These Strawberry Confetti Cake Pops are made with delicious homemade strawberry cake crumbs, and light buttercream frosting! They are then topped off with pretty pink melting chocolate and colorful rainbow jimmies! Talk about perfection. But first thing’s first…

What are Cake Pops?

Cake pops are small cake bites in lollipop form. They are made by combining cake crumbs with frosting or chocolate and rolled into a ball form. Then the ball is then dipped in chocolate.

Cake pops were first created as a way to use up leftover cake scraps. But now, they have taken on a life of their own. were first created as a way to use up leftover cake scraps. But now, they have taken on a life of their own.

How Do You Make These Strawberry Confetti Cake Pops?

Cake pops can get their flavor in a variety of ways, but the process of making them usually looks like this:

1. Make and cool your cake base
2. Crumble that cake into small crumbs
3. Add frosting to the crumbs to create your pop base
4. Roll your individual cake pops
5. Dip and decorate!

These cake pops are made of a delicious strawberry confetti cake and a nice light buttercream frosting. They are then dipped in pink melting chocolate and covered in rainbow sprinkles!

My Top Cake Pop Tips:

1. Let your naked cake pops rest in the fridge before you start dipping.
2. Dip your stick in the melted chocolate and then into the ball. Then let that rest in the fridge for another 5 minutes.
3. Use a deep bowl or jar to hold your melting chocolate so you can fully cover the pop.
4. Make sure you tap off excess chocolate before you start to cover it with sprinkles.
5. Stick the stick into a styrofoam block or a cake pop holder like this one.

Loving the cake pop vibe? Well, you might like trying these other cake pop recipes as well:

• Mint Chocolate Chip Cake Pops 
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Pops
• Confetti Oreo Cheesecake Pops

I can’t wait for you to give these a try!

Print

STRAWBERRY CONFETTI CAKE POPS

These homemade from-scratch strawberry cake pops are confetti-themed with sprinkles! Baked strawberry buttermilk cake is crumbled, rolled into cake balls, and then coated in perfect pink chocolate.

Servings 15 cake pops

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Ingredients

BUTTERMILK CAKE

• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sprinkles
• 3/4 teaspoon Strawberry flavor
• Pink food coloring

FOR THE POPS

• About 3 tablespoons of frosting
• 1/2 cup sprinkles, divided
• Pink melting chocolate
• Lollipop sticks
• Styrofoam block

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8" pan with parchment and non-stick spray.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar and oil on a low speed until just combined. About 1 minute.
• Add eggs and vanilla on medium/low speed. Mix until combined.
• Add cake flour and all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix on a low speed until just combined.
• Slowly stream in buttermilk. Mix until combined.
• Add strawberry flavor and a few drops of pink food coloring and 3 tablespoons of sprinkles. Mix until combined.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Set pans on a cooling rack to cool.

Assembly:

• Once the cake is cooled, use your hands or two forks and to crumble the cake into fine crumbs.
• Add 3 tablespoons of sprinkles and mix it into cake crumbs.
• Put remaining sprinkles in a small bowl and set aside.
• Add buttercream and mix with hands or fork until the buttercream is fully incorporated. You want the mixture to be just moist enough to roll into balls.
• Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out a small amount of mixture and roll between cupped hands until you reach the desired round shape.
• Put balls on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
• Place coating chocolates in a deep bowl so you will be able to submerge the entire ball in the chocolate. Melt chocolates.
• Dip the lollipop stick into chocolate and then into the middle of the ball. Let sit for 2 minutes.
• Dip the cake ball into the chocolate until it is completely covered. Hold it sideways over the bowl and rotate it and tap it so the excess chocolate comes off.
• Use a spoon to cover the ball with extra sprinkles. Make sure the entire ball is covered.
• Push the lollipop stick into a styrofoam block or cake pop holder to dry.

Notes

*Makes 15- 20 pops

The post Strawberry Confetti Cake Pops appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

The truth is, I don’t have many family recipes. My family loves to eat baked goods, but for some reason, I am really the only one who bakes them. Or so I thought. It turns out my aunt had been holding her mom’s coffee cake recipe hostage for years. But this year, she finally gave it over. 

Unlike some overly sweet or bland tasting coffee cakes you may have gotten from the store, this beauty has the perfect balance of sweet buttery goodness with a hint of tang (from the sour cream, of course). And because I love the crumb topping (we all know it’s the best part) I put an extra layer in the middle!

