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CREATIVE CAKE POP

DECORATING

Module 06

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6. Module 06: Decorating methods and styles

Table of Contents

6. Module 06: Decorating methods and styles ...................................................................................... 1

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................. 1

6.1 Adding the Bells and Whistles ................................................................................................................... 2

6.2 Glazing and Dipping ................................................................................................................................... 3

6.3 Upside down or right-side up? ................................................................................................................... 4

6.4 When to use dye for coloring .................................................................................................................... 4

6.5 Decorating Methods to Try ........................................................................................................................ 5

6.5.1 Sprinkles and Sanding Sugar ............................................................................................................. 6

6.5.2 Delicious Drizzles............................................................................................................................... 7

6.5.3 Candy Coat Swirl ............................................................................................................................... 7

6.5.4 Hand Drawn Decorations .................................................................................................................. 8

6.5.5 Other options for decorating ............................................................................................................ 9

6.6 Creating animal cake pops ....................................................................................................................... 10

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6.1 Adding the Bells and Whistles

We have finally reached the best part of making cake pops. Congratulations on making it this far! Now the

fun really begins.

In module four we will investigate several decorating methods and styles. You will learn tips that will make

decorating a breeze. The following topics are just a few of the ways to decorate cake pops. There are

methods here for all age and skill levels. Once you have practiced these, you will be well on the way to being

a cake pop professional! And you will be coming up with decorating tricks of your own.

Glazing

Upside down or right-side up?

When to use dye for coloring

Decorating methods

Sprinkles and sanding sugar

Drizzle

Candy coat swirl

Hand drawn decorations

Other options for decorating

Creating animal cake pops

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6.2 Glazing and Dipping

In module 3 you learned how to adjust the candy coating to the right consistency for dipping. It should be

thin enough to run smoothly off the spatula, and not so thick that it’s weight will pull the cake pop right off

the stick.

When you have reached the desired consistency, it’s time to get dipping! It’s best to dip your cake pops

when they are slightly chilled, so pop them into the freezer (with the stick in place) for a couple of minutes

if they aren’t already cold. You don’t want them to be completely frozen when you dip, because the coating

will harden too quickly and won’t leave time for decorating.

Before you begin dipping you should have on your table:

Candy coating at the right consistency

Chilled cake pops with stick inserted

A styrofoam block or baking sheet lined with parchment

Paper towels to clean up drips

Toothpicks to fix spots

Decorating supplies such as sprinkles, nuts, etc.

Plate, baking sheet or other tool to collect decorations such as sprinkles

To dip your cake pop, hold the stick firmly, and insert the pop straight down into the candy

coating making sure that it is fully submerged and the coating reaches the stick. You can use a

spatula to guide this process by carefully pushing the coating up around the cake pop. Slowly

remove the cake pop and hold upside down over the bowl to drip. Lightly shake the pop and tap

gently against the side of the bowl to remove the extra coating. Once most has dripped off, you

can begin to twirl the cake pop very slowly over the bowl to let the coating settle evenly and

allow extra coating to continue to drip off. Once you feel satisfied, hold the cake pop upright for

a couple of seconds to make sure that there isn’t too much coating. If it immediately begins to

drip, turn it upside down again and repeat the process. Don’t worry if the candy coating drips

down the lollipop stick a little. It’s very easy to scrape off once dry.

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If you are decorating the cake pop with sprinkles, nuts or something that will need to adhere to

the cake pop, you will want to use these immediately, before the coating hardens.

If you are going to decorate by drawing, or drizzling decorations on later, then let the cake pops

rest and harden before the next step.

Glazing Tip!

If you notice tiny air bubbles or inconsistencies in the coating as it dries, use a toothpick dipped in candy

coating to smooth the uneven surfaces and fill in any holes.

If your cake pop appears lumpy or just uneven after you have dipped it, try applying a second candy coating

to even out the surface and make the cake pop appear more round. Do this the exact same way you did when

dipping for the first time and make sure your candy coating is not too thick!

