Ahoy there, bakers!
I was recently asked if I could make some nautical cake pops for a friend. I started brainstorming ideas, and came up with a fun design that I was really excited to make… then the friend changed their mind. D’oh! The idea was stuck in my head, so I went ahead and made them anyways to share with you!
Whenever I need a specific shape for a cake pop add-on, I immediately reach out to my friend Ella, of Lollicakes By Ella. The original mold queen, Ella has shapes of EVERYTHING!
Looking at the two molds, I thought for SURE that the wheel would give me the most trouble. However, I was so wrong. The anchor mold and I were fast frenemies.
I was so gentle. The first one broke, OK, rookie mistake – there’s always a learning curve with new molds. I was really careful with the second one, and it broke again – son of a cupcake. OK, here we go, third time’s the charm, right?
I took a deep breath, thought zen-like thoughts, wooosahhh… Snap! Mom always warned me, “What’s two’s is three’s.”
Eventually, le’ anchor decided to play nice and start working. And thank goodness, check out how cool it looks in one piece! 🙂
How did I get it so shiny & gold you ask? Gold highlighter dust from Lollicakes by Ella.
Highlighter dust, which also comes in silver, is a powdery substance that you can brush on chocolate, fondant or gumpaste to give them a beautiful, metallic look.
When working with small chocolate pieces, the natural heat from your hand can melt them quickly, so I used one small brush to hold the piece in place, while I dry-brushed on the highlighter dust with the other.
Note that it is called “highlighter” dust, meaning that it accentuates the base color that it is applied to. When working with chocolate, the color of the candy melts will have an effect on the hue of the gold:
- White chocolate = pewter-like light gold
- Yellow chocolate = true yellow gold
- Dark chocolate = brassy, antique gold
People often ask if the dust makes the candy taste funny… after this post, I ate a few of the wheels and didn’t notice any strangeness – they just tasted like regular chocolate.
Back to the pops… I made basic, navy blue cake pops and used gold striped straws from Sweets & Treats Boutique.
Pipe some melted chocolate to the back of your new gold pieces and attach them to your cake pops for a beautiful, polished look! [Displayed in a KC Bakes Paper Straw stand]
Bonus! Nautical cake pops are a great theme for a baby shower for moms expecting little boys. Enjoy these FREE Printable Tags, download in PDF: Ahoy Its a Boy.
Now, for the GIVEAWAY!
One lucky KC Bakes reader will win a Lollicakes By Ella Prize Pack worth $87!
- One (1) container of Gold Dust
- One (1) container of Silver Dust
- $25 Gift Card to Lollicakes by Ella’s Etsy Shop!
To enter… visit www.kcbakes.com/giveaway
Deadline: Thursday, March 26th at 11:59pm EST!
Disclaimer: there’s often concern and confusion over the labels “non-edible” and “non-toxic” regarding highlighter dust, luster dust, disco dust, etc.
- Non-Edible indicates that the product has no nutritional value (i.e. calories, fat, cholesterol, etc.). It is not intended for mass-consumption, such as eating a spoonful of it. The amount of dust needed to cover a chocolate piece is very small.
- Non-Toxic indicates that it is not harmful if injested.