And within a blink of an eye, Maya was turning 6. How is it possible that my sweet baby niece is now a quick-witted and mature little girl? Time flies too quickly.
But one thing is for certain. She, like many little ones her age, LOVES Sanrio–particular Hello Kitty. So it was a no brainer for her auntie when I wanted to make her something special for her birthday dinner. Cake Pops—in the form of Hello Kitty. To which I turned to the Queen of Cake Pops—Bakerella.
But these little kitties sure did cause me some agony.
My fault, completely.
Usually when I attempt something new, I plunge into deep research—reading everything I can find for tips, common problems, etc. Yet for some reason or another, I just plunged straight forward without a care in the world. That was first of MANY mistakes.
My first challenge came from the cake itself. The birthday girl, being a woman after her own auntie’s heart, requested chocolate cake. Which wouldn’t normally be an issue—-except when you’re trying to cover the cake pops with white chocolate. As a result, I had to dip the pops twice in the white chocolate and even then, I didn’t think it covered the dark cake color enough. Note to self—use lighter colored cakes when dipping in white chocolate.
Then there was the frosting. Although I did make my own chocolate cake (versus using a boxed cake mix), I did employ the use of packaged frosting. Not necessarily out of laziness. But I didn’t want to use too much frosting and it’s near impossible to make a “little bit” of buttercream. Problem is, there’s a reason why Bakerella uses a whole can of frosting. I was worried the pops would be too sweet and only used about 8 ounces of frosting. But since I didn’t use enough binding, I could not properly shape Kitty’s head as the cake wouldn’t hold together well. She was quite bumpy and I had crumbs everywhere. Next time I won’t worry too much about the pops being “overly sweet” and will gladly use MORE frosting.
Which then brings me to the Candy Melts. I have never had great experiences using Candy Melts and this time was no exception as it would not melt properly. I quickly dumped them and went to using regular white chocolate that I tempered. MUCH better results.
Finally there were the edible markers which I had never used before. UGH! How is it that out of all of the markers from a fresh new pack, only the black one wouldn’t write well?? As such, over half of our Hello Kitties had blue eyes. Eh….at least they were diverse. I think I’ll pass on the edible markers next time and paint things on using powdered food colors and a brush.
So from my experience…..
- If you don’t have a styrofoam block then hold off on making cake pops until you can pick one up. Trust me. Your life will be so much easier for it.
- After you place the cake balls on the sticks, refrigerate them for another few hours. The firmer they are, the better it will be when you dip/cover them in chocolate.
- After you dip the pops in chocolate, GENTLY rap the lollipop stick with a spoon or with your finger to remove excess chocolate. If you’re too rough with them, they will definitely plop off. It happened to me….but then I just ate the runaway cake balls 🙂
- Plan to make several more than you need. Chances are, there may be a few “flops”. But don’t let it get you down–even Jelly Bellies have “flops“.
A “litter” of Hello Kitty Pops
In the end, despite my follies, the Birthday Girl really enjoyed them. And if Maya likes them–then her auntie’s job is done. 🙂
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Hello Kitty Cake Pops
Adapted From Bakerella
Supplies Needed:
1 9 x 13 Cake (Chocolate Cake Recipe Below)
Approximately 12-16 Ounces Cake Frosting
White Candy Melts or White Chocolate
Jumbo Heart Sprinkles
Rainbow Chip Sprinkles
Edible Pens or Black Food Coloring
Lollipop Sticks
Styrofoam Block
Toothpicks
Cover a large baking sheet with wax paper. In a large bowl, thoroughly crumble the cake. Add frosting and mix together with your hands. Be sure to use enough frosting so that the cake binds well together and can hold shape. If it’s too crumbly, add more frosting. Using a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop, scoop/roll/mold an oval shape for kitty’s head. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into some of the melted chocolate and insert into the bottom of kitty’s head. Place the heads on the covered baking sheet and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
Once chilled, take two white chocolate chips and dip the bottoms in the melted chocolate. Place/glue them on the top of the head as kitty’s ears. Stand them up in a styrofoam block to dry. When the ears are firmly attached to the head, dip the cake pop in a bowl of melted white chocolate. Then remove and gently tap off any extra coating. Stand them up in a styrofoam block to dry. When the heads are completely dry, apply the hearts and sprinkles to make a bow and the yellow rainbow chips to make a nose. Use toothpicks to assist in this process. Once everything is completely dry, draw eyes and whiskers with edible pen or paint on with food coloring.
Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1½ Teaspoons Baking Soda
¾ Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
6 Ounces Semi Sweet or Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cups Strong Brewed Hot Coffee
½ Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
1½ Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of pan with parchment paper and cover with cooking spray. Place finely chopped chocolate in a bowl and pour hot coffee over it. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for a few minutes. Remove plastic and stir until smooth.
Sift together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. In a mixing stand, beat eggs for a few minutes until they become a pale yellow. Beat in oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly add the chocolate. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into the lined pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely.
theculinarychronicles.com 
Absolutely adorable!!! Great job!
Thank You, Erin! They were kind of cute to look at when all was said and done 🙂
So cute! Definitely perfect for a little girl’s birthday. Or a big girl’s birthday. Like my birthday lol. I’m sure the look on Maya’s face will be worth all the effort you put into them.
Thanks Connie! I think they were a hit at dinner—by little and big kids alike! 🙂
These pops definitely look too good to eat! We’d love to feature your photos on kitchenartistry.com
Thanks so much!! The pops were pretty darn tasty, too!
