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Wedding Cake Pops

post #1 of 34
6/7/12 at 2:12pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Everyone,

Okay, I know there is an extensive thread on the subject of cake pops/cake balls, but I am just not up to reading all 89 pages of the thread, so I apologize if my questions have already been answered there. I have a dear friend who is getting married at the end of July. Originally she asked me if I would make her wedding cake, and of course, I said yes! She has now changed her mind, though, and wants cake pops instead of a traditional wedding cake. But here's the kicker: she wants 600 of them! If I were a pro, I probably wouldn't gasp at this number, but I'm just a hobby baker (one oven, kids, job, life, etc). If I make 3 dozen per day, I estimate it will take me 17 days to complete (& that's with no failures). Am I crazy? Part of me likes the challenge, and I do want to do something wonderful for a good friend, but is this too much?

If I'm even going to attempt to tackle this, I want to start FAR in advance. I've also never made cake pops before, so I will need to do some practicing. May I please ask you lovely ladies for some advice before I begin?:

1. How far in advance can I make the cake pops? Ideally, I would love to be able to make them, coat them completely, and freeze them. However, I am worried about cracking, condensation, etc. when they thaw. Has anyone successfully frozen and thawed completed cake pops? If so, would you please share your methods?

2. I would love to use a cake pop mold (like babycakes or bakepop), because I don't like the texture of cake balls (I want them to taste like little cakes, not chewed up pieces of cake mush. I am also not too thrilled about the process of bake cake, crumble cake, smoosh with filling, roll, freeze, thaw, dip, repeat, times 600. Whew! I'm tired even thinking about it. I'd like to invest in a couple pans. Can someone recommend a good one?

3. The bride wants an assortment of flavors like lemon chiffon, meyer lemon raspberry, chocolate cappuccino, almond blackberry, coconut lime, carrot ginger with cream cheese, etc. Once I bake the cake balls, can they be injected with fillings (lemon curd, raspberry, hazelnut, SMBC, etc)? Or, can they be coated with ganache or buttercream prior to dipping? Will there be any issues with freezing or storing (especially concerned about cream cheese)?

4. Can I coat these with a good quality white and dark chocolate, like El Ray or Valrhona, instead of candy melts? I hate the taste of candy melts or bark, and really want these to be delicious. I'm hoping I can temper the chocolate and get a nice hard glossy coating. Has anyone done this successfully? Any tips for dipping to ensure perfectly round spheres?

Oh yes, and did I mention it's an evening outdoor wedding, and will likely be 90+ degrees? No reason to be nervous, right?

Thank you, ladies, for listening to my ramblings; and for your helpful advice.
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post #2 of 34
6/7/12 at 2:49pm
I'm not a lot of help, but to answer one of your questions, "Am I crazy?" My answer is "YES!!!" icon_smile.gif
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post #3 of 34
6/7/12 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 
Yea, I guess I already knew the answer to that one. icon_biggrin.gif
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post #4 of 34
6/7/12 at 3:28pm
I can't recommend any cake ball pans. I'm a traditional cake pop maker using the method you apparently don't want to use.

It sounds a little daunting to commit to learning a brand new skill and then creating a large quantity of an item you've never made before, and expecting them to be fabulous (wedding-worthy). Not impossible, but daunting.

I've made and frozen many finished cake pops. You can freeze cake pops at many stages in the process: baked cake layers, crumbed cake in freezer bags, cake crumbs mixed with binding agent still in freezer bags, cake balls formed, and cake pops fully constructed (bagged and boxed). As with cake, if you let the frozen cake pops come to room temperature still within their packaging, you'll have no problems.

I made 350 cake pops for a wedding last year and it took about a week. You can easily make 5+ dozen/day in the evenings. Especially if you use the freezer to your advantage.

Good luck!
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post #5 of 34
6/7/12 at 3:59pm
Thread Starter 
BakedAlaska: Thank you for your advice. Yes, I know it's daunting, but I would like to try... I think if I try some tests over the next couple of weeks, and they are not wedding worthy, I will let her know. When you freeze your completed cake pops, do you wrap them individually in plastic wrap or in freeze them in bunches?
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post #6 of 34
6/7/12 at 4:14pm
I've normally bagged each pop in a "treat bag" and then boxed them in pie boxes and stacked those in the freezer. But, if you don't intend to wrap each individually, you could just put a bunch in a freezer bag and then just put those bags into cake boxes or plastic bins to freeze.
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post #7 of 34
6/7/12 at 4:16pm
Please before you buy pans, ask the bride if she has a preference. It's her wedding...and get your list of flavours down in writing ASAP. Take a look at the websites of manufacturers to edit the list of flavours into what you can legitimately make. Ask the bride how she plans to identify the different flavours at the reception...

Anyway, get some racks/foam dummies to hold the pops in their sticks. You need tools to make this number doable.

You should use SMBC to make the pops. Dipping SBMC into chocolate--test that idea first...Crumbled cake goes just as fast as baking balls. Injecting filling into balls is thankless work that will not be noticed.

