Saturday, September 27, 2008

Birthday Cupcake Bites


By now, you've probably (taste) spotted, ooh and aahed over Bakerella's fabulous cupcake pop creations. I've always admired from afar, thinking nothing could be cuter but well, more time consuming. Though simple in principle, these babies require a cake to be baked then deconstructed, formed into little balls, then stuck into the freezer for multiple intervals and finished with a few baths in chocolate (hmm....can I take a bath in chocolate)?

Well, after much drooling and envy, I decided to take the plunge and try these out. It's hubby's birthday, what could be a more fitting occasion?


I started with homemade red velvet cake, though you can use a boxed cake mix of nearly any flavor. Next time I'll consider this route since it was so painful to take my beautiful cake and feed it to the food processor. Once your pretty cake is reduced to crumbs, mix it up with some good cream cheese frosting and lick your fingers once or twice. It tastes pretty good, just don't double dip.

Fill in your candy mold, and place the cake ball on top. Pop in the freezer to firm up and dip with your favorite artificially colored chocolate :)

Come to think of it, purple isn't the manliest of colors. I hope hubby can forgive me.

Check out Bakerella's more precise and less stream of consciousness instructions for your own darling cupcake bites.
Here's some tips:
  • I purchased my supplies at Do It With Icing in San Diego. If you're not in San Diego, find a local baking supply store which will save you from traveling from store to store searching for ingredients. If you're an internet kind of person, you can buy the candy molds here.
  • Bakerella's recipe doesn't mention putting the cake into a food processor, though it does on her Martha Stewart video. I went ahead and used the food processor and found it to be easy for crumbling the cake
  • I used my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer to combine the cream cheese frosting with the cake crumbs.
  • When rolling the dough into balls, wash your hands periodically so the dough doesn't stick to your hands
  • Colored chocolate can be very thick, so unless you have paramount crystals to thin the chocolate, I found twisting the cupcake bite into the chocolate was the best method
  • Consider this a weekend activity because it's time consuming though worth it!
Have a great rest of the weekend!

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sure he will get over the color, they look sensational!

--Marc

RecipeGirl said...

So cute. Yes, purple isn't too manly. I think I've seen a cute blue chocolate at Do It With Icing in Claremont Mesa. Happy bday to your hubby! Hope you do something fun... I'm sure the sun will come out soon!

kat said...

They are gorgeous. Any man should be happy to have those on his birthday!

Leslie said...

Love love love them..
Oh yeah..i would never bake my won cake to make these. Boxed is the WAY TO GO!! way too much work involved!!!Yours looks so darn cute!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Happy b'day to the hubby! I bet he loved those, they're so cute!

Maria said...

happy birthday to your husband. What cute treats! I love the purple!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

So adorable and festive!! Happy birthday to your husband!! :0)

Anonymous said...

What a great B-day surprise, they are just adorable!

Sweet Treats by Dani said...

purple or not i am sure hubby is going to eat them HaHa

Mandy said...

Yes, I've seen these everywhere. Yours look great and I too may one day give these a shot. Happy birthday to your other half.

vanillasugarblog said...

Happy Birthday hubby! Oh those are just so wonderful. I love that color. Who wouldn't love that? Is he a Libra? I'm a Libra too.

grace said...

bravo, sharon! i haven't mustered up the motivation to try these yet, but when i do, i can only hope they turn out as well as yours! purple may not be manly, but it sure is purty. :)

That Girl said...

I love these everytime I see them, but I've done cake truffles before and they are so time consuming!

Laura said...

Wow those are so cute. I drove for 6 hours today--I am filled with awe but lack the brain power to express it. :)

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Adorable looking!Happy birthday to your hubby!

Anonymous said...

I know your husband had to have loved those special treats! Lucky guy! :-)

Unknown said...

oh those are soooo adorable! wat the heck! i love the purple icing!

i always fail and overbake my cakes if they are from boxed mix tho sob sob

Emily said...

Ha ha, I guess purple isn't the manliest of colors, but oh well.

These are so cute! I'm going to have to try making them. I love red velvet, too.

Happy birthday hubz!

Prudy said...

Happy Birthday to your hubby. Those are too fun.

daphne said...

hehhee. Does it matter? I take purple anyday! =) Surely he should appreciate your efforts more! kekeke. Happy belated birthday to your hubs!

Aggie said...

These look fantastic! They look like they are on Reeses PB cups! I have to make these!

Amanda, Mandy, Manda, Tomato said...

They look delicious! Thanks for the heads up on how time consuming they can be.

MrOrph said...

Handfuls at a time with those!!!

Anonymous said...

whoa, how awesome! they are so cute! happy bday to your husband, i think he'll have no problem forgiving you for the purple since they look so delicious! :) thanks for the suggestions, i'm planning on walking out to chinatown tonight - it's pretty closeby!

Cakespy said...

Awesome. Mr. Cakespy may object at first, but I've never seen him turn away a pink, lavender or other girly-hued sweet. Bet yours will love 'em!

Katrina said...

Those look so cute and yummy!

Roger said...

heh. this post went up 3 days before my bday. can i have a cupcake? :D

tigerfish said...

I like the purple ones ...and they are all too cute to be eaten :D

Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels said...

These look fantastic! I might just try them, probably during the holidays season, so I can do it with my 9-year old. She saw them and said "Those are so pretty! We should make some" :-)

Sara said...

These are so cute, what a great idea!

test it comm said...

Those look so good! What amazing colours!

Dora said...

I would love to have one. Can i? ;p

The Pink Cupcake said...

A little tip - you can thin the chocolate with a very small amount of vegetable oil (maybe 1/4 tsp). Paramount crystals aren't always necessary! It will make the dipping process much easier. I love the purple, when I make them purple and blue are my favorite colors to use.

Anonymous said...

surely purple is manly! it's the color of royaltY!! he ate them, didnt' he!?!? happy b-day hubby! nice looking bites.

Leslie Richman said...

Wow these look amazing.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful cupcakes. Love the purple. I think purple is a manly color, in the realm of royalty! BTW, your wedding dress photo is gorgeous.