How adorable are these for the 4th of July? It’s funny what I get excited about these days… cute boys men (oops… boys probably isn’t politically correct when you’re almost 40 and a teacher), new shoes, whipped-cream flavored vodka, and now add to that list these cake push-up pops.
Remember push-ups as a kids, those orange creamy treats? My sis and I LOVED them! This is a fabulous new twist. Some people refer to these as cake shooters ~ add a little vodka and I promise to call them shooters too.
Cake push-ups/shooters whatever you prefer to call them, can be bought in bulk here. I recognize most of you aren’t as insane as I am and don’t plan on buying these by the hundreds, so if you only want to start with a dozen or two, head over to the Etsy shop Cup Kates Event Design and buy them. I will warn you these little contraptions are not always easy to find and Kate sells through them pretty quickly. If you can’t find them and you happen to know where I live, I do have a nice stash on hand and might be willing to part with a few!
6 reasons I’m in love with cake push-up pops…
- They’re portable. They even come with lids. Pop them in the cooler and they’re the perfect dessert for a beach or pool party.
- They’re portion control…it’s bathing suit season, enough said!
- Toss them or wash them… They’re easy to clean, but not too pricey, so you won’t feel guilty if your pool party guests toss them.
- They’re versatile ~ These aren’t just for frosting and cake. I’m thinking ice cream cakes, strawberry shortcake, s’mores, chocolate mousse… the possibilities are endless.
- There is nothing wrong with reliving your childhood (unless you’re a dad who has decided your son is going to be the professional ball player you always dreamed of being).
- It’s about the novelty friends ~ I’m not ashamed to admit it, I love when I make something pretty simple that guests have never seen before and they gush on and on about how creative I am. We all thrive on a little praise, right?
Here’s the how-to: (see photos above)
Step 1: Clean out push-up containers and dry thoroughly.
Step 2: Put push-up pieces together.
Step 3: Make your favorite cake in a 9” X 13” pan. Cool cake completely. Using a circle cookie cutter, or the round part of the push-up pop to cut out cake circles.*
Step 4A: Brush cake crumbs off of cake circles and freeze in an airtight container, layering circles with waxed papers. Freeze until firm (1 hour or even overnight is fine).
Step 4B: Remove cake circles from the freezer. Use a serrated knife to cut cake circles in half.
Step 5: Prep the icing. You can make it from scratch, but store-bought works just as well. To obtain dark colors, use gel colors, such as Americolor or Wilton. If you don’t have piping bags, use a Ziploc bag and cut a small piece off of the corner to pipe frosting. Put push-ups together alternating between a layer of cake and a layer of icing.
*Another option (I haven’t tried yet) is to make cupcakes in a mini-muffin pan, instead of cutting the circles out of the cake pan.
What’s better than buying these??? Wining them of course! Christi of Love From the Oven is giving two dozen away this week. Go enter here and check out her amazing site. Her give-away ends this Thursday. Christi’s baking ideas are amazing!
Guess who will be giving away more of these in a few weeks? Me! I’m super excited, so check back for more fun ways to use these and for a chance to win! Thanks to Kate of CupKate’s Event Design for letting us host these give-aways.
Let me know if you come up with any great ideas for using these. I will be experimenting in my kitchen over the next few weeks!
I do have 100 or so.
Here’s what you need…
