There is something about Superheroes that people just love. Where a person chooses to sacrifice in order to protect what is right, just, and fair? Amazing.
And I realized that I have somewhat of a Superhero complex, causing me to love any character that seems to have that selfless, gotta save the world persona. Peeta from Hunger Games. Jack from Lost. Peter Petrelli from Heroes. The list could go on and on…
Yet Batman never was in that category of characters that I really loved at first. Yes, I did watch the cartoon on the WB after school and thought that he was a cool character that fought crime. But it seems that there was a depth missing, something that makes him relate-able.
Then enters Christopher Nolan’s visionary approach to telling the story of Batman… forever changing how people think of Batman forever. And hook-line-and-sinker I am now a huge fan, of Batman and Christopher Nolan.
There is something SO cool about a normal guy who rises up and saves the day … Okay so normal is a little far-fetched since he is a billionaire playboy orphan… but other than that, a relatively normal guy.
But Nolan moved in deeper than the surface persona, showing his depth of character through the pain he went through as a child when his parents passed away… the intense training he committed himself to in order to become Batman… the incredible darkness in the city of Gotham as his reasoning to not be passive. There is a gritty and heavy side to the movies that draw me in… I had no chance to not love it. I’m not even going to mention anything regarding The Dark Knight Rises simply because I don’t want to have a spoiler in here. Go enjoy it. It’s worth the cash-ola to see it! Moving on….
Not to mention Christian Bale as Batman? Holy… I’m a goner.
This week the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman is being released, the Dark Knight Rises. In honor of this tremendous conclusion to, in my opinion, the best superhero movies made, I made Batman themed cake pops for my friends and me to eat on opening night… delicious dark & white chocolate mixed shell, filled with lemon cake goodness.
Adorb, right?! I seriously love the cake pop with the symbol and the cape! The POW! was really fun to create as well.
This is definitely not the greatest picture, but this was my favorite cake pop. I created the Gotham skyline, complete with the bat signal in the sky- of course!
Zebra Chocolate Lemon Cake Pops:
Cake:
– 1 box of vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients on back of box (minus the water- see below)
– 1 box of lemon pudding (for lemon flavor)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix ingredients for cake as directed with a few alterations 1) use an extra egg than what was called for (it adds density to the cake- I do not recommend doing this if you aren’t using a cake pop pan and are going the traditional crumble-cake-and-adhere into-spheres- route though) and 2) use NO water or milk in the mix (the pudding adds enough moisture) ; make lemon pudding mix as directed and add only one cup to cake batter.
Liberally grease the inside of the bottom of the cake pop pan and the inside AND outside of the top of cake pop pan (because the cake will rise out of the pan, and trust me its a pain to scrape off without this little step). Pour in cake batter to the top and apply lid.
Bake the cake pops for 13 minutes (or when a toothpick comes out clean) and then remove; allow to cool for at least 5-10 minutes in pan before removing.
(If you do not have a cake pop pan, seriously- what are you waiting for?!? The kit is only $13-$20 and seriously worth every penny. I love cake pops that are moist but not gooey. Somehow you feel better eating these compared to the ones say at Starbucks because they don’t have the gooey, calorie overloaded center. If you do not have a pan, and for some odd reason don’t wish to purchase one- you still can make the recipe with a few alterations. Make a normal cake (no extra egg but still no milk/water) and add pudding, break into crumbles and mix a frosting of your choice (I recommend either lemon or a lemon/vanilla mix so it isn’t too strong) into the cake crumbles, making them into little cake spheres. Place in fridgerator for several minutes while they harden. Then continue below…)
Assembly of Cake Pops
– Black colored white chocolate melting chocolate
– Dark Coca melting chocolate
– lollipop sticks (available at Michaels- I prefer the smaller size but either will work)
Mix 50:50 ratio in a microwave safe bowl and melt. This will make a darker colored outside for the Batman theme BUT still tastes better than plain white chocolate, which is NOT my fav. Not even close.
Dip the sticks in the melted chocolate and insert into the bottom of the cake pop, 3/4 of the way in. Place in stand OR set upside down in a dixie cup in the freezer. Let cool for a few minutes.
Remove from freezer and cover each cake pop with the chocolate mixture. Place in stand or a piece of floral foam in the fridgerator for around five minutes or until the chocolate has hardened completely.
(I also recommend buying the cake pop stand. It is available at Bed Bath and Beyond or other stores but seriously is so helpful- the $10 price tag makes it a serious deal for a lack of aggravation you will encounter- trust me)
Decorations
– fondant
I rolled the fondant on a DRY surface as thin as I could and went to town cutting out shapes that reminded me of Batman: a cape, the city of Gotham (complete with windows AND a Batman symbol in the sky), and so on. This obvioulsy can be altered to fit any theme desired. Then adhere to cake pop by applying a little bit of water to the back and carefully applying to the surface of the cake pop. Place back into fridgerator to harden.
I chose to purchase lollipop bags (large size is a must because the cake pops are quite big) and wrap them in those to give out to friends. An easy alternative would be suran-wrap.
Somehow, the Trilogy viewing was even better with a lemon cake pop in hand.
Happy Friday!
xoxo- Aimee
aimerson 