Cake Pop, why do you hate me?

Today I had over some of the Ace Gang for a Cake Pop Party.  I had baked a funfetti cake the day before, and the four of us poured over Cake Pops by Bakerella and in a daring move decided to try out a more advanced recipe: Cake Pop Owls.  Note that the book strongly advises you to start off nice and easy with cake balls and then work your way up.  However, ABC was showing a Harry Potter marathon and we were going to make Hedwigs.  Our resident culinary genius was out of the state, and looking back on it, it was a little unwise to attempt such an undertaking without Amy.   

Words of advice for those of you who would like to try making cake pops yourselves:

1.  

DO NOT CAKE POP SOLO.  You need more than two hands for this job, especially if you want to decorate them.   

2.  

Leave space in your refrigerator.  Unless you are planning on eating them all in one sitting (don't do it, one is filling enough, those things sit like sweet sinful bricks in your belly), leave space for your pops.

3.  

If you don't have a "foam block" on hand, turn a cardboard box upside down and poke holes in it for the pops to stand in.  

4.  

Embrace the mess.  Things are going to drip, crumble and spill.  Just leave it and move on before you drop your Cake Pop.

5.  

Freeze the suckers.  Zap 'em for a good 45 minutes.  The book reccommends a 15 minute chill in the freezer before you stick and dunk them.  Don't kid yourself, they will FALL APART, leaving you a whimpering, sticky mess.

6.  

Do them in small batches, maybe four or five at a time.  Let the others chill in the freezer/fridge, so that they don't go soft.

7. 

Coconut and sprinkles cover a multitude of sins.  Cake Pop look ugly?  Roll it in something yummy and suddenly you look like a pastry pro.  

8. Give them away!  Cake Pops are too cute not to share!  For easy transport, wrap them in pretty cellophane tied with a bow and balance them in a cup.  

Despite our melodrama, we had a TON of fun, and we're all very proud of the results.  Those Cake Pops whipped us at first, but we ended up beating them in the end.