I made these Apple Cake Pops for a Snow White Birthday Party, but they would be perfect for a back-to-school treat! They would also be a great teacher gift!
These Apple Cake Pops for my youngest's 5th birthday party with a Snow White theme. I decorated with lots of woodland themed decorations to fit the enchanted forest setting of the story.
I served the cake pops in a moss filled wicker basket, as well as another basket filled with red paper shavings.
These cake pops would be so cute as a back to school treat or as a teacher gift!
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Ingredients
- 1 round 8- or 9-inch chocolate layer cake, from a boxed mix or homemade
- Buttercream, such as Easy Chocolate Buttercream
- Red candy melts
- Red sanding sugar
- White fondant or gum paste
- Green food coloring gel
- Pretzel sticks
Materials
- Cake pop sticks, such as reusable plastic cake pop sticks
- Rectangular craft styrofoam block
Make the Fondant Leaves
Tint the white fondant or gum paste with green food coloring gel. It helps to wear food-safe nitrile gloves and work the coloring into the fondant or gum paste.
Break little pieces of fondant off and shape into leaves, about ½-inch in length or a little smaller.
Set these aside to dry at room temperature, uncovered, for at least 1 day, up to 7 days. They should be like hard candy so they keep their shape when placed on the cake pops.
Prepare the Cake Pop Dough
Use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to process the cake into crumbs. Then add about ¼ cup of buttercream, such as Easy Chocolate Buttercream.
Mix this up with a small silicone spatula until all of the crumbs stick together. You may need to add more buttercream depending on how moist the cake is.
Make the Apple Shapes
Scoop a few tablespoons of the dough and mold it into an apple shape, with the base more narrow than the top and with a finger indentation in the top. This is where the stem and leaf will be.
Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have all the apples formed.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
Dip and Decorate the Apples
After the cake balls have chilled, flip all of them over, as we will be inserting the stick in the base of the apple.
Dip the end of a cake pop stick in melted chocolate.
Carefully insert the stick into the cake ball. Repeat with the remaining cake pops.
At this point, place the cake pops in the refrigerator while you prepare the pretzel sticks and melt the coating chocolate.
Break the pretzel sticks into small pieces, about ¾-inch long. These will be the apple stems.
Have a styrofoam block or cake pop stand ready to place the coated cake pops facing up after they are coated.
Carefully melt the red candy melts in a tall glass in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second intervals until completely melted.
Have the red sanding sugar ready and a plate or shallow dish to catch the excess sugar.
Coating the cake pops goes fast, as the candy melts will set quickly. You have to work fast to get the components in place.
You can take just a few cake pops out of the refrigerator at a time.
Dip the cake pop in the melted candy melts shaking off the excess, quickly shake on some sanding sugar, insert a pretzel rod piece in the top for the apple stem, and place the leaf next to the base of the stem in the melted chocolate.
As the coating chocolate sets, it will adhere the leaf. Place the cake pop up right in your styrofoam block, and repeat with the remaining cake pops.
Refrigerate the cake pops until ready to serve.
Gluten Free Option
You can use a boxed gluten free chocolate cake mix, or prepare Chocolate Layer Cake with gluten free baking flour. This recipe made with gluten free flour is incredible!
📖 Recipe
Apple Cake Pops
Equipment
- Cake pop sticks, such as reusable plastic cake pop sticks
- Rectangular craft styrofoam block
Ingredients
- White fondant or gum paste
- Green food coloring gel
- 1 round 8- or 9-inch chocolate layer cake (from a boxed mix or homemade)
- ¼-1/2 cup Buttercream (such as Easy Chocolate Buttercream)
- 24 Pretzel sticks
- 1 bag Red candy melts
- Red sanding sugar
Instructions
Make the Fondant Leaves
- Tint the white fondant or gum paste with green food coloring gel. It helps to wear food-safe nitrile gloves and work the coloring into the fondant or gum paste.
- Break little pieces of fondant off and shape into leaves, about ½-inch in length or a little smaller.
- Set these aside to dry at room temperature, uncovered, for at least 1 day, up to 7 days. They should be like hard candy so they keep their shape when placed on the cake pops.
Prepare the Cake Pop Dough
- Use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to process the cake into crumbs. Then add about ¼ cup of buttercream.
- Mix this up with a small silicone spatula until all of the crumbs stick together. You may need to add more buttercream depending on how moist the cake is.
Make the Apple Shapes
- Scoop a few tablespoons of the dough and mold it into an apple shape, with the base more narrow than the top and with a finger indentation in the top. This is where the stem and leaf will be.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have all the apples formed.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
Dip and Decorate the Apples
- After the cake balls have chilled, flip all of them over, as we will be inserting the stick in the base of the apple.
- Dip the end of a cake pop stick in melted chocolate.
- Carefully insert the stick into the cake ball. Repeat with the remaining cake pops.
- At this point, place the cake pops in the refrigerator while you prepare the pretzel sticks and melt the coating chocolate.
- Break the pretzel sticks into small pieces, about ¾-inch long. These will be the apple stems. Have a styrofoam block or cake pop stand ready to place the coated cake pops facing up after they are coated. Have the red sanding sugar ready and a plate or shallow dish to catch the excess sugar.
- Carefully melt the red candy melts in a tall glass in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second intervals until completely melted.
- Taking only a few cake pops out of the refrigerator at a time, dip the cake pop in the melted candy melts shaking off the excess, quickly shake on some sanding sugar, insert a pretzel rod piece in the top for the apple stem, and place the leaf next to the base of the stem in the melted chocolate.
- As the coating chocolate sets, it will adhere the leaf. Place the cake pop up right in your styrofoam block, and repeat with the remaining cake pops.
- Refrigerate the cake pops until ready to serve.
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