6.3 Upside down or right-side up?

After you have dipped your cake pop and removed excess coating and decorated (we will go over this soon),

you’ll need to let it sit untouched for at least 10 minutes to harden. Before doing that though, you have a

very important question to answer:

Upside down or Right-side up?

There are two different ways to let your cake pops set up. If you place them into the styrofoam block, they

will harden in a round shape and will look like a perfect little lollipop. This method is how most cake pops

are made.

You also have the option of making an upside down pop, which can have a more elegant look to it. This

method will have a flat bottom, and looks great presented on a plate or in a miniature cupcake liner. If you

go for this method, you’ll want to have a parchment lined baking sheet ready when you are dipping so you

can place the cake pops directly onto it to set up. Make sure you still shake off the extra candy coating,

otherwise you will have a large, unprofessional looking pool of candy around the bottom of your cake pop.

6.4 When to use dye for coloring

Though it is tempting, it is not a good idea to add dyes to candy melts. Most dyes are water based, and will

cause the coating to seize up and become grainy. The color will not mix in well and the result will not be

pleasant. It’s best to buy the candy melts in the color that you want. This is more convenient and will look

better once the pop has dried.

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You can however, use dyes to color your cake before you bake it. Once the cake pops are completely finished,

the cake inside is not visible so it would be a real surprise to bite into the cake pop and see a bright color.

If you are truly unhappy with the candy coating colors that are available, you can still create custom colors

by blending the candy melts together. Most of the colors come in very bright shades. Mixing with white

candy melts will give you a more subdued shade but won’t compromise your candy coating.

Gender Reveal Cake Pops!

Gender reveal cakes are really trending right now. And guess what- so are cake pops! Why not combine the two to create a

super cute and fun gender reveal cake pop. Imagine biting into a beautiful shiny white cake pop to find out whether your

family will be welcoming a boy or a girl. Will the cake inside be pink or blue?!

6.5 Decorating Methods to Try

There are so many fun and unique ways to decorate your cake pops. We are going to go through a variety of

different methods. You are encouraged to try new things and be creative. In section one we covered

choosing a theme. Most likely you will have done some brainstorming before getting to the decorating part.

Maybe you’ve decided to do colorful and fun or simple and elegant. Either way we know your cake inside is

going to taste great!

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6.5.1 Sprinkles and Sanding Sugar

Who doesn’t love sprinkles! They are so cheerful and add instant color and brightness to any project. They

are also one of the easiest decorating tools out there! They look great sprinkled over any color cake pop, not

just white.

There are so many different types of sprinkles out there. There are almost as many different types of

sprinkles as there are cake! And one of those is called sanding sugar. Like regular sugar but finer, sanding

sugar often comes in bright colors but can also be used in its white form for a very elegant finish.

Here are some other popular sprinkle types:

Rainbow jimmies

Confetti sprinkles

Silver, gold or pearl balls (dragees)

Sanding sugar

Heart shaped

Non-pareils

Holiday sprinkles

You really can’t go wrong with sprinkles - now’s your chance to go crazy!

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You saw how we decorated our mini donuts using sprinkles in the last module. To refresh: hold the still wet

cake pop over a clean plate or baking sheet to collect extras and begin to sprinkle the decorations over the

pop evenly. Be generous! Once you are happy with the result then place the cake pop on a parchment

covered sheet or into the styrofoam block and allow to dry completely before handling.

Don’t Waste Your Sprinkles!

When you are sprinkling a decoration over a plate or baking sheet, first line it with parchment so that you can easily funnel

the extras back into the container that they came from. And make sure to use only one kind of decoration at a time

6.5.2 Delicious Drizzles

Adding a drizzle in a contrasting color will add an elegant touch to your cake pops. You can add the drizzle

vertically or horizontally for different effects, and even add some sanding sugar or tiny round sprinkles for

an added effect.

Before you add the drizzle, you will have to first dip the cake pop and let the coating dry. If you are adding a

vertical drizzle, it will be a little messy as you will have to hold the cake pop and drizzle down over your hand.

You could also opt for a horizontal drizzle which is far less messy and looks awesome. Hold the cake pop

horizontally over a sheet of parchment and then drizzle across it, rotating the cake pop as you drizzle.

