Valentine's Cakesicles

Cakesicle filling

Making cakesicle filling consists of mashing cake together with a few tablespoons of frosting to make a firm but pliable mixture. If you’d rather not bother making cake or frosting, you can buy pre-made cupcakes at most grocery stores – scrape off any sprinkles or colored decorations and you’re good to go! I ‘doctored up’ and mashed a simple white boxed cake mix, but here’s a link to my Vanilla Cake Layer recipe (https://intensivecakeunit.com/favorite-vanilla-cake-recipe/) if you’d rather make your cake from scratch!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and /or grease with non-stick or baker’s floured cooking spray.

Combine cooled butter, buttermilk, and egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until combined. Stir in boxed cake mix until combined, and then stir in gel color and beat with a hand mixer or whisk for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans; set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.

This is a great time to make your frosting if you don't plan on buying it!

Frosting is fairly easy to purchase (here’s a medium-consistency frosting from Wilton!), but it *does* taste better if you make your own! Here’s a link to my favorite Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting recipe!

Once your cake has cooled, transfer it to a bowl and mash it into crumbs with a large spoon or a couple of forks. Add a couple tablespoons of frosting and continue mashing. The mixture should begin to stick together in large clumps. Continue mixing until no longer crumbly, adding more frosting a half tablespoon at a time if needed.

Cakesicle coating / decorations

Melt about half the package of candy melts – this can be done in a double boiler, or in 30-second intervals on half power in a microwave. With a spoon and/or offset spatula, line the insides of the cakesicle molds with melted candy melts. Make sure the coating is at least a few millimeters thick so it doesn’t crack when you de-mold your cakesicles!

Insert your cakesicle sticks part-way into the mold before the candy melts harden (you might notice I forgot in the video! Had to crack and re-coat. Don’t forget like I did!). Place in the fridge to chill until the candy melts have set.

Now you’re ready to fill the molds with cakesicle mix! Fill each mold with about a tablespoon of cakesicle mix, making sure the top is a few millimeters below the top of the mold so you can add more candy melts to cover it. Re-melt your candy melts if needed, and spread over the top of the cakesicle mix, leveling with a small offset spatula. Chill for 10 minutes, until the candy melt coating is set.

Gently peel back the silicone mold from the top of the cakesicles, and slide them out of the molds.

Now the fun part – you’re ready to decorate! Melt another 1-2 ounces of candy melts and transfer them to a piping bag (or a small sandwich-size ziplock).

Transfer the rest of the candy melts to a small piping or zip-lock bag (re-melt if needed). Drizzle a few lines across each one, and place or ‘toss’ your sprinkles onto the cakesicles. Gently place onto a plate or tray, and refrigerate until set! Enjoy!