Nayna Kanabar's snowman cake pops recipe

These impressive snowman cake pops were made by goodtoknow user Nayna Kanabar. They're easier to make than they look and are perfect as a Christmas treat or food gift

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 420g plain flour
• 240g caster sugar
• 60g cocoa powder
• ½tsp salt
• ½tsp baking powder
• ½tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 75ml sunflower oil
• 1tbsp apple cider vinegar (or 1 egg)
• 250ml water
• 1tsp vanilla essence

For the buttercream:

• 60g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 240g icing sugar

For decoration:

• Cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks
• Ready to roll fondant icing in brown, red and orange
• 480g white chocolate candy melts

Method

1. 1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 10 inch x 15 inch baking tray and keep aside.
   2. In a large mixing bowl, sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Then add the sugar to the mix.
      
   3. In a jug, add the oil, water, vinegar and vanilla together and mix.
   4. Make a well in the flour and gradually add the wet ingredients. Gently fold the mixture taking care not to over mix.
   5. Pour the batter into the greased baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 30 mins. Check if cake is done by inserting a skewer in the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is ready. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool.
   6. Remove the cake from baking tray and cut off the crusts from all four sides. Cut the cake into small pieces and put it into a food processor and whizz to form crumbs. Transfer the cake crumbs to a large mixing bowl.
   7. To make the buttercream, put the butter, vanilla and icing sugar in an electric mixer and whip until smooth and creamy.
   8. Add half the buttercream to the cake crumb mixture and mix well to form dough like consistency. (Reserve remaining buttercream for future use)
   9. Divide the mixture into 12 parts and roll each part into a sausage shape. Pinch the sausage shape a third of the way down to form neck line so that snowman has head and body. Place the snowman cake shapes onto a baking tray.
   10. Melt a small handful of the white chocolate candy melts in the microwave. Dip approximately 1cm of each of the cake pop sticks into the melted chocolate and push it into the bottom of the snowman's body, repeat for remaining balls to form lollipops. Place the snowman pops into the freezer for 30 mins to set.
   11. Melt the remaining chocolate melts in the microwave. Remove the frozen cake pops from the freezer and in turn dip each pop into the melted chocolate. Tap the cake pops gently to remove any access chocolate and leave to set up right. (Push the chocolate dipped cake pops into a block of polystyrene to keep them up right whilst chocolate is setting.) Repeat for all cake pops and once they are all coated, place in the fridge for 5 mins for chocolate to set.

   To make decoration:
   

   1. Dust a flat surface with icing sugar and roll out the red fondant to approximately 2mm thickness. Using a sharp knife cut long strips of icing to make snowman scarf.
   2. Roll out the brown icing and cut round shapes for eyes.
   3. Pinch the orange fondant icing into carrot shapes to make nose.
   4. To make the hat, roll out the brown fondant and cut out 2cm round circles. Roll a little brown icing into 1cm sized balls

   To assemble the snowman:
   

   1. Once chocolate is set, decorate the cake pops. Wet the back surface of the fondant scarf with water and wrap it around the snowman neck.
   2. Wet the back surface of the cut out fondant eyes with water and position on the face to form eyes.
   3. Using a cocktail stick make a small hole between the eyes for the nose.
   4. Push the carrot shaped nose in the hole to make nose.
   5. To make the hat, stick the ball of icing on top of the snowman's head. Using a little water and drape the round circle on top of it to form a hat.
   6. Cut out some red circles from the fondant and position on the snowman's body to make buttons.
   7. Leave the decoration to set before eating.