Lamb shaped cake pops for Easter

Spring into Easter with these sugary sweet ideas. Toss out those chocolate bunnies and get ready for a festive holiday. Candies, cakes and creams will have your taste buds bouncing for joy!

Little lamb cake pops recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 boxed cake mix or your favorite cake recipe
• Buttercream frosting (recipe below)
• Candy melts
• Stick pretzels
• Jordan almonds
• Coconut

Instructions:

1. Prepare the cake according to the instructions on the box. Bake in a 9 x 13-inch sheet cake pan and let cool.
2. Crumble into a large bowl. Stir in 1-1/3 cups of buttercream frosting (about half the recipe below) or use three quarters of a container of store-bought frosting and mix well, pressing cake and frosting together with the back of a spoon or, preferably, mixing them with your hands until you have a texture that is wet, smooth and able to be formed.
3. Between the palms of your hands, roll mixture into balls 1-1/2-inches in diameter and place on a baking tray lined with wax paper. Freeze for 15 minutes. Move the tray of cake balls to the refrigerator to keep them firm but not frozen. Work with a few cake balls at a time while keeping the remainder in the fridge.
4. To make a cake pop, dip the tip of a lollipop stick in melted candy melts and insert gently in the cake ball. Then dip the cake pop in melted candy melts until covered (see instructions below) and roll in shredded coconut.
5. Make two black dots for eyes with an edible writer on the Jordan almonds and set aside.
6. For each lamb, break two pretzel sticks in half so each pretzel piece is about 1-3/4 inches long. Dip the ends of the four pretzel pieces in the melted candy melts; then insert them into the base of a chilled cake ball. For best results, return the cake ball to the freezer for five minutes to help set.
7. Stand the cake ball on the pretzel legs on a piece of wax paper.
8. Use a dab of melted candy melts to adhere the Jordan almond head to the lamb. Let dry.

Melting chocolate and candy melts

Place chocolate chips or candy melts in the top of the double boiler or in your heat-safe bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally. When most of the chips appear shiny and start to melt, stir constantly. When most of the chips or melts are fully melted, remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Place over heat again and stir if the mixture begins to harden.

Buttercream frosting recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 to 6 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Using a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter. Add three cups of confectioners’ sugar, a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. The mixture may still be dry and crumbly.
2. Add three tablespoons of the milk and the vanilla extract and blend well. Blend in the remaining 1-1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Blend in a pinch of salt, if using.
3. Add more milk to thin and more confectioners’ sugar to thicken as necessary to achieve desired consistency. The frosting should be thick enough to have stiff peaks when blended and to hold its shape when you scoop a spoonful, but it should be smooth enough to spread easily with a spatula.

More Easter recipes

Chocolate lava cakes with Cadbury Eggs
A full Easter brunch menu
3 Easter candy martini recipes