Thursday, July 11, 2013

My Birthday Cakes and No-Bake Cake Pops


I had a birthday a couple weeks ago. What is it about birthdays after 30, that just aren't so exciting? Maybe when I turn 40, I'll get a party, though I might be mourning my 30's by then. Who knows?! Anyway, my 31st birthday was spent mostly hanging out with Hayden and working on my cookbook. See that strawberry topped cake? That was the birthday cake I made myself. It was also the cake that will adorn the cover of my cookbook. I'm pretty thrilled about that! Then family came over and brought me more cake...and I went into a sugar coma! 

My sister made me pink lemonade cupcakes in adorable penguin cupcake liners. I have a deep love for penguins, so I absolutely loved the look of these, they were delicious too. And my mom made me a Funfetti cake with rainbow chip icing. You can't eat Funfetti cake and not feel like a kid. I loved that they baked for me- it made me feel special. What's funny is that Hayden thinks that when you sing 'happy birthday' that it's for him. He gets a big grin on his face and starts clapping. I'm more than willing to give that to him :-)

I made these no-bake cake truffles a couple months ago when I had leftover Funfetti cake mix from making these rice crispy treats. Mix, roll, and dip. No baking necessary. Since they were so simple to make Hayden and I decided to decorate popsicle sticks to jazz them up. 


Can you guess which stick Hayden decorated?
I had a minor issue with these though. After I dipped them in the coating and they set up overnight, the truffle expanded and the candy coating cracked on some of them. I made a couple batches to test them out, some I refrigerated, some I did not and the results were the same. I think that maybe I rolled the balls too tight, but I'm not sure. I read through the comments on the blog I got the recipe from and others had the same issue. I googled my problem and found that this is a common issue when making cake pops. Anyway, they were fun and simple and tasty. Don't let a little cracked coating deter you from making them. Kids will have fun with these too and will eat them up so fast you'll forget about all the imperfections. 


No-Bake Funfetti Cake Truffles
loosely adapted from Chef In Training

  • 1 cup dry Funfetti cake mix (any flavor will work)
  • 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • candy coating or chocolate for dipping
Mix dry cake mix, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla together until combined. 

Roll into 1-inch balls. Coat with candy coating or melted chocolate. Top with sprinkles while the coating is still wet. Allow to set.


Hayden playing with the sprinklers and trying to spray his momma!

15 comments:

  1. the cake pops look delicious. What a great idea for a non baked version. I love funfetti, so I am sure these are AMAZING!

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  2. Happy belated birthday! The cake pops look awfully good. Love the artwork on the sticks, too. :)

    And...please, please, as a penguin fanatic whose bedroom is decorated in penguins, who has made penguin decorated sugar cookies, who has made marzipan penguins, who loves penguins beyond any other animal, tell me where I can find those penguin cupcake liners? Please? I'm begging you.

    Thanks.

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  3. Happy Birthday! All of those cakes look fantastic, especially the red velvet cake! Yummy yummy! :)

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  4. I hear that I have to turn 40 next year, I'll be expecting you to provide me with a spread like this!

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  5. Happy Birthday! The cakes and cake pops look so gooood! =)

    Congratulations on your cookbook! =)

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  6. Happy Birthday!!! OMGoodness, Hayden has gotten so big!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that curly hair!!

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  7. Happy Birthday Monica! That cake is absolutely gorgeous! The cake pops are adorable. I've never made them but hopefully one day I'll give them a try.

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  8. Do you think the cracking of the coating on the cake pops could be avoided by waiting a day to coat? This would allow the cake to expand before coating.

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  9. I just pinned this recipe and I can not wait to try! I am even tempted to try this afternoon! haha, thanks for posting:)

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  10. I'm convinced its the baking powder and/or baking soda in the dry cake mix that causes them to expand and crack the coating.

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  11. My partner and i listen to that I ought to turn Forty next year, I will be planning on one to supply me personally with a propagate like this! cheap rs gold

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  12. I am guessing the dry mixture (flour, etc) expands as it absorbs the moisture- causing the cracks. But who cares its gonna get cracked in your mouth anyway. It all looks delicious. Everything on your blog always looks so darn good.

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  13. My friend makes these. After rolling the funfetti balls, she'll freeze them for an hour or so. Then she takes them out and dips them. No cracks! Hope that helps!

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  14. I envy you. You got three cakes on your birthday! I guess the most delicious cake you’d ever tasted is the one that’s given to you. Haha! Anyway, your velvet cake is my favorite. And I must tell you that their crumbs is what I use when I make popsies.

    Muriel @SmithIslandCake.com

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  15. i made these with pink lemonade cake mix and when I tasted the "cake" part they were so bitter. I thought they were going to be awful but once I put the candy coating on them, it was delicious.I think Funfetti would be even better, I just didn't have any on hand

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Thank you for your supportive comments. I appreciate each and every one of them!