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Cake Pop Bouquet

This cake pop bouquet is a really cute and easy Valentine’s Day gift idea! Made with boxed cake mix and a 5 minute homemade buttercream frosting, it’s one you’ll want to share with loved ones this holiday! 
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 cake pops

Equipment

  • cake pop sticks
  • floral piping tip
  • piping bags

Ingredients
  

For the Cake Pops

  • 1 (13.25 oz) boxed cake mix eliminate the oil and substitute water for milk
  • 4 Tbsp (56g) chocolate chips melted, for dipping cake pop sticks
  • 3/4 cup -1 cup (170g-210g) homemade buttercream

For the American Buttercream

  • 2 cups (440g) (4 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 8 cups (810g) powdered sugar 10x sifted is the best
  • 2 Tbsp (30ml) heavy cream or milk

Instructions
 

For the Cake Pops

  • Make the cake according to the boxed instructions making sure to eliminate the oil and swap water for milk to elevate the flavor!
  • Remove from the oven and allow cakes to cool completely.
  • While the cakes are baking and cooling, prepare the buttercream.

For the Buttercream

  • Beat 2 cups (440g) of room temperature butter on medium speed with a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth (about 30-45 seconds).
  • Add in 8 cups (810g) of powdered sugar cup by cup while mixing on low speed. Do this carefully, it can make a mess.
  • Increase the speed to medium once most of the powdered sugar is incorporated and add in 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt.
  • Add 2 Tbsp (30ml) of heavy cream or milk to the frosting and continue mixing for 2-3 minutes until the frosting has lightened in color and is fluffy. Turn speed to low to release any air bubbles that accumulated in the beating process.
  • Reserve 3/4c-1c (170g-210g) of buttercream to mix with the cake to create the cake pops. Divide the remaining buttercream to color it by removing about 1/4 of the what remains out for a darker color and leaving the rest for a lighter color.
  • Color the buttercream as you desire. I chose a light pink and a dark pink to create some dimension in the flowers.
  • Place the floral piping tip in a piping bag and then place the two colored buttercreams into two different piping bags without tips. Cut about ¼ inch of the tips of the two piping bags with buttercream in them. 
  • Take the darker buttercream and the piping bag fitted with the floral piping tip and pipe a line of dark colored buttercream vertically up the bag, aligned with the skinny, pointed edge of the floral tip. 
  • Take the lighter buttercream and pipe it into the bag fitted with the floral tip around the darker line of buttercream (essentially fill the rest of the bag with the lighter color). Secure the bag with a rubber band or clip. 

For the Assembly

  • Break apart the cooled cakes and mix them in a stand mixer, or by hand until there are no more large pieces of cake left.
  • Mix in 3/4c (170g) of the reserved buttercream. Once everything is mixed together, see if you can grab some cake pop mix and squeeze it in your hand. If it stays together without a problem, begin to form the cake pops, if it doesn't, add another 1/4c (40g) of buttercream and mix once more.
  • Melt 4 Tbsp (56g) of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, removing and stirring between each time in the microwave.
  • Use a 2" cookie scoop or a Tablespoon scooped twice to scoop out the cake pop mixture and roll it into a ball. If you are weighing for accuracy each cake pop should come out between 45g-50g.
  • Grab a cake pop stick and dip it into the melted chocolate, then into the cake pop and place it cake pop facing down, into a tray that will fit into your freezer.
  • Repeat the process until all cake pops have been formed and then freeze for at least 30 minutes. Take this time to clean up and save yourself the stress of a messy kitchen later!
  • Before starting to pipe the flowers, take a tall cup and fill it with popcorn kernels, dried beans, small candy link m&m's, whatever you can find on hand. This will serve as a holder for the cake pops when you're done piping each flower.
  • Grab a frozen cake pop and hold it in your non-dominant hand. Starting on the flat surface of the cake pop (the part that was facing down when it was in the freezer) hold the piping bag fitted with the floral tip and filled with the two toned buttercream perpendicular to the flat surface of the cake pop and with the skinny, pointed end up. You should start directly in the middle, we are creating the bud of the flower. 
  • Apply pressure to the piping bag so that buttercream starts to come out of the tip while simultaneously spinning the cake pop stick with your non-dominant hand slowly. Stop when you have created the bud, or center of the flower. 
  • Return the piping tip directly outside of the center bud and repeat the process, piping a circle of buttercream until you have made a complete circle. Repeat this process until you have made a few full circles around.
  • Then use the exact same piping tip all the way down the cake pop but instead of creating full circles pipe about ⅓ or ¼ around, stop, slightly overlap the last petal you piped, and go ⅓ or ¼ around again. It will look like petals and the more you create, the more detailed your flowers will look! 
  • Once you have completed each flower, stick it into the cup filled with the popcorn, beans or candy and stick it in the freezer to firm up.
  • Pipe all of the flowers and freeze each one after piping.
  • When you're ready to assemble, fill a flower vase with your valentines candy of choice (preferably smaller candies like skittles or m&m's) and place each frozen cake pop as if you were arranging a flower bouquet!
  • Allow to get to room temperature before serving and enjoy!
Keyword cake pops, valentines dessert