Happy Earth Day! I took some inspiration from the noble honey bee and a treat found in Disneyland for this week’s Earth Day themed bake. Mickey’s Earth Day Bee Pops are lemon cake pops covered in bright yellow white chocolate and decorated with an adorable bee sprinkle! Honey bees are such an important part of our ecosystem and I’m excited to celebrate them today!
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You can find similar looking cake pops at Pooh’s Corner in Disneyland. While Disneyland’s cake pops are vanilla flavored, I think lemon is such a great spring flavor that I made mine lemon! These cake pops are packed with lemon, which works nicely with the white chocolate coating.
To make my cake pops, I used the Babycakes Mini Cake Pop Maker from Select Brands! I really love all of the baking appliances I have from Select Brands but this cake pop maker has been a game changer for me. The Babycakes maker is so easy to use and I just love that they make fully cooked cake balls that tasty and don’t fall apart. I can’t recommend it enough!
To make the cake batter, first whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. In a medium bowl combine the sugar and the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar until it has the consistency of wet sand. I just a lot of lemon zest as I wanted a really strong lemon flavor and mixing it into the sugar really helps bring out the oils from the zest.
Add the butter to the sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Start and end with flour. Once combined, beat on medium speed until smooth.
Transfer the batter to a large piping bag. Then, pipe the batter into the cake pop maker and cook for 4 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Repeat with remaining batter until all cake pops are made.
Now on to decorations! Take one bag of yellow candy melts and place them into a deep microwave safe container. This could be a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Heat the candy melts in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.
Dip one end of a lollipop stick into the candy melts and then insert it into one of the cake pops. Repeat until all cake pops have a stick. Let set.
If needed, reheat the candy melts so they are smooth. Dip each cake pop into the candy melts, making sure all sides are covered. Gently tap off any excess and place upright to set.
Use a sharp knife to cut off the bottom fourth of 48 candy melts. These will become the Mickey ears. Dip the flat edges of the cut candy melts into the melted candy melts and gently press two onto the top of each cake pop. Dip the bee sprinkles into the candy melts and press them onto the top right of the cake pop. I used some super cute sprinkles from Wilton, but I’ve also seen some at Michaels!
Place a few black candy melts into a disposable piping bag. Heat in the microwave, massaging it every 30 seconds until melted. Pipe a dashed line from the bee sprinkle across the front of each cake pop. Let set.
Enjoy Mickey’s Earth Day Bee Pops! Happy Earth Day!
If you’re looking for some other Earth Day treats be sure to check out Mickey’s Earth Day Cookies and Pudding and WALL-E’s Chocolate Mousse Boots and Sprout Cakes!
Mickey’s Earth Day Bee Pops
Ingredients
Lemon Cake Pops
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoons lemon juice
Decoration
- 2 bags yellow candy melts
- ¼ cup black candy melts
- 24 bee sprinkles
Equipment
- cake pop maker
- 24 lollipop sticks
- 2 piping bags
Instructions
Lemon Cake Pops
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Preheat the cake pop maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl combine the sugar and the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar until it has the consistency of wet sand.
-
Add the butter to the sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating until combined.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
-
On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Start and end with flour. Once combined, beat on medium speed until smooth.
-
Transfer the batter to a large piping bag.
-
Pipe the batter into the cake pop maker and cook for 4 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Repeat with remaining batter until all cake pops are made.
Decoration
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Place 1 bag of candy melts in a deep, microwave safe container, such as a bowl or liquid measuring cup.
-
Heat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
-
Dip one end of a lollipop stick into the candy melts and then insert it into one of the cake pops. Repeat until all cake pops have a stick. Let set.
-
If needed, reheat the candy melts so they are smooth. Dip each cake pop into the candy melts, making sure all sides are covered. Gently tap off any excess and place upright to set.
-
Use a sharp knife to cut off the bottom fourth of 48 candy melts. These will become the Mickey ears.
-
Dip the flat edges of the cut candy melts into the melted candy melts and gently press two onto the top of each cake pop.
-
Dip the bee sprinkles into the candy melts and press them onto the top right of the cake pop.
-
Place a few black candy melts into a disposable piping bag. Heat in the microwave, massaging it every 30 seconds until melted.
-
Pipe a dashed line from the bee sprinkle across the front of each cake pop. Let set.