football cake pops

Let me introduce you to... cake pops. Adorable bite-sized portions of cake
on a stick. They can be shaped and decorated like just about anything. But since
it's SuperBowl weekend and I have a party to host tomorrow, we are
making footballs. The original cake pop recipe comes from one of my favorite
baking sites, Bakerella. Check out all of her awesome cake pop designs,
and other adorable baked goods.

Here's what you'll need to make about 50 football pops:

- 1 box of chocolate cake mix

- other ingredients needed to bake the cake (usually eggs and oil)

- 1 can of chocolate frosting

- 1 bag of chocolate candy melts 

-microwave-safe container for melting chocolate

- shortening/ Crisco

- 4" paper lollipop sticks

- a big styrofoam block

-candy writer decorating pens 

Bake the cake in a 9 x 13" pan according to the directions on the box.
Let the cake cool completely.

Now the fun starts... Crumble the cake into a large bowl.
The smaller the crumbles the better.

Mix in about half the jar of room temp frosting. It really depends on how moist
your cake already is. Add more if you need it. Use the back of a wooden spoon
to combine, NOT a hand mixer. You want the mixture to be about the same
consistency as cookie dough, moldable but not mushy,

able to hold its own shape but not too dry.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Scoop some "dough" and roll it into a ball
about 1" in diameter. Squash and mold your ball into a football shape.
Fill up the sheet and chill in the fridge.

While the footballs chill, heat up half a bag of the chocolate candy melts. 

Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between.

Be careful not to over-microwave it because it will get dried out.
DON'T add water if this happens. Use the shortening.
 It will thin the candy out and also help when you start dipping.

Pull your footballs out of the fridge.  Dip the end of a lollipop stick about a 1/2"
into the candy. Then stick it into the football. There should be a little puddle of candy
around the base. Wait until it hardens. This will help keep the football "glued"
to the stick while you dip the whole thing.

Dip the footballs in the candy to coat them, tap the stick on the edge of your
container gently to remove the excess coating. Then poke the stick into the styrofoam
block, making sure the pops don't touch each other while they dry.
Aren't they cute already?

In the meantime, you can heat up your candy pens.
Follow the instructions specific to your pens...
usually you set them in some very hot but not boiling water.

Draw on the laces with the white pen.
Use slow movements and even pressure. 

Lay the pops down on a wax-covered baking sheet
to make decorating easier.

Let the laces dry, and that's it!
Football cake pops, perfect for the big game or any tailgate.

But this isn't just any football weekend.... it's the SUPER BOWL!
So I decided to make some extra pops
for people to cheer on their favorite team. Or to eat up the competition...

( I'm cheering for the football. )