll them in your hands to make them more round.

Refrigerate cake balls while you melt the chocolate to help them hold shape. Next dip the sticks in the melted dark chocolate and stick into the bottom of the cake balls.  Lay gently on a  cookie sheet and place in the freezer to allow the cake balls to harden and the chocolate to cool.

You can melt the chocolate melts in the microwave, but I like to use my Wilton Chocolate Melting Pot.  also recommend adding a little vegetable oil to the chocolate to make it smoother and help to coat the cake pops.

After dipping the cake pops into the melted chocolate  gently shake off most of the excess chocolate. Add the eyes and the M&M nose and gently push the ends of the halved pretzels into the top of the cake pop. Make sure to attach the M&Ms with the Ms facing in towards the cake pop. If standing them up in a cake pop in a holder allow chocolate to harden enough for the eyes and nose to affix to the front of the cake pop.


There are several cake pop holders now available, but I decided to make my own which I knew would be sturdy.  Check out my previous blog post to find out how I made it: Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake Pops

 

You can use a talk cake or cupcake carrier to carry them:

 

 Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!

These Reindeer cake pops are almost too cute to eat!!

Pinot Noir Cupcakes

What is better than wine and cupcakes?  Wine IN cupcakes!  Pinot Noir pairs nicely with chocolate. 

Cake Ingredients:
Devil's Food Cake mix
1 1/4 cup Pinot Noir
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
4 eggs
1 Cup Chocolate Chips, dusted in flour

Frosting Ingredients:
6 cups Powered Sugar
1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter
3/8 cup Pinot Noir
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Red Food coloring

For the cake you can simply use a chocolate cake mix or your favorite recipe and replace the water with the Pinot Noir or another Red wine of your choice.  Combine all cake ingredients except for the chocolate chips.  Mix on low speed until combined, then mix for about 2 minutes on medium speed.  Mix in the flour coated chocolate chips (the flour coat will help keep the chocolate chips from sinking).  Next scoop the batter into two cupcake pans lined with cupcake wrappers.  Bake according to directions, typically 350 degrees for about 25-30 min would be appropriate.

To prepare the frosting use a stand mixer to combine the powdered sugar and unsalted butter.  Next add the wine, vanilla and red food coloring.  If the frosting seems too thin gradually add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Next fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1 M star tip with frosting.  Pipe onto the cupcakes once they are completely cool.  I finished my cupcakes with some chocolate sprinkles.

Enjoy these adult cupcakes responsibly!  They will definitely help keep you warm on these cold nights.