Valentine's Day Cake Pops

   

 

Red Velvet Cake Pops

Ingredients:

Cake Pop:

-       Red Velvet Cake Mix

-       3 eggs

-       ½ cup melted butter, cooled

-       ¼ cup chocolate milk

-       ¼ cup heavy cream

-       1- 1 ½ cups of Cream Cheese Frosting

Outer Coating:

-       Red candy melts

-       Pink candy melts

-       White candy melts

Directions:

Cake pop:

1.     Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flower 13x9 pan.

2.     In the bowl of your stand mixer mix the red velvet cake mix, 3 eggs, melted butter, chocolate milk, and heavy cream. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

3.     Let the cake cook. Crumble the cake, add frosting and mix with hands until the consistency is almost like cookie dough that can be rolled into smooth balls.

4.     Freeze for 30-45 minutes.

5.     Remove from freezer and let them sit out for about 15 minutes while you melt the candy. Cover the end of the stick in melted candy and then push half way through cake ball and let harden. Repeat for all cake balls.

6.     Dip in candy melt color of your choice and decorate to your taste. Stand up straight to harden, and then enjoy!

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Treats

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients

Rice Krispy Treats:

5 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal

40-45 large marshmallows

4 tbsp. butter

1/3 cup red velvet cake mix

Frosting:

½ cup butter-softened

16 oz. cream cheese

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

2-3 cups of powder sugar

Directions

Rice Krispy Treats:

1.     Prepare cookie sheet or jellyroll pan by lining with parchment paper

2.    Melt butter in pan over medium heat.

3.    Once butter is melted add marshmallows stirring constantly until melted.

4.    Add in red velvet cake mix and stir well. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir well.

5.    Mix in cereal stirring until incorporated.

6.    Press into jellyroll pan until smooth and rectangular. Set aside to cool.

7.    Once cool frost with cream cheese frosting cut in half and place one half on the other. Cut to desired size.

Frosting:

1.     In the bowl of your stand mixer combine butter and cream cheese; beat on medium-high until smooth, scraping sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. 

2.    Beat in the vanilla extract. Turn mixer down to low and begin adding sifted powdered sugar until desired consistency. 

Kiwi Strawberry Cupcakes

We only go to Costco once in awhile, usually about once a month, and mainly to buy paper goods, water, and meat--the price is worth it! When we do go though we will sometimes buy fruit and veggies depending on what they have at the time. This time we got kiwi, and in Costco fashion- they only sale them in bulk! So, what to do with so much kiwi before it goes bad?!?! Bake with it of course! 

I've never baked with kiwi before so I wasn't sure how they would come out, but, they are delicious! I love kiwis and strawberries together so I decided to mix in some strawberries too. 

I pureed the kiwi but only chopped up the strawberries- next time I might try switching it up and see how that changes the flavor. I use a food processor attachment for my Cuisinart stand mixer to make my purees and it's awesome! I am seriously in love with my Cuisinart mixer! It is by far the best gift I have ever received!! (Thanks Mom!!)

I didn't strain the seeds and beat in the puree and then folded in the strawberries. The batter wasn't as green as I thought it would be- but maybe that's a good thing!! 

 The cupcakes baked up great and I love how you can see the strawberries and the kiwi seeds in the finished product! They also smelled delicious! Yumm! 

The cupcakes had a very mild kiwi flavor and a stronger strawberry flavor so I decided to make a kiwi only frosting. I made my frosting as I normally would have and then folded in chopped kiwi. I love that the frosting kept its white color but that I could see the kiwi chunks in it. 

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Kiwi Strawberry Cupcakes

Yield: about 18

Ingredients 

Cupcakes:

1½ cups flour- sifted

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla

½ cup unsalted butter

1¼ cups sugar

1 egg

2 egg whites

2/3 cup Kiwi Puree

1 cup chopped strawberries

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese

½ cup butter

3 tbsp. heavy cream

3-6 cups of powdered sugar- sifted

7 oz marshmallow fluff

5-6 tbsp. chopped kiwi

Directions:

Cupcakes:

1.    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners


2.    In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

3.    In a separate bowl stir milk, vanilla, and kiwi puree.

4.    In the bowl of your stand mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

5.    Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition.

6.    Add ½ flour mixture and mix well.

7.    Add liquid mixture, mix well.

8.    Add remaining flour mixture, mix until incorporated.

9.    Fold in strawberry chunks.

10. Divide batter between cups, about ⅔ full.

11. Place pans in oven and immediately turn oven down to 325º. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning half way if your oven (like mine) doesn’t cook evenly.

Frosting:

1.    In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.

2.    Beat in heavy cream.

3.    On low, add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

4.    Stir in marshmallow fluff until well incorporated.

5.    Fold in chopped kiwi.

6.    Garnish with kiwi slices. 

 Thanks for coming, stay awhile, and return often! xoxo