Baking ,the colour pink, parties, and babies…these are just a few of my favourite things! When all of these happened in one day for a baby shower you can imagine how happy I was!

I’ll start off with how I made the mini ice-cream cone cupcakes followed by the cake-pops and end off with my outfit of choice for the baby shower!

Mini Ice-Cream Cone Cupcakes

This was the first time I’ve ever tried these out. They sure had the possibility of being disastrous, but thankfully it didn’t go down that route! For how cute these turned out you would think they would be hard to make but they are surprisingly really simple (major plus!)

 Step 1: Gather your materials!

   

These are all the items you’ll need (it’s that simple!)

• 1 box of the cake-mix of your choice
• 1 container of icing of your choice
• A box of ice-cream cones– any size or shape you wish to use is fine (I used mini ones that were pointed at the base)
• Sprinkles, candies, gum-balls,nuts, etc (I went for bright pink gum balls as a “cherry on top” for mine)
• Piping bag/icing decorating tips (I got this box which includes 8 bags and 4 different types from Dollarama)– this way you can get that signature ice-cream swirl!

Depending on how you want to personalize our cones you can opt for any type of boxed cake-mix, icing, sprinkles (I got two containers filled with all different types of sprinkles from Dollarama), candies, and size/shape of the cones. I went for a classic looking ice-cream cone! The only thing I would change when I make these again is to use flat bottomed cones as the pointed ends made cooking the cake-mix somewhat tricky! Other than that, I was happy at how simple they were to make and didn’t take long at all!

Step 2: Arrange Cones In Cupcake/Muffin Pan

If you go with the pointed cones you will have to cover your pan with aluminum foil first and then poke holes in it so the cones can be inserted and stand straight up. This will prevent them from tipping over while the bake. Otherwise, place your flat-bottom comes directly into one of the circles of the pan. As you can see pictured below my cones are now sitting securely in the pan ready to be filled then baked!

   

Step 3: Fill cones with batter

                               

I got this squeeze bottle from Homesense and it’s been perfect for making cupcakes, and even pancakes with no mess! It’s easy to fill as the top and bottom both come off, which makes for quick and easy cleaning of the bottle! Using this I filled the cones about 3/4 of the way full. Caution: Don’t overfill your cones or the cake will spew out over the top. It’s not the end of the world if that does happen to you. A couple of mine at the start did that but I just trimmed away any excess once the cake was cooledOnce you’ve filled the cone give it a light tap on your counter space (this allows for the batter to make it’s way all the way to the bottom.) If you take a look at the picture above you will see a cone cut open with the cooked cake reaching right down the very tip of the cone, this is exactly what you want! . IMPORTANT: IMMEDIATELY after your cones come out of the oven use a toothpick and poke a small whole to allow steam out (if you miss this step you will end up with soggy cones!)

Step 4: Assemble your stand/display

While you patiently wait for your cones to cool down you can get your stand or display ready. Because I went with the pointed bottomed cones I had to create something that would hold them upright. I used the top of a shoebox and wrapped it in some cute pink wrapping paper. Once that was done I poked small holes in the shoebox big enough that the cones stayed put. If you use flat bottom cones you can display your finished product any way you’d like!

Step 5: Decorate your cones!

This was my favourite part! Like I previously mentioned you can ice/decorate your cones any way you like as well as top it with anything (be creative!) I used one of the decorating tips to get the swirled icing and used multicoloured sprinkles and topped it off with a pink gum ball in keeping with the pink baby shower theme!

These ice-cream cones were a huge hit among those both young and old! I really enjoyed making them and will make them again in the future! 🙂

“Baby”Cake-Pops:

Anyone who has every made cake-pops before or attempted to make them knows they are a ton of work! The end product is really remarkable and it’s worth it to see people’s expressions on special occasions such as these! Sorry I don’t have pictures of every step! Next time I make these I will be sure to do so (I’m a visual learner so I know it helps to see what’s going on.)

Step 1: Gather your materials! 

What you will need:

• 1 box of boxed cake mix (any kind)
• 1 container of the icing of your choice
• 1-2 bags of Wilton Candy Melts (can be bought at Michaels) or in bulk from the Bulk Barn
• Lollipop sticks (Can also be found at Michaels and Bulk Barn)
• Sprinkles, nuts, etc however you want to decorate your pops!
• Also included in the photo is Wilton markers (edible)– these were perfect for drawing the faces on the baby cake-pops!

Step 1: Bake cake

Follow the instructions listed on the back of the cake mix. Don’t worry if the cake isn’t perfect when it comes out, you will be crumbling it to smithereens anyways! Just make sure it is cooked all the way through!

