After many requests from friends and wives of friends. I'm writing this How To: Cake Pop post.

So far, I've created Twitter Pops and University of Texas Longhorn Pops successfully. Hooray. Can't wait for the next batch. The following cake pop tutorial takes you behind the scenes for the making of the Longhorn Pops.

How do you cake pop?

Supplies:
1 - 9"x13" baked cake
1 - 16 oz. can frosting
Wax paper
50 or so paper lollipop sticks
1 lb. Candy melts
Paramount crystals or shortening
Styrofoam sheet

Instructions:
1. Bake a 9"x13"cake from a mix or from scratch if you're feeling like an overachiever. I used Duncan Hines Orange Supreme (Hook 'em). Cool completely. I tend to cool overnight.

2. Destroy cake in a large mixing bowl. I use the the back of a large spoon, you could use your hands.

3. Mix in a can of frosting until well blended. (Classic vanilla frosting is pictured.) I use the back of a large spoon for this, too. It can get tricky, so I'll use my hands towards the end. You might want to wear gloves if you don't like getting icky.

4. Roll mixture into 50 cent coin or one dollar coin balls. Smaller than a golf ball, larger than a quarter. Cake Pop Goddess Bakerella says to make them about the size of a quarter, but this led to me having 70 baby Twitter birds. That's a lot of beaks and feet to find. Don't make the cake balls too big, either. The lollipop sticks won't hold their weight.

5. Place cake balls on wax paper and into the fridge for a few hours so they firm up.

6. Melt candy melts as directed on package. I used a microwave. Anyone lucky enough to own a double boiler can use it. Add paramount crystals or shortening to smooth out melts if necessary. I used a combination of yellow, red, and light cocoa melts to mix a burnt orange.

Note: I just found out what paramount crystals are...they're a solid emulsifer (easier to store). Austinites can get them at All-In-One Bake Shop. they have a bunch of different melts and chocolate in different flavors. They also have different sprinkle types and tons of colors, too. A great place to go if you're on a cake pop roll. I'll see if they'll let me come in and take pictures for a future blog post. Candy melts are also available at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and at the dreaded Walmart. I swear each time I go to Walmart a piece of my heart dies. I've been so many times, is there any heart left?

6. Dip a single lollipop stick at a time into the melted candy coating, covering a about a 1/2 inch. Poke lollipop stick into cake ball about halfway. Repeat about 50 times.

7. Put these in the fridge for a few hours to firm up again.

8. Dip cake ball into candy melts and rotate until the entire cake ball is covered. Make sure the part with the stick is covered to seal the new candy coating with the part that holds the stick to the cake ball. I had to use a spoon with candy coating to make sure the stick was secure.

9. The tough part. Hold the covered cake pop in your left hand and use your right hand to tap your left wrist 2-3 times. This shakes off the excess candy melt. Don't tap too hard, or else the entire cake ball will fall off. It'll feel like you just decapitated your cake pop. Sad times. I hope to make a video of this tapping sometime. It's difficult to explain in written words.

10. Let the cake pops cool standing up in a styrofoam sheet or block covered with wax paper. The wax paper will protect the foam from drips so you can reuse it for future cake pops. Styrofoam can usually be found in the floral section of a craft store. It's strangely expensive for what it is, so try to use a coupon or stock up when Hobby Lobby has those 1/2 weekly special sales.

11. Decorate. I used fondant, circle sprinkles, and an edible marker to make these Longhorns. Use a toothpick dipped into melted candy coating as glue. They tasted like the cake equivalent of a Creamsicle.

If you're feeling really adventurous (or sporty), you can make cake footballs. They're a little more difficult to evenly dip in candy melts. FYI the footballs were covered in premium dark chocolate melts and tasted like a Terry's Chocolate Orange. You know...those foil covered chocolate oranges that break apart into individual slices when you pound them against something?