You can make snowman cake pops for Christmas. Image Credit: Jonathan Fong
For your next holiday festivities, you\’ll get anything but a frosty reception with these snowman cake pops. Decked out with a candy hat and scarf, the whimsical snowmen are certain to become the life of the party.
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Making Snowman Cake Pops
Things You\’ll Need
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Two boxes of vanilla cake mix
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Canned vanilla frosting
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1 1/4-inch cookie dough scoop
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White candy melts
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Vegetable shortening
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6-inch treat sticks
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Orange jelly beans
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Edible ink marker, black
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Peach ring candies
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Gummy Life Savers
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Candy sour belts like Rip Rolls
Step 1: Bake the Cakes
Bake two cakes according to the package instructions, and allow them to cool for about an hour. I recommend vanilla cake, as the light color works well for the snowmen.
Step 2: Crumble the Cakes
Scrape off the brown layer on the top, sides and bottom of the cakes. You can discard it, or better yet, snack on it while you\’re assembling the cake pops. Removing the browned portions will help the cake pops have an even color. Then, crumble the cake with your fingers until it has the consistency of moist bread crumbs.
Step 3: Mix in Frosting
To the bowl of cake crumbs, gradually add vanilla frosting, kneading the mixture with your hands. How much frosting you will need depends on how moist your cake is. I used six heaping tablespoons of frosting.
Keep kneading until the mixture resembles a mound of cookie dough.
Step 4: Roll Into Balls
Using a cookie dough scoop with a 1 1/4-inch diameter, scoop portions of the cake mix and roll them between your hands to make a ball shape. To mimic a snowman shape, half the balls should be larger (for the body), and half the balls should be smaller (for the head). To achieve the size difference, scoop a more generous portion of cake mix to make the larger balls, and a smaller portion to make the other balls.
Place them in the freezer for about an hour to allow them to harden.
Step 5: Melt the Coating
The white coating, or \”snow\” on the snowmen, will be created from white candy melts, which you can find in the baking aisle of the crafts store. One 12-ounce package is enough to cover about two dozen snowmen. Melt the candy according to package instructions, either in the microwave or double boiler. The mixture tends to be thick, so add about two tablespoons of vegetable shortening to thin it, making it easier to coat your cake pops.
Step 6: Insert the Sticks
Remove the cake pop balls from the freezer. Dip about 1/2 inch of the treat stick in the melted coating and then insert the stick all the way through one of the smaller balls, extending about 3/4 inches.
Dip 1/2 inch of the stick in the coating again, and insert the stick in one of the larger balls until the two cake balls make contact. The coating acts like a glue, locking in the two parts of the snowman on the stick. Repeat for the rest of the snowmen, and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Step 7: Dip the Snowman
Remove the snowmen cake pops from the freezer. Holding each snowman by the stick, dip it in the melted coating, turning the snowman until it is coated on all sides.
Place the coated snowman on parchment paper with the stick facing up, holding it steady until it stays in position and doesn\’t tip over. While the coating is still wet, insert half an orange jelly bean in the middle of the head for the snowman\’s nose.
Step 8: Draw the Face
Wait for the coating to dry completely and harden. Using a black edible ink marker, draw dots to make two eyes and a mouth.
Step 9: Add a Hat
Because the stick is coming out of the head, the elements we use to make the snowman\’s hat must have a hole in them to accommodate the stick. Fortunately, the perfect hat is easy to make. For the brim of the hat, slide a peach ring candy down the stick. Use a dab of the melted coating as glue to bond the peach ring to the head.
Finish the hat with a Gummy Lifesaver, sliding it down the stick until it rests on top of the peach ring. Place a dab of the melted coating between the candies to glue them together.
Step 10: Add the Scarf
To make sure our snowman is warm, let\’s give him a scarf. To make a scarf, we\’ll use sour belts like Rip Rolls. Sour belts are flat strips of candy that come in rolls. Cut off a 6-inch piece, and then cut that piece in half lengthwise to make it narrower. Drape it around the snowman\’s neck, gluing it to the body of the snowman with a few dabs of the melted coating.
Step 11: Serve Your Snowman Cake Pops
When you\’ve finished all your snowmen, display the cake pops on a platter of shredded coconut, and it will look like they\’re congregating in a winter wonderland.
