Aly Juliet: cake pops tutorial

here's a little (not so secret) secret about me:

i might have the biggest sweet tooth in the world. i think all my teeth are sweet teeth.

dessert is my favorite thing, especially if it's chocolate. life is way too short to not have dessert, right?

one of my favorite desserts is a cake pop. they're so dang cute and they're super easy to make.

red velvet is one of my favorites, so my tutorial is a red velvet batch, but you can use any flavors you would like!

THINGS YOU'LL NEED:

cake mix (i just use a box because it's quick)

anything the cake mix calls for: usually oil and eggs

almond bark

sprinkles

anything to decorate with

cake pop sticks (unless you want to make cake balls)

cream cheese frosting (you can make it, or buy it)

cream cheese frosting
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

FIRST: you'll want to bake a cake with your cake mix, or if you're superhuman, you can make it from scratch. i will forever be grateful for betty crocker's boxed cake mix. when it's done, take it out and MAKE SURE you let it cool in the pan before you continue to step 2.

SECOND: take the cake out in chunks and put them in a bowl. crumble it up with your hands. it'll be a little messy, but make sure it's crumbled up pretty good, just like bread crumbs, and that it's not mushy.

THIRD: make the cream cheese frosting and add it into the crumbled up cake with your hands. this is when it gets really messy :)

yes, it gets messy :)

FOURTH: roll the cake into balls. i use a cookie scoop to keep mine all the same size, but you don't need to if you aren't OCD like me.

*if you want to make cake pops, this is the stage where you will put in the sticks. you could make cake balls if you don't have sticks. you can buy cake pop sticks anywhere, Target, Wal Mart, any craft or baking store*

FIFTH: cut up some almond bark. you could use melted chocolate if you want, but i prefer almond bark because it's easy to work with. i use the western family brand. melt it and dip your cake pops in it. let them dry a little, but not completely, before you move onto step 6.