Ingredients You Need For The Sour Cream Coffee Cake:

• Unsalted butter. Always use unsalted butter as it gives you complete control over the flavor of a recipe.
• All-purpose flour. This is the most common type of flour used in the US and can be found at any grocery store. Make sure you “fluff” your flour with a fork or the measuring cup before measuring it. 
• Sugar: To add sweetness and flavor to your baked goods!   
• Eggs: I always suggest using “large eggs” when baking. The eggs add structure and flavor to our baked goods, and also combine with other ingredients to act as a leavening agent.  
• Baking soda: This is a leavening agent that reacts with acids in your recipe (think brown sugar or lemon juice). The reaction causes your baked goods to rise. 
• Baking powder: This is another leavening agent. It is made of baking soda + a dry acid. When added to liquid, the acid is activated, making your baked goods rise.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors in our baked goods – especially the butter! I prefer using Kosher salt, but you can use any kind of salt you have on hand! 
• Sour cream: Full Fat sour cream is going to give you the best results. It makes our baked goods super moist and rich, while also adding that amazing tangy flavor. 
• Vanilla Extract: It works to enhance all the flavors in our recipe. While skipping it will not change the structure of your baked goods, it can leave your baked goods tasting bland and boring. 
• Cinnamon: There to add some amazing flavor! 

Ingredients You Need For The Coffee Cake Topping:

• Light Brown Sugar: The molasses in brown sugar gives your baked goods a more robust flavor and allows it to hold more moisture. This usually results in a chewy texture.   
• Cinnamon: Just like in the cake, the cinnamon is there to add flavor. And it just goes so well with brown sugar! 
• Walnuts: These are optional – but I love me some crunch.

Why do we use baking soda and baking powder?

This Sour Cream Coffee Cake uses both baking soda and baking powder. While they are both leavening agents, they are used for different purposes. Baking soda is typically used in recipes that have an acid in them (light brown sugar, lemon juice, or yogurt). While baking powder is typically used in recipes that do not have an added acid (as the acid is already in the baking powder). 

But sometimes we see recipes that use both. Here are 2 reasons why: 

1. While the baking soda completely neutralizes the acid (and doesn’t force the baked goods to rise enough), we use the baking powder to give it a little extra umph (aka more rise). 
2. Too much baking soda can neutralize the flavor of the acid. And most of the time, we want our acid to provide flavor (in this case, our sour cream). So we reduce the baking soda (to ensure flavor) and add baking powder to make sure we still get that lift. 

Can I add chocolate to this Sour Cream Coffee Cake?

Of course. My aunt’s mom used to add a whole bag of chocolate chips to this recipe! I am more of a classic sour cream coffee cake kind of girl – and I also appreciate a heavy crumb topping. But if chocolate chips in coffee cake is your thing, you can definitely go for it. 

 If you want to go with my aunt’s version, you can add 1 cup of chocolate chips to this recipe. Spread ½ a cup over the middle crumb layer and the other ½ cup on top after you place the top crumb layer. 

What if I don’t have a tube pan?

I got you covered. Not everyone has a tube pan at home, and that’s ok. It shouldn’t stop you from making coffee cake. Check out this cool trick you can use to make your own tube pan at home. 

>>How Do Make A DIY Tube Pan<<

Can I make my Sour Cream Coffee Cake ahead of time?

Yep! You can make it the night before. Let it come to room temperature and then cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature overnight. 

You can also wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer for up to 45 days. Just make sure you let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then allow it to come to room temperature again before you serve it. 

Now you have everything you need to start making coffee cake! And like I said, if you are a classic coffee cake girl like me, go ahead and make this recipe as it is. But if you LOVE chocolate – go ahead and add the chocolate chips in the middle and top layer! 

Print

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

 This ultra moist sour cream coffee cake is topped with a brown sugar and walnut crumb topping. It’s easy to make and perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Resting Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Equipment

• Electric Mixer
• Tube Pan

Ingredients

For The Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
• 1 cup sugar (100g)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour (225g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup sour cream (245g)

For The Topping

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed (213g)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (176g)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray the tube pan with non-stick spray.
• In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients and set aside.
• In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar. Cream until fluffy (about 5 minutes).
• Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.
• Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on low/medium speed until combined.
• Add ½ of the sour cream. Mix until incorporated.
• Add the other half of the dry ingredient mixture. Mix on low/medium speed until just combined.
• Add the remaining sour cream mixture. Mix until combined.
• Pour half of the cake mixture in the tube pan.
• Spread half of the topping mixture evenly over the batter.
• Add the other half of the cake mixture to the pan.
• Spread the remaining topping mixture evenly over the batter.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow cake to cool before removing it from pan (about 45 - 60 minutes).

