Cake Pops 101

Cake pops are one of the hottest party desserts right now. They are everywhere , from fancy soirees to kid's birthday parties. The only problem is that they can be daunting to create, especially the more elaborate ones. Luckily there is a new book out that can help you create bakery quality pops that will make your guests swoon. How sweet is that?

Noel Muniz has created the ultimate cake pop book, The Art of Cake Pops, 75 Dangerously Delicious Designs (Skyhorse Publishing, New York) for cake pop lovers and home bakers.Mr. Muniz, owner of the Cake Poppery Bakery in Chicago is a well known baker who studied the culinary arts at Kendall College.This is a gorgeous , lush book filled with fun pictures of cake pops along with valuable advice about creating them. He has divided the books into such sections for showers , fairies, pets and nature. These are easy to make, thanks to Mr. Muniz, with detailed recipes and steps to create mini works of art.This is a great guide for beginners to the art, showing them exactly how to create a specific decoration for a particular event or party.

What I like about the book is that the author makes no bones about how hard it can be in creating these gems. He spells it out about why using scratch mix is a better base for the cake pops then a mix. He also includes six yummy recipes for scratch cakes  from flavors like banana to vanilla. Mr, Muniz also gives a detailed chapter on what kind of chocolates to use as well as how to prep the pops before dipping.(use frosting).  This also includes hints and tips about melting , prepping and using hard candy to aid in finishing the  design.He has all sorts of designs that are relatively simple and endless fun to make. They include the easy jawbreakers and bowling bowl kinds to the more elaborate nail polish bottles and garden snake ones. To be honest they're too beautiful to eat, especially after knowing the huge amount of labor it takes to create each one.

Cake pops are the dessert of choice these days. Read Mr. Muniz ''s book to create bakery worthy ones. from bridal to showers to kids parties. They are not only delicious but mini gems of art.