For the dessert at Mini Me’s third birthday party, I decided to make something a little different — cake push pops. I have loved seeing this new treat idea pop up all over Pinterest lately and knew I had to give them a try. I also found a way to add Mickey Mouse ears to them, which made them perfect for the party’s theme. I will share with you the tips I learned along the way so you don’t make the same mistakes I did!
To make the cake, I spread my cake batter (from a box mix) into a shallow baking pan lined with parchment paper. I made two layer cakes, using a box of red velvet and a box of chocolate fudge. After baking, I flipped the cakes out onto the counter to cool and then used the bottom part of the push pop to cut round pieces of cake. Just squash the cake down to cut them out.
Now I had perfect circles to fit into my push pop containers! To create the layers, I piped a little bit of cream cheese frosting in the very bottom, pushed a circle of red velvet gently to the bottom, piped more frosting, added a layer of chocolate cake, more frosting, a final layer of red velvet and then frosting on top. I added mini chocolate chips to each layer of frosting as I went.
The decorative touch I came up with to really put these over the top was to add a set of Mickey Mouse ears on the outside of the containers. This is very scientific. I used a candle to gently melt one side of the red Wilton candy melts and held it on the edge of the push pop cap firmly for a moment to contour it to the top of the lid. “We’ve got ears, say cheers!”
To display the cake push pops at the party, I added them to a push pop container stand. They were fun to eat and a huge hit with the kids, and they lasted very nicely in the individual containers.
12 comments so far:
This is a great idea. A lot less waste of cake and virtually no mess.
Oh my gosh, these are just too cute and yummy looking – thanks so much for sharing!
Oh, I think those are the cutest! Where did you buy the little push-up things?
Jan, I got the push pop containers here on Amazon.
Do you think this would work with a mason jar? I’m trying to send a cake in a mason jar to someone overseas for his birthday that is coming up. But I’d like to not kill him with botulism or salmonella or anything. He’s in Italy- so it’d be about 7-14 days before he could even open the sealed jar. Any thoughts?
Sara, that’s a lovely gesture, but I would be very careful about trying to send cake that won’t be opened for 7-14 days, especially if the frosting contains dairy products like butter or cream cheese. I don’t think the jar would keep it from going moldy in the heat of the travel, unless maybe you “canned” it using preserving methods. I wonder if you can find an alternate material to make a “cake” out of that would last longer, such as maybe store-bought (and thus full of preservatives) Rice Krispie treats and jarred marshmallow fluff?
I was planning to do a store bought cake/ brownie mix and then send the frosting along separately in the closed container it’s already in. Or even do a gift card to the commissary so he can grab the icing himself with ice cream and other goodies. If I did a store bought mix of cake/ brownies and sent it with a note of caution, maybe?
I like the Rice Krispie idea though. Military moms and wives say they’ve been doing this for years without issue. For myself, I’ll be looking for an alternative, in addition to more research and maybe an at home experiment with family and friends in the states.
Thanks a ton for the suggestion!
Sara, it sounds like you’re on the right track. I was most concerned about the frosting, but sounds like you’ve got that covered!
Is there anything else you could put into the push-ups?
Jill, these push pops are pretty versatile. You could fill them with cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream, the list goes on and on!
Chica and Jo,
I just wanted to let you guys know that I sent brownies in a jar via the manner I’d mentioned before. My sailor loved them! It was a big hit and something he loved getting for his birthday in conjunction with the gift card to the commissary. I just sent him some pumpkin cakes in a jar for a Fall care package not too long ago and he should be getting the package soon. Best part… he didn’t become ill or have any issues with the packaging or freshness. This might be something fun for you all to experiment with.
Much love and Happy Fall!
Sara, I’m so glad to hear that your brownies arrived safe and fresh. I’m sure it made your sailor’s day! Thanks for reporting back