Pots of Gold and Rainbows Cake Pops

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be an excellent idea to bring back this really fun and totally appropriately themed post that's perfect for kids and for those who aren't kids anymore but wish they were (aka me).  Aren't these Pots of Gold and Rainbows cake pops super adorable?  I love them!  It's been a while since I've looked at them closely, but I really think that these are one of my favorite treats that I've made to date.  They're so cute!

Normally, I don't do too many "decorated" desserts or treats, simply because I don't have the patience for it.  I'll typically start out a project feeling really enthusiastic about the sugar cookies I'm going to decorate or that gingerbread house I'm going to construct, but then after about an hour's work  when I realize that I'm nowhere close to being finished, I get restless and just have to stop.  I'm surprised I was able to make these cake pops from start to finish without any major moments of desperation!  I think I was able to stick to them because they're really not that involved, and they're just too cute.  One pot of gold with a rainbow coming out of it was not enough...I needed lots of them!  

Since these pops are definitely geared for kids and their St. Patrick's Day celebrations, make sure to stay tuned for tomorrow when I share a brand new St. Patrick's Day recipe that is definitely not for the kids, but is perfect for adults!  It's a pretty awesome recipe, so don't miss out!

Pots of Gold and Rainbows Cake Pops
inspired by Bubble and Sweet

Things You'll Need

cupcakes (I used a box of yellow cake mix)
frosting (I used store-bought cans of frosting)
chocolate colored candy melts
lollipop sticks
fondant
edible food markers
yellow Nerds candies
cookie sheet
waxed paper


How to Make Pots of Gold and Rainbows Cake Pops

To begin, bake and cool your cake according to your recipe or box instructions.  Once the cake has cooled completely, break apart the cake into crumbs (your hands work best, although I've also used a food processor before to ensure uniform crumbs).  When all the cake has been broken up, add enough frosting so that once the crumbs and frosting are mixed together, you end up with a paste-like consistency that you can shape with your fingers (I find that just under a whole can of frosting is enough for one box of cake mix).  

Begin to shape the cake-frosting mixture into even sized balls.  I used a tablespoon of the cake-frosting mixture to make sure that they were all even in size.  Line up the cake balls on a sheet pan, and chill for at least two hours. 

Remove the cake balls from the fridge, and dip one end of a lollipop stick in melted chocolate. Insert the chocolate covered end into the cake ball, going in about halfway.  Lay all the cake pops on a baking sheet, and once again, chill in the fridge, at least overnight (you want the cake pops to be as chilled and firm as possible, because this will make it much easier to dip them in chocolate later).

While the cake pops are chilling in the fridge, make the fondant rainbows.  Roll out a small amount of  fondant on a flat surface with a rolling pin.  An important tip to keep in mind when working with fondant is that it will dry out and become hard to work with very quickly if it's not properly covered.  Therefore, keep whatever fondant you are not using at the moment sealed in a plastic bag to ensure that it stays at a consistency that can be worked with.  Roll the fondant so it is about 1/8 " to 1/4" in thickness, and begin to create an arc shape.  To do this, I used two circle cutters (ok, one was the other end of a frosting tip, but it got the job done!) to create a ring.  With a knife, cut the ring in half, and then cut each half in two, to create the arcs for the rainbows.  Let the rainbows dry overnight on a flat surface to harden.  Once they are hard, use the edible food markers to color the rainbows in.

When the cake pops are completely firm, it is time to cover them in chocolate.  Add some candy melts (I used Wilton candy melts) to a tall glass and microwave in short increments, stirring in between, until the candy melts are completely melted and smooth.  I used a tall glass because it's deep, which makes submerging the cake pops completely much easier than if you were to use a bowl. Gently dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate, cover completely, and carefully tap off the excess chocolate.  Place the cake pops upside down on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet, so that some of the excess chocolate begins to pool out onto the wax paper.  This forms the "lip" of the pot.  Place the cookie sheet with the cake pops back into the fridge for the chocolate to set and harden completely.   

When the pops have set, it is time to assemble them.  Turn the pops right side up (so the stick is on the bottom), and using a little melted chocolate as glue, attach some yellow Nerds candy (to simulate gold), and the rainbow to the tops of the cake pops.  Place the finished cake pops in a styrofoam block, and then into the fridge for a half hour to fully harden.  Done!