The post Sour Cream Coffee Cake appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

National Doughnut Day is Friday – and because I really really like doughnuts, I wanted to create a special recipe for the occasion. When I was brainstorming, I thought about the Doughnut Cake I made a few years back from my friend’s birthday.

I made these adorable little fondant doughnuts to put around the bottom of the cake, and a big fondant doughnut to put on top. But then I got to thinking – why don’t I use REAL doughnuts?

Because everyone knows that real doughnuts are WAY better than fondant doughnuts.

It would be the ultimate combination of my two favorite things, cake + doughnuts. The result was this awesome Strawberry Buttermilk Doughnut Cake!

WHY BUTTERMILK?

Like milk or sour cream, buttermilk is used to add fat and acidity to our cakes and doughnuts. This liquid component is VERY important because it is responsible for tenderizing the gluten. Basically, this is what creates that super soft texture in your baked goods. Buttermilk may have the lowest amount of fat, but its high percentage of acidity allows you to get this delightful tender texture in your baked goods. The higher acidity also helps to enhance the flavors and give your cake or doughnuts a little extra tang.

You can totally use milk as a substitute if you don’t have access to buttermilk. But I really recommend giving the buttermilk a try! The extra tang goes perfectly with the sweet strawberry flavor.

Print

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUT CAKE

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Ingredients

BUTTERMILK CAKE

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk

STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

• 1 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Water
• 7 oz. Strawberries
• Pink food coloring
• Candy thermometer
• Sprinkles

BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 8" pans with parchment.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar and oil on a low speed until just combined. About 1 minute.
• Add eggs and vanilla on medium/low speed. Mix until combined.
• Add flours, salt, and baking powder. Mix on a low speed until just combined.
• Slowly stream in buttermilk. Mix until combined.
• Divide batter evenly between three pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Set pans on a cooling rack to cool.

For the buttercream:

• In a small sauce pan put 3/4 cup of sugar and cover the sugar with a little bit of water until the sugar looks like wet sand. Cook on a stove top over high heat. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the sugar and heat until it reaches 248 degrees.
• While the sugar is cooking, whip eggs whites in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at a high speed until they reach soft peaks.
• Once the egg whites reach soft peaks add the other 1/4 cup of sugar and mix on a high speed until the egg whites reach stiff peaks. You can keep mixing the egg whites at a high speed until the sugar is done cooking.
• Once the sugar reaches 248 degrees immediately take it off the stove. While the mixer is still running on high speed, add the sugar syrup to the egg white mixture. Mix on a high speed for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, add the room temperature butter and mix on a high speed for 5-10 minutes until the butter is fully combined and the mixture resembles buttercream.
• Purée strawberries in a blender. Press strawberry purée through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of all the seeds. Discard the seeds.
• Add purée, vanilla extract and a few drops of pink food coloring to the buttercream. Mix until buttercream is light and fluffy.

For the buttermilk doughnuts:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a mini doughnut pan with non-stick spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar.
• Add eggs and vanilla pasta.
• On a low speed, add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
• Slowly stream in buttermilk. Mix until combined.
• Place batter into a large piping bag.
• In a mini doughnut pan, pipe batter so that each mold is 3/4 of the way full.
• Bake for 6 - 8 minutes.

For the strawberry glaze:

• Purée strawberries in a blender. Press strawberry purée through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of all the seeds. Discard the seeds.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk and strawberry purée. Mix until combined.
• Dip doughnuts into the glaze and add sprinkles.

Notes

*Doughnut Recipe Adapted from How Sweet It Is

*Makes 1 Cake

The post Strawberry Buttermilk Doughnut Cake appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

Have you ever followed a recipe and it just didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to? Or your cakes just never seem to be as good as the ones from the local bakery, or even the ones from Costco? Unfortunately, making a homemade cake is not always as simple as it seems – there are number of factors that can go wrong. And then you are left with a dry, tasteless mess, wishing you just went out and bought that Costco cake in the first place. But, that doesn’t have to be the case! Today I am giving you so some simple tips and tricks that will hopefully lead to your success in the kitchen, and ultimately the perfect cake!

