cupcake bites

Bakerella - a super blogger who has even showcased her talents on the Martha Stewart show in the US - makes the most gorgeous cupcake pops.

'Cupcake what?' I hear you ask! Cupcake pops are chocolate covered balls of cake stuck on the end of a lolly stick - a cross between a cupcake and a lolly pop! She has made some seriously impressive Christmas themed ones including reindeer and trees, some turkeys, some for the US election, and halloween ones - just to name a few! Make sure you check out her versions - they are Seriously impressive!

However when I decided to have a go, I decided to stick with her cupcake bites - similar to cupcake pops, but they don't go on a stick! These took a fair bit of time to make - so don't start them thinking they'll be something quick you can whip up!

Cupcake Bites

1 baked cake
1 container of betty crocker icing (or you could use some thick buttercream icing that you had made yourself - but I am lazy!)
1 pack of milk chocolate melts
1 pack of white chocolate melts
Sprinkles and mini m&ms to decorate
1 flower shaped cookie cutter (approx 1.25" wide X .75" tall)

Bake a cake from a mix or from scratch and allow it to cool completely. Crumble the cake into a large bowl.

Add a couple of spoonfulls of icing at a time and mix it into the cake crumbs thoroughly until it is a sticky mix that will form balls when pressed together. Roll mixture into balls about 1.25" - 1.5" in size and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Place the tray in the freezer for about 10 mins (or the fridge for a couple of hours).

Remove the cake balls from the freezer. Take each chilled ball and roll it into more of an oval shape and then slide it into cookie cutter. Push it into cutter until about half fills the cutter and the rest sticks out of the top in the shape of a mound. Then push the shaped cupcake carefully out of the cookie cutter from the bottom. Set right side up on your baking paper covered tray. There is a video and step by step photos of this step here on Bakerella's website which might make this a little clearer. Continue with remaining balls.

Once shaped, cover and return the balls to the freezer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt your chocolate melts according to the instructions on the pack. I used milk chocolate for the bottoms, and white chocolate (which I coloured with red food colouring) for the tops.

Remove the cakes from the freezer and set up another baking paper covered tray. Take the cupcake shaped mixture and dip the bottoms into the melted chocolate - just to the point where the mounded shape starts. Remove from the chocolate, turn upside down and lay them on the paper upside down.

Once the milk chocolate has set dip the tops of the cupcakes into the pink or white chocolate being careful to cover all the exposed areas (I found this not only the most fiddly step - but the messiest! Now I can see the attraction of having them on sticks!).

Turn the cupcake right side up and place it on the tray. Decorate with m&m's and sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet.

Enjoy!