Dipping with good chocolate on the other hand is an excellent idea. I find Callebaut to be easy to use and it comes in 11 pound slabs.
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post #8 of 34
6/7/12 at 4:18pm
I hate the chewed cake wads also. I invested in some bake pop pans, though I haven't used them (I have had them about two weeks) They took 5 weeks to get here, so you may already be too late if you wanted to order some. There is another brand that maybe Viking? makes, 12 to a pan for $18.


That being said, just say no! A wedding cake for 350 or whatever v. cakepops for 600 is a hell of a difference in labor. There is no way either would be a gift! Think about it, if you bought a gift, or gave cash, how much would you give? Betcha you didn't say $1000, which is what that would cost!!

I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

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I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

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post #9 of 34
6/7/12 at 4:43pm
Thread Starter 
BakingIrene: Thank you! I have recipes that I love for all the flavors I listed, and baked her samples, so I know she likes these flavors. I do have some dummies that I use for sugar flowers, so that should work for drying (although I will probably need many more).

Asking the bride how she wants to differentiate flavors is a great idea. Since there are so many, one option might be to use different colored ribbon, liners, or sprinkles, & have a small menu displayed. She wants to keep things rustic, so maybe displaying them on wooden crates or vintage trays with chalkboard labels would be fun. I'm also hoping that they don't all go out on the table at once (otherwise there will be a sea of cake pops out there, and they might melt).

Thanks for the advice on Callebaut. I've seen it in blocks at my cake supply store; will look into it. [/b]
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post #10 of 34
6/7/12 at 4:48pm
Thread Starter 
Annabakescakes: I know rationally I should say no, but my heart really wants to try. My friend has been so loyal and has done so much for my family. Two years ago, my third child was born prematurely, and needed to be in the NICO for two weeks. My friend, no questions asked, watched my two older children while hubby and I were in the hospital with our baby girl. She took them to and from school, fed them meals, took them to the park; and did everything with a smile! She was such a lifesaver, and so gracious with her generosity. So, yes, if I had it, I would give her a $1000 wedding gift. In a small way, this is my chance to repay her kindness. I guess this is why I want so badly to try.
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post #11 of 34
6/7/12 at 5:06pm
That's wonderful she is such a friend icon_smile.gif maybe I am a little sensitive about this subject since I have allowed myself to be taken advantage of so many times. Also, a friend of mine (safe serve certified with a culinary degree) is using my bakery this week to make a 220 serving cake for a friend of hers, who is taking advantage...

My twins were 9 weeks early, but they were my first, so I didn't have any at home. I didn't have my license yet, and my husband at the time wasn't interested, so I hardly got to see them. I wish I would've had a friend to drive the 35 miles, 1 way, to take me to see them. I wouldve baked her 600 cakes pops if I had icon_smile.gif

I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

Reply

I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

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post #12 of 34
6/7/12 at 5:11pm
I made cake pops once...........ONCE! icon_confused.gif
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post #13 of 34
6/7/12 at 5:37pm
Prima, I think you should go for it. At least try, if you see that the job turns out to be a little more overwhelming than you expected and you can see you won't be able to give her all the 600, would she accept a back-up cake or cupcakes?

Just a thought..

And I want to say, hang onto that friend there are not many in the world like them. She is a jewel. God Bless her.
Virginia 323.253.8213
www.urbanainez.com
He is the man of my dreams, my prince; He gives me the desires of my heart, He completes me. His name is Jesus
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Virginia 323.253.8213
www.urbanainez.com
He is the man of my dreams, my prince; He gives me the desires of my heart, He completes me. His name is Jesus
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post #14 of 34
6/7/12 at 5:53pm
I make a lot of cake pops. The "chewed" texture means you've added waaaay to much bc to the mixture. I never put them in the freezer because, for me at least, it means they are going to crack.

You can make them ahead, bag and refrigerate a couple of weeks ahead of time.

I made 700 for a wedding and it wasn't too bad. Then after that, I got serious about making them. I'm about to order my second box of 1000 sucker sticks since they are really good sellers on the Dessert Truck.

I have the Easy Roller and believe me, its not Easy. I do them by hand.
Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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post #15 of 34
6/9/12 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
Thank you, everyone, for your kind replies. Yes, I know at first it seems like I'm letting myself be taken advantage of (and believe me, it wouldn't be the first time). But for her, I would do almost anything. She is just one of those special people that gives her heart and her service so freely; she is truly a gift.

Okay, back to the subject of pops, I just found a thread that FromScratchSF has a thread on CC where she reviews the babycakes maker, and she tries almost everything I am hoping to do (injecting with filling, coating in good chocolate, etc). She is so great, I think I might PM here & see if she can offer some tips. Here is the link to her thread, if anyone is interested:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-714521-0.html

AuntGinn: I really like your suggestion of offering an alternative to just the cake pops. Of course, it's her wedding, but 600 cake pops sounds like a lot to me. I know she doesn't want a traditional wedding cake (she wants a vintage/rustic wedding, & doesn't think a large tiered cake would fit with the theme). I might make a suggestion of a couple hundred cake pops, plus a trio of smaller rustic cakes. At least I know I could bake these ahead of time & freeze. We'll see what she thinks. icon_smile.gif

In the meantime, I'm going to do some test pops, freeze them, & see what happens as they thaw. Thanks again for all your help. Wish me luck!
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