July 10, 2011 // By : amybites // Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Happy Harry Potter week, everyone! Since the premiere of the last movie (*tear*) is this Friday, I thought I’d make something special to commemorate the occasion. Since my butterbeer cupcakes were such a hit and I still get comments/emails/tweets daily telling me how much you all enjoyed the recipe, I wanted to revisit the recipe and remix it a little.
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I have my tickets for the midnight premiere and I fully expect that you all do too, and I hope you’ll bring some of these super-cute Golden Snitch Butterbeer Cake Pops with you to share with your friends while you wait! What’s a better iconic Harry Potter shape for cake pops than the Golden Snitch? And it perfectly suits the gold-colored butterbeer cake and butterscotch taste.
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These are a bit more labor-intensive than the cupcakes, but if you’re looking for something fun and super-portable to make and take with you to the premiere, you should definitely give it a try. Everyone at the theater will be jealous.

These cake pops are made with the very same butterbeer cake recipe from the butterbeer cupcakes—except instead of cupcakes, you’ll be baking it in a 13×9” pan. Then, crumble it up, mix it with the frosting, and form the mixture into little Snitch-size balls. Stick a lollipop stick in ‘em, dunk ‘em in yellow candy coating, and apply a coat of gold dust. And of course, you can’t forget the wings—I simply cut them out of gum paste using a cardstock template and an X-Acto knife. It’s a bit of work, but totally worth it when you bite into the payoff. Let’s make them!

The first thing you’ll want to do is make your wings. Gum paste is a sugar mixture used a lot in cake decorating. It’s pliable like fondant but dries hard, and it does need time to set up properly to be sturdy enough to stick into the pops. Grab a hunk of gum paste and roll out on wax paper or parchment (or something else it won’t stick to) using a rolling pin.

You can use a bit of canola oil to make it stay moist and easier to work with a bit longer. Just a dab will do.

Roll it out until it’s about 1/8” thick – thick enough to not break when it dries, but thin enough to look like wings.

Cut yourself a little template out of card stock or poster board. Think about the size you want to make your Snitches and design the wings accordingly. You can make them look however you like – I chose to go with my imagining of the Snitch rather than the movie’s version, which has very delicate golden wings (although I tried those too—I just thought the white looked better).

Trace around your template with an X-Acto knife as many times as you can fit. Repeat as many times as necessary to get the amount of wings you need. You’ll probably need to use the whole package of gum paste if you’re making a full batch of cake pops. Set them on a curved surface to dry so they have a little curve to them. I used my rolling pin, but a bottle or can or anything else with a smooth, round surface will do.

Now you’ll need to bake the cake. Simply follow the instructions here for the butterbeer cake, but bake it in a 13×9” pan for 23 to 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Also follow the instructions for the frosting.

When the cake is cool, crumble it up in a large mixing bowl and try to resist eating it by the handful.

Now take your frosting and add it in. Add it in batches until you get a nice, formable consistency – if you add too much, the mixture will just be mushy and fall apart. Use your hands to mix so you can feel the consistency. I used my full batch of frosting but you may not need that much for yours.

After you’ve mixed the cake and frosting together, the mixture should be able to hold its shape when you form it into a ball. Start forming the cake mixture into little Snitch balls with your hands.

Place the cake balls in the freezer to firm up for a few minutes while you melt your candy melts.

You can just dump these in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them in 30-second spurts until they’re melted.

You’ll need to keep stirring occasionally after you take them out of the microwave so they don’t set, and you may need to stick the bowl back in the microwave for a few seconds after a while or the candy will get very thick and heavy and won’t stick to the pops.

Now, take your cake balls out of the freezer. Take a lollipop stick and make a hole in the bottom of each ball. Then, dip the tip of the stick into the candy and secure it in the cake ball.

This will help keep the sticks secure inside the pops. Stick the pops back in the freezer to let the candy set up.
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Once the candy has fully hardened (this should only take 5 to 10 minutes), take the pops out of the freezer and start dunking them in the candy coating, like so:

Very gently, dunk the cake ball in the candy. Use a spoon or another lollipop stick to help cover the whole ball with candy. Swirl it ever so slightly as you pull it out of its candy bath to make it as smooth as possible.
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Stick the pops in a chunk of Styrofoam to keep them upright as the candy sets and hardens.

Once the candy hardens completely, brush the pops with edible gold pearl dust.

Use a (clean) craft brush or pastry brush, and use as much as you want! A little goes a long way, though.

To attach the wings, cut little slits on the sides of the pops to fit the wings. You can use your X-Acto or a toothpick, but either way, make sure to be very gentle.

You can dunk the tips of the wings in candy if you’re worried about them sticking, but the stickiness of the frosting in the cake balls should be enough to secure them. Push the wings in until they feel secure.

And then you’re done! Just repeat with all of the pops until they’re all Snitches. Time intensive? Yes. Worth it? You decide. (I think so.)

So if you’ve tried the butterbeer cupcakes, I’m sure you know how dang sweet they are. These are even sweeter. Super delicious and super, super sweet. You’re essentially adding candy coating to a cupcake and frosting. These things are crazy!

But that just means that they’re perfect to share with a crowd on a special occasion.

Go catch some Snitches! I hope you enjoy these adorable and delicious cake pops!

And finally, a huge thank you to everyone that’s commented and spread the original cupcake recipe around the web. I couldn’t have imagined the attention it’s gotten (and continues to get). I love that there are so many other Harry Potter fans out there that are also foodies—people after my own heart. Thanks for sharing the love.

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Golden Snitch Butterbeer Cake Pops
Makes approximately 48 cake pops
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1 batch of butterbeer cake
1 batch of butterbeer frosting
2 bags of yellow candy melts*
1 container of edible gold pearl dust*
1 lb. gum paste*
Lollipop sticks*
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*Available at craft stores or cooking supply stores
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For wings:

  1. Roll out gum paste in batches on wax or parchment paper until approximately 1/8” thick, using vegetable oil as needed to keep moist and pliable.
  2. Cut out wings in desired shape (use a card stock template if desired to keep consistent shape and size) using an X-Acto knife.
  3. Place wing shapes on a curved surface (such as a rolling pin) to dry for several hours or until sturdy.
  4. Repeat until all gum paste is used or until desired number of wings have been created. Brush with gold dust if desired.

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For cake balls:

  1. Bake original butterbeer cake recipe in a 13×9” pan for 23 – 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool.
  2. Make butterbeer frosting according to original recipe.
  3. Crumble cake in a large mixing bowl and combine with frosting until firm, moldable consistency is reached.
  4. Mold cake mixture into balls of desired size using your hands.
  5. Place balls in freezer.
  6. Melt candy melts in microwave according to package instructions.
  7. Remove balls from freezer. Press lollipop sticks into each ball to make a hole. Then, dip tips of sticks into candy and press back into the holes to secure. Place pops (ball side on a plate or sheet tray, sticks up) back in freezer until candy sets, 5 to 10 minutes.
  8. When candy is set, remove pops from freezer and dip in candy mixture until all cake balls are coated in candy. Use a spoon, lollipop stick, or toothpick to help distribute candy if needed. Stick cake pop sticks into a Styrofoam block to keep upright as candy sets.
  9. When the candy is set, use a small craft brush to apply gold dust liberally to the surface.
  10. To attach wings, use an X-Acto knife or toothpick to create wing slots in the side of each cake ball. Stick wings in slots, using melted candy as needed to help secure. Repeat until all cake pops are created. Enjoy!