Under The Sea Cake Pops-Wilton "Pops In A Post" Contest

About 3 months ago, I decided to take on a new venture in my life.  It was getting very close to my daughter's 4th birthday, and I really wanted to learn how to decorate cakes with fondant.  So that's where my newest hobby began.  She really wanted a Hello Kitty cake, and I was very determined to make it for her.  I had a few bumps along the way but, it actually turned out really cute.  It was a hit at the party, and I ended up getting an order from one of the guests to do a cake for her.  So, a couple weeks later, I did another larger cake, and it was beautiful!  All of her guests were asking for my info so they could also order in the future.  That just thrilled me to death, especially since it was only my 2nd cake and it turned out so great.
Now of course, I can't just keep things simple.  I started brain-storming on other ideas to add to my baking.  You know, things like cupcakes, cookies, and just anything that could be decorated to look adorable.  That is when I heard about Wilton's newest contest using cake pops.  I had never heard of cake pops before, so I was extremely excited when I saw them.  Cake pops are basically a ball on a stick, like a sucker, but made from cake, brownies, cookies, and rice cereal treats.
Of course I had to sign up for this contest!!  I just had to try them out.  What was even more exciting is that I actually got chosen to receive a whole pack of their Pops supplies!!  My kids and I were beyond thrilled when we got the box and looked through all the cool stuff inside.

Pretty sweet, huh?!  I had sooo many ideas running through my mind.  The hardest part of this whole thing was deciding on what kind of cake pops to make.  I finally decided on doing some tropical fish, and then of course, both of my kiddos said that I just had to add in Spongebob and his friends.  So, here we go...

I kind of think maybe we went a little too ambitious for this being our first time making these.  But as always, you learn as you go, so I now know things to do better next time I make these. 

To make cake pops, the first thing you do is make a cake (from a mix) and add in one box of instant pudding.  I used 2 8 inch cake pans, or you can do one cake in a sheet.  I decided to use stuff I already had on hand, so our cake was chocolate and with banana flavored pudding.  Just an FYI, this is very delicious!  Ok, now after your cake is made, you only need half of what you made.  So put one cake up for next time, or if you did a sheet cake, cut it in half, and save the other half.  Next, take the half you are using and crumble it up very finely and add in half a can of store bought icing.  Mix your crumbles and icing together until well blended.  Then, just roll your balls into the sizes you want, or you can shape them.  Wilton has a whole line of molds and baking pans that you can use, too!

Now, chill your cake balls, and then add in the sticks by dabbing the end in melted candies.  Let them chill again.  Now you are ready to decorate!  This is the fun part and you can just let your mind create all sorts of different things.

The candy/chocolate warmer I received in my Wilton pack was very handy for this part.  I just put in my candy and melted it down, and simply dipped the balls into the candy.  It does  take a little practice to get it to look really good.  I had read some tips online and heard that adding a teaspoon of vegetable oil into the candy will help thin it down some, and this was the greatest tip ever!  To get the best coverage, just dip it and only turn it once or twice and then lift it out and gently tap of the excess candy while rotating the stick to make sure everything stays even.  Wilton has candies in a bunch of colors, and you can also get the colored gels to add in.  I used all white candies and added in the colors since I wanted so many different colors on my cake pops.

And now just let your imagination run wild!  Decorate with fondant, sprinkles, royal icing, or just whatever you want to use.  I used a little bit of everything, it seemed like!  When using more than one color, the best thing to do is to dip into the first color, then chill, and then on to the next color.  I did that on all of my Spongebob characters.  Are you ready to see what we made yet?

Introducing Spongebob, Gary, Patrick, Squidward, and their tropical friends!

My whole family was in on making these, and we really had a great time.  I'll definitely be making some cake pops again.  I'm already thinking of some really pretty ones for Valentine's Day!  If you would like make some cake pops, you can check out all the supplies from Wilton.  They have everything you will ever need!

Disclosure:  I was sent free products from Wilton in exchange for a post about my own creative cake pops.  10 finalists will be chosen and those finalists have a chance to win the grand prize of a $500 Visa gift card while the other 9 finalists will win a $100 Visa gift card