TIPS FOR MAKING A PERFECT CAKE

1. Check the recipe and make sure you have all the ingredients before you start.

I know this may sound silly – but having the right ingredients is essential. There is nothing worse than getting halfway through and realizing you are out of milk.

2. Use room temperature ingredients.

Now that you have made sure you have all your ingredients, make sure they are all at room temperature. There is a bunch of science that proves that room temperature ingredients make for better cakes – but I’m not going to bore you with that. Just trust me on this one.

3. Get a digital scale.
This is the most accurate way to measure ingredients. There is a lot of room for error when using measuring cups, but if you stick with a scale, you should be good to go.

4. Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl before adding them to wet ingredients.

This ensures that essential components like salt and baking powder are evenly distributed throughout the cake.

5. Do not over mix your batter.

Unless otherwise specified, make sure you are mixing everything until it is just combined. An over mixed batter can result in a tough cake (aka a gross cake).

6. If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment when making cakes.

The wire whisk can cause too much air to get into the batter and ruin the consistency.

7. Always use an oven thermometer.

Every oven is different and there are a number of reasons your oven can be out of whack. An oven thermometer ensures you are cooking the cake at the right temperature.

8. Bake your cake in the center of the middle rack in your oven.

Like I said, ovens are weird. The middle rack is the best way to get your cake to bake evenly.

9. Prepare your pan with non-stick spray (or butter) and parchment paper.

I highly suggested getting the pre-cut parchment rounds. It makes life a lot easier. But if you don’t have those, trace the bottom of your pan with a pencil on a sheet of parchment and then cut out your own round.

10. Do not over bake your cake!

There are a few ways to test if you cake is done. 1. Stick a toothpick into the center of the cake and see if it comes out clean. 2. Lightly press your finger in the center of the cake. If the cake bounces back, it’s ready. it it doesn’t, the cake needs more time. If you over bake your cake, it will be dry and crumbly.

If you are looking for a recipe to try these tips out here is my favorite Vanilla Vanilla Cake and my favorite Chocolate Sprinkle Cake.

That is all for now! Hopefully these tips will help you make the best cake ever!

The post Tips for Making a Perfect Cake appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

When I started making cakes in high school, I kind of just went in blind. I didn’t read any books or blogs, or watch any baking shows…I just went for it. And as a result, I made cakes that looked like this.

That is supposed to be a cake of my friend’s face – and in case you were wondering…she does not look anything like this. But we all have to start somewhere, right? Obviously, I started in a place where there was a lot of room for improvement. After a few more cakes like this, I decided to it was time to open a book.

One of the first, and probably most important things I learned in my early research was the importance of a crumb coat. By definition, a crumb coat is a thin layer of icing that traps in all the cake crumbs. But, it also helps you to fill in places where your cake might not be totally even. The crumb coat gives you a solid base to start decorating on. It is kind of like the concept of using paint primer before you start to paint your house. This little coat of icing makes your life so much easier and if you skip this step, you run the risk of having little pieces of crumb in your final product. Kind of like this…

This is annoying, and as you can see, not very appealing. So do yourself a favor – and crumb coat your cakes. Crumb coating is easy. Once you have filled and stacked your layers, take a small amount of icing and spread it all over the cake. It is easiest to start at the top, and then work your way down the sides. Try to make it as thin and as smooth as possible. Once you are done, place the cake in the fridge for 15-30 minutes, or until the icing has hardened.

And that’s it! You are done! And then, after the icing has set up in the fridge, you are free to start decorating. Once you have done this one time, you will see the difference it makes in your final product. Take it from me…it will only make your cakes better! And as a bonus tip…I suggest never trying to make a cake of your friend’s face. No matter how good a cake decorator you are…something about it just always seems off.

The post Importance of a Crumb Coat appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

Drip Cakes have kind of taken the cake world by storm. The first person I ever saw using the Drip technique was Katherine Sabbath about 4 years ago. Now, it has over 1 MILLION posts in the #dripcake hashtag on Instagram. That’s a LOT of drip cakes.

