It doesn't get more adorable or fun to eat than these Heart Shaped Cake Pops ... they're the perfect Valentine's Day Treat!
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Heart Cake Pops
I've been thinking about these pops for a while now. I took Craftsy's free Cake Pop class back in October and made Halloween-themed pops for my husband's office party. They turned out really well and were so much easier to make than I imagined.
Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect occasion to make another batch of cake pops! I started brainstorming Valentine cake pop ideas and finally came up with these adorable Shot Through The Heart Cake Pops.
To be honest, I wasn't sure how, or even if, my idea would work. Thankfully, the pops turned out just fine ... okay, better than fine. They are just so cute!
These Heart Cake Pops are very easy to make, but they do take a little time. Keep that in mind if you're making them for a party.
How to Make Heart Shaped Cake Pops
Want to make your own Valentine's Day Cake Pops? Here's what you'll need to make 25 to 30 heart cake pops:
- two baked cake layers, any flavor (I used a chocolate cake mix for my pops.)
- frosting (You can use homemade frosting or purchased, which is what I used.)
- pink candy melts
- white candy melts
- vegetable shortening
- lollipop sticks
- small ziplock bag
- gold cardstock
- scissors
- glue stick or double-sided tape
(Scroll to the end of the post for a printable recipe.)
Preparing the Cake
Start by putting the cake in a large bowl. Use a fork or your hands to break it into fine crumbs.
Stir the frosting into the cake crumbs, adding just enough to hold the cake together when you roll it into a ball.
Shaping the Hearts
To create the heart shape, place a heaping tablespoon of cake into your palm and form it into a ball. Flatten out the ball slightly, then pinch one end together to form a point. On the opposite end, press your finger into the ball to create the indentation at the top of the heart. I used a toothpick to refine the shape.
Don't worry if your hearts aren't completely perfect, because the candy coating will cover most imperfections.
Smooth out any little bumps, then place the hearts on their sides on a parchment-lined platter or baking sheet. Refrigerate the hearts for 2 hours or freeze for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This will firm up the dough.
Quick Tip: want perfectly shaped hearts without a lot of effort? Use a heart mold!
Adding the Sticks
Next, you'll insert the sticks.
Use a microwave to melt a few of the candy melts. Dip a lollipop stick into the candy and then insert it into the side of a heart. Wipe off any excess candy around the stick.
Repeat with the remaining sticks and then place the hearts in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Coating the Hearts
After 15 minutes, it's time to cover the pops with the candy melts. I used pink for half of my cake pops and white for the other half. Then I drizzled the pops with the other color.
Pour the candy melts into a small bowl (reserve about ⅓ cup for decorating the pops), and then follow the package directions for melting the candy. When the candy is melted, stir in 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening. This makes the melted candy more fluid and smooth.
Dip each heart into the melted candy. Use a spoon to pour candy over any areas that do not get covered. Gently tap the lollipop stick against the side of the bowl to remove excess candy, and then carefully drag the bottom of the heart across the top of the bowl to catch any drips.
Place the dipped pops back on the tray and repeat with half of the remaining pops. Use the second color for the other half of the pops. (Tip: if your cake is dark like mine, double-dip the pops if the cake shows through.)
Decorating the Cake Pops
Once all of the pops are dipped and the coating has hardened, you'll decorate them.
I melted the reserved candy and placed it in a small ziplock bag. Cover a flat surface with parchment paper, then snip a little corner off the ziplock.
Hold the cake pop in one hand and the ziplock in the other. Quickly drizzle the candy over one side of the pop, then flip it over and do the other side. Start your drizzle off the pop, and it will look a little neater.
I love drizzling the pops like this.
It looks super fancy, but it's really easy to do. If I can do it, so can you ... trust me!
Put the decorated pops in the refrigerator. And then, it's time to work on the finishing touch ... the arrows!
Making the Arrow Toppers
These arrow toppers are so cute and easy to make. Start by cutting out a 1.5-inch wide strip of gold cardstock. Fold this strip in half lengthwise, then trim the end of the strip on an angle. Cut a 1-inch length from the strip, also on an angle.
Snip parallel lines into the edge of this piece to create the feathers. Repeat with the remaining card stock until you have enough feathers to decorate each cake pop.
Attach the feathers to the end of the lollipop sticks with double-sided tape or a glue stick.
I may be biased, but I don't think these Pink Cake Pops could get much cuter! Wouldn't it be fun to surprise someone with these on Valentine's Day?
These Heart Shaped Cake Pops taste great, too!
I won't embarrass myself by telling you how quickly my husband and I gobbled these up. Let's just say that these Valentine cake pops didn't last long!
More Cake Pop Tutorials
If you like these Valentine Cake Pops, make sure to check out these yummy treats, too!
- Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops
- Easy Cake Pop Tutorial ... a great basic cake pop tutorial!
- Birthday Cake Pops with Sprinkles
- Ghost Cake Pops
Pro Tip: If you've never made cake pops before, definitely take Craftsy's free Creative Cake Pops class. You'll learn the basics, plus all sorts of awesome techniques. Check out all of Crafty's cooking classes while you're there, too! I've also taken Mastering Modern Sauces, which covered everything from from peanut sauce to vinaigrettes to ragus ... it was awesome!
Heart Cake Pops
Ingredients
- 2 (8- or 9-inch) baked cake layers, any flavor (I used chocolate)
- ¼ to ½ cup cup frosting
- 1 (12-ounce) bag pink candy melts
- 1 (12-ounce) bag white candy melts
- 4 teaspoons vegetable shortening, divided
Other Supplies:
- parchment paper
- lollipop sticks
Instructions
- Place cake layers in a large bowl. Crumble using your hands or a fork.
- Mix in just enough frosting so the cake holds together when formed in to a ball.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of cake mixture into your palm and form into a heart.
- Transfer hearts to a parchment-lined baking sheet; refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Melt a few of the candy melts in the microwave (either color). Dip a lollipop stick into the candy, then insert it into the side of a heart.
- Wipe off any excess candy around the stick, then repeat process with remaining hearts. Freeze hearts for 15 minutes.
- Pour pink candy melts into a small bowl (reserve ⅓ cup for decorating the pops), and then melt according to package directions. When melted, stir in 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening.
- Dip each heart into the melted candy, then gently tap the lollipop stick against the side of the bowl to remove excess candy. Transfer dipped hearts back to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Repeat process with half of the hearts. Then, melt white candy melts according to method above, and dip remaining hearts in white candy.
- To decorate the hearts, melt remaining pink candy according to directions. Transfer to a small zip top bag and snip off the corner.
- Drizzle pink candy bag and forth over white cake pops. When finished, melt remaining white candy and drizzle over pink cake pops.
- Decorate cake pop sticks, if desired, then refrigerate cake pops until ready to eat. Enjoy!
These are just SO cute!
Thank you so much! They're fun to make, too. 🙂
These are totally adorable! I swear I had this song stuck in my head all day when I saw this in my inbox!
Ha ha ... that was my plan all along, Heather! 😉