Step 2: Let cake cool

Once the cake is taken out of the oven give it time to cool COMPLETELY. You can remove it from the baking pan to let some of the steam out.

Step 3: Crumble cake

It seems like shame to crumble a perfectly good cake after it’s just come out of the oven but it’s exactly what is needed to start to cake-pop process. The easiest way to go about this is to cut your cake into two sections (if you are using a rectangular cake-pan.) Pick these two pieces up and rub them together, you will notice that the cake will begin crumbling into very fine pieces. Do this in a large bowl and once it is completely crumbled run a fork through it to make sure there aren’t any large chunks remaining.

Step 4: Add icing

This is where it is imperative that you let your cake cool completely before continuing. Once that is done, take your container of icing and add about half of it to your large bowl of crumbled cake. Mix these two ingredients in well. You should now be left with a sticky consistency with no loose crumbs. If it is still too dry you can always add more icing, start with less and add more in as you go.

Step 5: Roll into balls

Once your mixture is the right consistency you can now grab about a tablespoon sized helping of the cake and icing mix and begin rolling it into a ball. It will take a little bit for it to stick well. Ensure that it is as round as you can get it and that there are no holes and the cake/icing is stuck together well. Avoid making the balls too large or you will find that they fall off the stick when you go to dip it in the chocolate. You can then lay all of the completed balls out onto wax paper and insert them in the fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes while you melt your candy melts.

Step 6: Melt candy melts

In a microwave-safe container or on a double-broiler melt your candy melts until they are a nice runny consistency. DO NOT overcook these chocolates or they will become too hard and not usable.

Step 7: Insert lollipop sticks

Once your candy melts are ready you can take your first lollipop stick and dip one end of it into this mixture (about an inch deep.) Tap off any extra and then insert the coated end of the stick into the ball. It is easiest if you insert it with the ball staying flat on the wax paper. Remember not to push the lollipop stick in too far or it will break through the top of the cake-pop and fall off the stick! Complete this step for all remaining balls.

                                        

Step 8: Place back in fridge/freezer

To ensure that the stick is going to be securely on the ball you can place them back in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes!

Step 9: Dip cake-pops in candy melts

This is the most tedious part of the whole process and can become very frustration. Once you get the hang of it, each and every time you make these you will get better at this step. With the lollipop stick now on the ball you can dunk it into a tall glass. Place it all the way in the liquid as far down as it goes but don’t force it as they are very delicate. Also do not swirl the stick around in the candy melts as this will loosen up the stick and may cause it to separate from the ball. Carefully take the now coated ball out of the melts and gently tap off any excess chocolate. Don’t tap too hard or your ball will fall right off the stick (I’ve had that happen far too many times, or I loose a ball from not dunking it properly)

Step 10: Decorate

You can decorate your cake pops any way you please. Remember to work fast if you are using things such as sprinkles as it will only stick while the melts are still wet! To make “baby” cake-pops like the ones I did, stick a small cupcake wrapper on the back of the cake pop as it is still wet. I used the edible markers to draw on the face and tied some pink ribbon in a bow (they actually ended up looking like arms coincidently.)

Step 11: Set aside to dry

The candy melts do dry fairly quickly but just to be overly cautious I usually place my finished cake-pops on a stand to allow them to continue drying. This will ensure that they have a smooth polished finish!

Step 12: Presentation

Pack them up, wrap them up or stick them in a container! I used a flower arrangement that already had oasis in it. I like to use oasis as the cake pops stick into it perfectly and hold really well. It’s an unpleasant green colour so I just covered mine with pink tissue paper and then poked the lollipop sticks right through it. These make great gifts, why not show off all your hard work and deliver some to your friends and family? You can get really creative with how you decorate them and they are also raved about at any party I bring them to!

 

The two finished products presented together…  

OOTD:

Last but not least…my outfit for the shower! In keeping with the theme, I opted for cheetah print with a hint of pink!

Outfit Details:

• Black/Pink 3/4 sleeve cheetah print shift dress with black trim/back zipper (Winners)
• Black Blazer with faux-leather sleeves (H & M)
• Black Michael Kors Fulton Flats (Macy’s)– I went for comfort since I knew I would be on my feet walking around all day!
• Baby pink statement necklace (Boutique in New York City)– Kept it simple because of the loud patterned dress
• Black sheer stockings– not necessary but it was freezing so I went with them!
• Assorted Tiffany & Co bracelets and Pandora Rings– These are my staple pieces of jewellery that I wear on a day-to-day basis and when I’m going out!