But you know what makes Drip Cakes even better? Sprinkles. Recently, Brittany May decided to up the drip cake game up by adding sprinkles to her perfect colorful drips. The results have been fantastic. Just look at some of her beauties on Instagram. Rachel Fuji has also taken on this trend and created some real masterpieces.

So I decided to share a little tutorial with you guys to show you how you too could make one of these works of art at home…

The first thing you need is a good ganache recipe. It needs to be thick enough that it keeps its shape when it runs down the side of the cake. If the ganache is too thin, it will all pool at the bottom (and that’s not cute). Below, I have provided you guys with the ganache recipe I use. But it’s VERY important that you guys do two things in order to get the perfect drip.

1. Let the ganache cool down a little before you start dripping. If it is too hot, it will just run down the side of the cake.

2. Make sure your cake is COLD before you start dripping. The cake needs to be in the fridge for at least 40 minutes. The frosting needs to be cold/hard in order to hold your drips in place.

And then comes the sprinkle part. Once your drip is done, you have to individually place each sprinkle on the drip. That’s right…INDIVIDUALLY place EACH one. It can take a good 30 minutes to completely cover your drip in sprinkles. It takes a little patience…but I promise you the results are SO worth it! Get yourself a sprinkle blend that has a lot of different colors and shapes, like this one, to make your sprinkle drip more interesting. You can use your fingers to place the sprinkles, but I like to use angled tweezers so I don’t risk stabbing my fingers into the cake. And then, I add some sprinkles on top for extra sprinkle fun!

And remember, if you guys make your own sprinkle cake, tag me on instagram! I want to see your creations!

Happy Baking!

Print

DIY SPRINKLE DRIP CAKE

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Ingredients

WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 1 cup white chocolate, chopped (190g)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (80ml)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (or other flavored extract)

CAKE

• Any 6" or 9" cake. I recommend this Strawberry Confetti Cake

Instructions

WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• Place white chocolate in a medium glass bowl. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, cook heavy cream over medium heat. Allow it to sit until the cream begins to boil.
• Once it begins to boil, pour the heavy cream over the white chocolate.
• Use a whisk to combine the cream and the chocolate. It will take a minute or two, but it will eventually come together and form a nice smooth ganache.
• Stir in flavored extract.
• Optional: Once ganache is formed, you can add a few drops of food coloring.

The post DIY Sprinkle Drip Cake appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

For the past 5 weeks I have been working at a Treatment Center in Bavaria, Germany. This center, the Leistmühle, is a place where people come to help them understand and work through things that are happening in their lives. For them, it is a safe place they come to cry, to laugh, and to heal.

I am here teaching kids how to bake with a Sprinkles for Breakfast flare. I don’t know if any kitchen in Germany has ever seen this many colors, and I know for a fact none of these people have ever seen so many sprinkles.

The Leistmühle is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by small traditional villages. They literally call them “villages”. The center has a river running through the backyard, a teepee, a treehouse, about 5 different ways you can throw away trash (which is still very confusing for me), and chickens. They have REAL LIVE CHICKENS.

Everyday life here could not be more different than the lives I have lived in DC, NYC or LA. For most of these people, my life is something that only exists on TV or in the movies. To them, I am basically an alien walking around in lulu lemon leggings.

But even with all of this – especially when you consider my serious lack of German – I have never felt more welcome anywhere in my life. I have met so many wonderful people, heard so many interesting stories, and experienced more kindness than I could ever imagine.

The last three years of my life have been plagued with loss, sickness and enough tears to last me a lifetime. For so long I have felt stuck – unable to escape the fog that is constantly clouding my head. Often times I found myself worried that it may be this way forever.

But this center, these people and these kids have reminded me what it feels like to smile again.

I am not saying that everything is perfect or that this place has magically changed my life (although it is quite magical), but this experience here has shown me that it is possible to overcome anything.

So…why Pirates? A few years ago, I was lucky enough to help my Uncle as he wrote Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales (which came out last week). I thought this was an amazing opportunity to bring my world and this new world I had discovered together. So yesterday, the people at the Leistmühle helped me put together a Pirates viewing party for the kids, their families and their friends. Around 100 people came to a small theater in Ingolstadt to watch the new Pirates movie. We had a little Skype session with my Uncle – a real Hollywood writer – we ate popcorn, drank soda and ate A LOT of Pirate Cookies. It was a perfect afternoon.