My kids will go crazy over these! They are so adorable.
Awww, Thanks! It’s all about making food fun for kids! 🙂 Cheers!
i have to say that these pops were even cuter in person!
the cake was surprisingly moist which, as an afterthought, shouldn’t be such a surprise since they were air-tight due to be covered in frosting and fondant.
i am probably biased because maya is my daughter and you are my sister! haha. but, these were probably one of the better tasting pops i’ve ever had.
these treats added the necessary flair to her bday dinner! the leftover pops were huge hits at her school – she had the best dessert for lunch in the playground, or so i am told. : P
Thanks Seestah….I think it helped that I used a buttermilk/oil based cake batter for the pops. They seem to be moister cakes for me. Happy that Maya liked them 🙂
omigosh there so cute !great job
THANKS!!!!
i like that you made the cake from scratch. i believe her recipes call for cake mix right? they are adorable. would royal frosting using #1 tip work for the face or is it still thick for eyes etc? it’s hard to gage how big these pops are.
THANKS! Yes, Bakerella suggests cake mix so that you can focus your energies on the “decorating”. These kitty pops were about 1.5-2 inches in diameter.
I think royal frosting would work just fine for the eyes/whiskers but since you would only need a tablespoon or so at most—you may find yourself with extra royal frosting on hand 🙂
These are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! love it!
THANK YOU so much Gwen! I’m actually about to give them another go tomorrow! 🙂
oh great minds think alike! i also had an issue with the edible markers. thankfully, i had some black icing gel handy.
i didn’t have a styrofoam block, so i filled up a loaf pan with uncooked rice and i was able to stand the cake pops no prob. i used boxed mix tho, i was more interested in making sure the cakes looked good.
UGH—Edible Markers are just NO BUENO! What a waste of $$$.
Your cake pops are so cute! I love that you used uncooked rice to hold them up though I think I made kitty’s head too large and they would have keeled over from the weight!
I actually LIKE the blue edible marker! LOL
Visually it makes all of the treats ‘pop’ more because there’s more color and more diversity. I think if they would have all had black eyes and whiskers it might have looked more like the real Hello Kitty but it wouldn’t have looked as fun or festive.
The combination of black with bright blue looks so cute.
THANK YOU, Jenn! I think I’ll start a new campaign—Hello Kitties of All Colors 🙂
Adorable! You are to be commended for a terrific job! They look incredible!
THANK YOU Tina! Even with the challenges, it was pretty FUN to make 🙂
Cutest cake pops ever auntie nam
Thank You Taylor! ❤
I realize this is an old post, but I just came across it. I attempted these around the same time you did, for a niece’s 4th birthday. I actually saw your photos and thought they were mine! I had the same issues with the edible markers… that darned black was so frustrating! And I did use a cake mix, and an entire tub of frosting, but thought they were too wet? There’s got to be a middle ground!
So glad your comments echoed my feelings and experiences about the project – I was worried I’d lost my pastry touch!
Looks like our nieces were lucky little ones this year! 🙂
It’s official, I’ve sworn off edible markers forever! I’ve been using toothpicks and black food gels when drawing on fondant/details lately. MUCH better results! 🙂
Cheers and thanks for stopping by!
I think they all look great! You did a good job, considering it was your first time. Thank you so much for posting your experience on making this project! I am looking forward to trying this out!
Thanks Aimee! I’ve made them again since and it was MUCH easier the second time around! 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you for this! My daughter is turning 5 in a couple of weeks and I thought I’d try my hand at HK cake pops instead of a store bought cake. I’ve been making cake balls for a while and they’re always a hit with everyone. So, the natural progression is a decorated cake pop. I have been puzzling over what to use for the ears. My first stop was Bakerella’s site. She’s brilliant. But, it was awesome to come to your site and get the info on the edible markers! I will use the black gel icing to draw on the whiskers. It was nice to get tips from someone that has tried it before! Thanks again!
How many did this recipe make? I am making them for my daughter’s 5th bday party and I need to know how many cakes I should make to accommodate the number of guests I will have.
Hi Tiffany- I usually get about 18-20 pops from this depending on how uniformed I can get the head size 😉 you daughter will love them!
Hey, your Hello Kitty Cake Pops are so cute. You are a one sweet auntie! I read Bakerella’s blog before and her cake pops are indeed flawless. I never made any cake pops thus far but hope I can try making one in the near future.
You made my day! I was looking for those cake pops for my 3 yo daughter’s bday, and I wanted someone to share their experience making it! Your feedback is really helpfull! Thank you so much!!!
Tartine
Used your choc cake recipe- everyone thought that it was very moist and good ( I wasn’t familiar w/ the mixing method w/ the ingredients and had some doubts but should have known better since it was from you.
couple of lessons learned:
1. this was not relaxing though everyone enjoyed the end result
2. after refrigerating the balls and before dipping in choc, make sure that you don’t cool it too long– if the balls are too cold, after dipping it choc, the chocolate shell will crack. if you let the choc cool too much, it’s too thick and does not leave a smooth shell. i noticed my later balls had less tendency to crack. maybe after fridge for a couple of hrs, let it cool to room temp for 15-20 min or so?
3. i see that a lot of ppl complain about the edible pens. i didn’t have any problems and used this brand: Gourmet Food Writer Edible Color Markers (10 color set) by AmeriColor.
thanks for your tips. definitely helped!