The candy coating should be a nice thin consistency so that your drizzle doesn’t end up as big blobs on your

cake pop. You can either put some of the coating in a piping bag or cut a very small hole in the tip to drizzle

from. Or use a spoon dipped into the coating and then swing it back and forth over the pop. Either method

is very effective.

If you would like to add a little extra punch, try sprinkling sanding sugar over the drizzle. Because the original

coating will have already set, the sugar will stick only to the wet coating that has just been applied.

6.5.3 Candy Coat Swirl

Using two or more candy coatings in the same bowl can give a beautiful watercolor swirl effect. To do this

you will need at least two colors - I recommend using white as one of them as all of the other options contrast

very well with white.

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1. Prepare the candy melts separately and adjust to the right consistency

2. You will have one base color and one swirl color. Drizzle the swirl color into the bowl of the base

color just onto the top- do not stir! Be generous with the color.

3. Dip the cake pop straight down into the candy coating, twirling as it is submerged. The twirling

will help give the finish a more swirled appearance.

4. Remove the candy pop from the coating and remove excess as usual.

5. Let dry

If you are using white as your base color, be very generous with the contrasting color that you add to the

bowl. This swirl effect is a subtle one. If you want a more dramatic effect, try using a bright color such as pink

as your base color.

6.5.4 Hand Drawn Decorations

Hand drawn decorations are a piece of cake when you have edible ink pens! The fine tip allows you to create

very detailed drawings on the cake pop. These pens come in a variety of colors, are very affordable and can

be found online or in most baking shops.

Using a pen is especially useful when you are drawing an animal face on a cake pop and want to be very

precise. You must make sure that the candy coating is completely dry before using a edible ink pen on your

cake pop. Keep reading to watch how we make these cute kitty pops!

You can also use an edible pen to draw some of these fun items on your cake pop:

Flowers

Hearts

Balloons

Polka dots

Written messages

Thin swirls and decorative shapes

Animal faces

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6.5.5 Other options for decorating

By now you are probably getting the idea that there is are endless options for decorating your cake pops.

Try using a variety of different colors to dip and decorate your cake pops.

Instead of using sprinkles, why not use one of the following ingredients on your cake pops for a more adult

finish:

Slivered almonds

Toasted shredded coconut

Shaved chocolate

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Minced almonds or pistachios

Crushed dehydrated rose petals

You could also use a small food safe paintbrush to paint on edible gold or silver dust for a beautiful shiny

finish. This should be done once the candy coating has had time to completely harden.

Another beautiful option is to place an edible flower on the cake pop as the candy coating is drying.

6.6 Creating animal cake pops

Animal cake pops may be the most adorable of all cake pops but all of that detail requires a lot of work.

Follow these steps to make a replica of our furry friends that you can eat:

1. Prepare cake and buttercream and roll cake pops into round or slightly oval shapes

2. Chill

3. Insert the lollipop stick

4. Use miniature white chocolate chips (or regular chocolate if you will be dipping in chocolate

candy coating) to attach ears to the head. Do this by applying just a dab of candy coating to the

very base of the mini chocolate chip and then placing that near the top of the cake ball- where

an animal’s ears would be.

5. Let the cake pop sit for a moment so that the coating hardens and the ears are secure

6. Dip the entire cake pop into candy coating and place in styrofoam block to dry

7. Use an edible ink pen, or toothpick to draw on an animal face

8. Let dry for at least 10 minutes

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Some things to keep in mind:

Though it is possible to pipe on animal features, or use a toothpick or tiny paintbrush, edible

pens will allow you to use the most precision.

Edible pen work shows up best on white candy coating. If you are using brown and want white

detail you will have to use the toothpick or paintbrush method or even use tiny bits of white

fondant rolled very thinly.

Even with an edible pen, drawing on a cake pop is not easy! It takes practice and patience so

don’t get frustrated if your first attempt doesn’t turn out as planned.

Try dipping one corner or “ear” in chocolate coating to create a cute spotted effect.