So now that my time here is coming to an end, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who made this experience possible. Whether you helped make yesterday happen, drove me to and from the center, cooked for me, welcomed me into your home, spoke to me in English, or just treated me with any sort of kindness – thank you. It meant more to me than you could ever know. Bavaria will always hold a special place in my heart.

Print

PIRATE SUGAR COOKIES

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 14 oz blue melting chocolate
• 4 oz purple melting chocolate
• Toothpicks
• 3 inch circle cookie cutter

Instructions

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
• When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4" thick.
• Use the cookie cutter to cut out circles and place them on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 6 - 8 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
• Once the cookies are cooled, melt 14 oz of melting chocolate according to the instructions on the package.
• Dip half of the cookie into the chocolate and place on parchment paper.
• Use a toothpick to make a small tie on one side of the hat and add sprinkles.
• Once the hats is dry, melt the 4oz of chocolate.
• Dip the toothpick into the melted chocolate and draw on the pirates face.

Notes

*Makes about 20 cookies

The post Pirate Sugar Cookies appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

Have you ever tried to make something without having the proper tools? I am in no way “handy” around the house, but I am pretty well seasoned when it comes to putting together Ikea furniture. And if you have ever attempted your own DIY ikea project, you know that the little Ikea Spinny Tool (definitely the official name for it) is pretty important. You can try a million other tools to get those special Ikea nails in there – but there is no way your furniture will hold up without that stupid Spinny Tool.

Bottom line – sometimes there is no substitute for the real deal. In attempting to make these pops, I found this out the hard way. Some time last year, these adorable little mini cake pops started popping up (pun intended) all over Instagram. Obviously, I wanted in on the trend, but I was having trouble finding the right mold.

After a few failed attempts at various cake shops, I started started googling random things:

• – “silicone cake pop mold”
• – “mini cake pops that look like popsicles”
• – “mini cakesicles on instagram”
• – “how to make mini caksicles like the Australians do” (this is where most of the bakers who were making them were from)

Not surprisingly, I couldn’t find the mold anywhere. I ordered a few different items that looked like they might give me a similar look – but they all turned out to be very very wrong.

After a few disasters in the kitchen and months of searching – I FINALLY found them. Apparently, they are called “Mini Classic Easy Cream Silicone Mold” – of course, why didn’t I think of that?! And THIS is the only place I could find them.

So after a lot of trial and error…I give you these mini chocolate chip Watermelon Cake Pops! Basically, I am obsessed with them and they are crazy easy to make once you get your hands on the right mold!

Side note – if anyone ever finds a suitable replacement for the Spinny Tool – let me know!

Print

WATERMELON POPS

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Ingredients

VANILLA CAKE

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• Pink food coloring

FOR THE POPS

• About 3 tablespoons of frosting
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 12 oz white melting chocolate
• Green candy coloring
• Small popsicle sticks
• Toothpicks
• Silicone ice cream pop mold

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 8x8" pan with parchment and non-stick spray.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar and oil on a low speed until just combined. About 1 minute.
• Add eggs and vanilla on medium/low speed. Mix until combined.
• Add flours, salt, and baking powder. Mix on a low speed until just combined.
• Slowly stream in milk. Mix until combined.
• Add a few drop of pink food coloring. Mix until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Set pan on a wire rack to cool.

ASSEMBLY:

• Once the cake is cooled, use your hands or two forks and to crumble the cake into fine crumbs.
• Add mini chocolate chips and mix them into cake crumbs.
• Add buttercream and mix with hands or fork until the buttercream is fully incorporated. You want the mixture to be just moist enough to roll into balls.
• Tightly pack cake mixture into cake pop molds. Place popsicle stick into the bottom and remove the cake pop.
• Repeat with remaining cake mixture.
• Place pops into the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• Place melting chocolate in a bowl and melt according to instructions on package.
• Once melted, use a toothpick to add some green candy coloring until you get desired color.
• Hold cake pop over the bowl and use a spoon to pour chocolate all over the pop.
• Use a fresh toothpick to draw three lines pretty close together at the center of the pop.

Notes

*makes 10-12 pops

The post Watermelon Pops appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

When I was little, my favorite ice cream flavor was Cookies & Cream. I got it every single time we went out for ice cream and we always had some in the house. I absolutely loved it. But as I grew older, I came to discover that my obsession was not exclusive to ice cream – it was anything Cookies & Cream flavored.

