Moist vanilla cake balls coated in red and green candy melts. These hungry caterpillar cake balls will definitely be a birthday party hit, especially if you want to avoid making a traditional birthday cake!
Ok, I'm not claiming that these cake balls look the most professional but I can promise you they taste great. I love making cake balls and cake pops but my ability to make melted chocolate or in this case candy melts look amazing is not yet there!
Anyway, regardless of how they look, I still wanted to post the recipe as Master Spice turned 3 over Easter and so these hungry caterpillar cake balls are rather special. They are also a great choice if you don't want to make a traditional cake. We all like cake pops and they are a great treat for your kids to help you make too, if you are brave enough! I wish I could say that I'd had some help with these but no, they are all my own handiwork.
Although cake pops are very easy to make, they do take a little time if you make everything from scratch. For these I made a simple sponge cake flavoured with vanilla but you could use a bought cake if you wanted to save time. Or even leftover cake, if that is ever a thing where you live!
I also made strawberry, apple and pear shapes out of red and green fondant icing. Then to make the brown stalks and the caterpillar's antennae, I mixed some red and green icing together. I considered cutting a hole out of each fruit to make it look like the caterpillar had been eating them. Maybe next time? You need to make the fondant fruit shapes at least 24 hours in advance to give them time to dry out and go harder.
Cake pops are very dense as the cake is crumbled and then mixed with cream cheese, melted chocolate or icing to form a dough. I prefer to use plain cream cheese because I like the flavour and as cake pops are very sweet anyway, they don't need any extra sweetness. Of course, it's up to you, but this also means you don't need to make the icing as well. That's definitely a good thing! Why not make life easier for yourself?
In the past whenever I've made cake pops, I've coated them in sprinkles or nuts and as I was making these, I realised how a few sprinkles most definitely cover up the imperfections. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to hide with these. Also, the lack of a stick meant I was using my fingers and a spoon to roll them in the melted candy melts. As you can see, fingers do not help produce the neatest cake pop shell!
Even though they are a little rough around the edges I am still proud of them. The cake in the cake pops was deliciously moist and so so moreish! And the main thing was that Master Spice was very excited to see his cake. And if I do feel a little disappointed that they don't look quite as good as I'd hoped? Well, it's a sign that I need more practice!
I may not be practising making more cake pops this week though. With a joint birthday party in less than a week and more cakes to make for Little Miss Spice as well as Master Spice, the next week is going to be very busy!
Recipe
Hungry Caterpillar Cake Balls
Ingredients
For the cake
- 125 g butter
- 125 g sugar
- 125 g self-raising flour
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the cake balls
- 120 g cream cheese
- 200 g green candy melts
- 30 g red candy melts
- Mini smarties or similar sweets for the caterpillar eyes and nose
For the other decorations
- 200 g Red ready to roll icing
- 200 g Green ready to roll icing
Instructions
- Make the fruit shapes first. Roll out the icing and cut out the right fruit shapes. Use the side of a fork or something similar to make marks on the strawberries to look like seeds. Leave them to dry out on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Next make the cake. Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add a third of the flour and an egg and beat in. Add another third of flour and an egg and beat in. Add the remaining flour. Beat in.
- Grease and line a 17cm cake tin. Bake in the oven at 160 for 40-50 minutes. Check with a skewer after 40 minutes. If it comes out clean it's ready, if not bake for a little longer.
- Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
- Crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl so it resembles breadcrumbs. Use your hands to mix in the cream cheese to form a cookie dough consistency. If its too dry you may need a little more cream cheese.
- Form the dough into balls and put in the freezer until you're ready for the next step.
- Melt the candy melts in the microwave or over a saucepan.
- Roll the cake balls quickly in the melted candy melts and put them on a baking tray lined with baking paper to dry. If the bowl of melted candy melts starts to solidify then just pop it back in the microwave for a minute.
- Stick the eyes on the red cake ball as soon as you make it.
- Then use a little bit of the brown ready-to-roll icing to make the caterpillar's antenna and just stick them on top of the cake ball. You can do this when it has dried.
- When ready to serve, use some of the cake balls to prop the fruit shapes up and the rest to make a caterpillar shape.
Notes
Nutrition
My other cake pop recipes
Christmas cake pops
Cake balls
Golden Oreo raspberry cookie pops
Places I'm sharing these hungry caterpillar cake balls
Cook Once Eat Twice, hosted here on Searching for Spice
Bake of the Week at Casa Costello
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
This is absolutely adorable! My preschooler would L-O-V-E this fun treat!
Corina
Thanks Ashley! My little one loved them too.
Kate - gluten free alchemist
That's so clever Corina. What child wouldn't love it?! x
Corina
Thanks Kate! x
Jo @ Jo's Kitchen Larder
Absolutely love this lovely, yummy creature! I have 3.5 year old obsessed with Hungry Caterpillar. I think we must have read the book at least 50 times if not more. His birthday is not until November but I might have to find an excuse to make it before, he would love it! x
Corina
Aw thank you. I hope you manage to try it! Do let me know his reaction if you do get chance to make it x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
What a fun cake Corina. I love it! It's so unique and cheery, perfect your a youngster's birthday. Hope the party goes well.
Angela x
Corina
Thanks Angela! The party was great and I made a batman cake and a princess cake for it which is why I'm now so behind on blogging x
Kiri
They look fab! My daughter would love these. #Brillblogposts
Corina
I'm so pleased you like them!
jenny paulin
awwwww I love this idea of yours, reminds me of the 1st birthday party I did for my youngest which had a Hungry Caterpillar theme. I find making cake pops a little tricky, well decorating them anyway lol many a messy time I have had giving them a go. x
Mandy
I think these look amazing! I made cake pops for my daughter's party last year but I think I made them too big and a few of them fell off the sticks meaning that I didn't have enough and so couldn't put them out as I didn't want any tears!!! So annoying. Good luck with the joint party and I hope Little Miss Spice has a lovely birthday too.
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
Well I certainly know a couple of kids that would think this is pretty cool. Not to mention totally fun to eat too.
Felesha Bell
These are just too cute an such a fun idea! Thanks for sharing!
Corina
I'm so pleased you like them! I really wanted to make cake balls as we all love them and the hungry caterpillar theme went so well with them.
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
These are fun. Great if you are reading the book with your little ones too
Corina
We have the book too and have been reading it a lot recently!
Cricket Plunkett
Such a great children's book, I love the idea of pairing a fun snack with it!
Corina
Thanks!
Veena Azmanov
aww these are so cute. My kids would love these. So easy to make too. Very creative.
Corina
Thank you! I think lots of kids find cake balls irresistible. There's a cafe near us that we sometimes go to and the kids pick a cake pop to eat every time! It works out so much cheaper to make your own though and they are pretty easy.
Brandi Crawford
These are so adorable and look delicious!
Corina
Thanks Brandi!
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Oh wow Corina this looks fantastic! We all love the book and would love the cake too. I need to try this one. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Corina
I'm so pleased you like it! It was fun to make and would be great to make with kids too as it's really messy and hands on. My daughter loves making cake balls with me, although I had to make this by myself!
Jacqui Bellefontaine
I think they make a brilliant cake for a 3 year old and i like the hand rolled effect of each cake ball. (I am a huge fan of hand rolling chocolate truffles , so quick and so easy and if it is good enough for chocolatier Paul E Young then it's good enough for me. I also love the fondant fruit and leaves. all in all a great fun cake. Good luck with the rest of your baking and the party. Happy Birthday wishes to Master and Miss Spice.
Thank you for sharing on #CookBlogShare