There is just something about it that I can’t resist. So when I discovered Pocky had a Cookies & Cream flavor, I was pretty excited. So excited…that I decided to use it as inspiration for an epic DIY cake. This cake is a true show stopper!

And it’s full of so much Cookies & Cream goodness, your friends and family won’t know what to do with themselves!

Post Sponsored By Pocky

Print

DIY COOKIES & CREAM CONFETTI POCKY CAKE

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong black coffee
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Cookies & Cream Frosting
• 1 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 lbs. powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 cup crushed Oreos

SPRINKLE POCKY

• Cookies & Cream Pocky Sticks
• 7.5 oz container of sprinkles
• Piping Gel

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two 8" cake pans with parchment.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.
• On low speed add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.
• Once everything is combined beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
• Divide batter evenly between the two pans.
• Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.
• Place on a cooling rack to cool.

For the frosting:

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.
• Slowly add powdered sugar. Mix until combined and fluffy.
• Add vanilla and milk. Mix until combined.
• Stir in crushed Oreos.

For the sprinkle pocky:

• Dump 3/4 of the sprinkles into a small bowl and set aside.
• Use a small paint brush to cover chocolate covered part of the pocky stick with piping gel.
• Place the stick into the 7.5 oz container of sprinkles. Put the top on and lightly shake the bottle until the stick is covered in sprinkles.
• Take the stick out and set aside to dry.
• Repeat with 20 - 25 sticks.

Assembly

• Once cakes are cool, remove them from the pans and place one layer onto a cake plate. Using an offset spatula, spread a generous amount of frosting to the edge of the cake.
• Turn the second layer upside down (so the bottom is face up) and gently place it on top of the first layer.
• Take 1/2 cup of frosting and set it aside. Use the remaining frosting to frost the rest of the cake. Start with a generous amount on the top and work your way to the sides.
• Place Pocky sticks around the cake.
• Place remaining 1/2 cup of frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe large stars all over the top of the cake. Finish it off with a generous amount of sprinkles.

Notes

*1 Cake

The post DIY Cookies & Cream Confetti Pocky Cake appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.

As you know, we are obsessed with doughnuts. This National Doughnut Tour has really opened our eyes to the world of doughnuts, and inspired us to use our doughnut love in other areas of our lives. For example, this Doughnut Cake. It was one of our favorites from 2014, and now you can make your very own Doughnut Cake at home. Just follow the easy step by step tutorial below.

Print

DOUGHNUT CAKE TUTORIAL

Author Lindsay Nathanson

Ingredients

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Fondant
• Brown and Yellow Food Coloring
• A wooden skewer or candy thermometer
• Icing Glaze (1 cup sugar + 1.5 tbs water)
• Sprinkles

Instructions

• 1. Color fondant desired brown color (we used a combination of yellow and brown). Roll fondant into 3/4" balls.
• Using a wooden skewer or the end of a candy thermometer make a hole that goes all the way through the center of the ball.
• With a forefinger and a thumb on each side of the ball (covering the holes), lightly press down to flatten ball. Flatten sides too if necessary. It should look like a naked doughnut at this point.
• Dip top part of the doughnut into icing glaze.
• Use skewer or thermometer again to remove icing from hole.
• Dip doughnut into sprinkles.
• Use skewer or thermometer to remove sprinkles from the hole. Set aside and let dry over night.
• Once they are dry, you can add them to the border of your cake. And if you want to make a doughnut topper, repeat the same process using a larger piece of fondant.

FOR THE DOUGHNUTS

• Color fondant desired brown color (we used a combination of yellow and brown) and roll fondant into 3/4" balls.
• Using a wooden skewer or the end of a candy thermometer make a hole that goes all the way through the center of the ball.
• With a forefinger and a thumb on each side of the ball (covering the holes), lightly press down to flatten ball. Flatten sides too if necessary. It should look like a naked doughnut at this point.
• Dip top part of the doughnut into icing glaze.
• Use skewer or thermometer again to remove icing from hole.
• Dip doughnut into sprinkles.
• Use skewer or thermometer to remove sprinkles from the hole. Set aside and let dry over night.
• Once they are dry, you can add them to the border of your cake. And if you want to make a doughnut topper, repeat the same process using a larger piece of fondant.

Notes

*Enough mini doughnuts to circle a 4" cake

The post Doughnut Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sprinkles For Breakfast.