Eye Popping!
I’ve been wanting to make eyeball cake pops every Halloween since I made these cake pops back in 2008.
But, when I made these, I was completely focused on making more character-style cake pops instead of objects and challenging myself to do something different. These were really the first ones I made that involved carrying out a theme and making varying shapes without the use of a cutter. I can remember when I made them and how excited I was that they turned out so cute. I couldn’t wait to show them to you. Once I went beyond the basic ball, there was no turning back. I couldn’t stop making them… and still haven’t.
So this year, I decided to finally make eyeballs. They are an obvious choice for the medium wouldn’t you say.
Crumbled cake. I know. I know. Red velvet would have been so much more effective here. But, with dark cakes and light colored candy coating, sometimes the shade of the cake can show through the coating slightly.
And I wanted to make sure I could see the whites of my eyes.
Chilled cake balls.
By the way, here’s the Basic Cake Pop How-to if you don’t know what I mean. It’s not as thorough as the directions in my book, but it will get the job done.
And below is a quick illustration of how I dip.
First dip the end of your lollipop stick in some of the melted candy coating and insert into a chilled ball. Then insert cake pop into a bowl of melted coating so that the coating is about 3-4 inches deep.
You want the coating to be deep enough to dip and remove in one motion and without stirring.
If the coating does not completely cover the ball, don’t stir. Just gently rock the stick left and right until the coating completely covers the ball.
And remove.
The more fluid your coating, the easier this will be. This is perfect.
You can tap off any excess if necessary.
If your coating is too thick to do this, simply add a little vegetable oil to help thin it out.
Before the coating sets, place a green candy coating wafer right on the front. It’s the perfect size.
This is my work around since I try to avoid piping whenever possible.
Shaky hands.
Actually, I’m just not that good at it. I definitely could use more practice.
So deciding to use the wafers really helped make these eyes look spot on.
To decorate these is really easy. You just need a few things.
Green candy coating *
Red and black edible ink pens (I use Americolor Pens)*
Miniature confetti sprinkles (the white ones, of course)*
And if those are hard to get your hands on, you could always go the piping route.
Such a cute pair.
Does anyone feel like they’re being watched?
See, this would have been much more effective with red cake. If I were making these for a party and not for pictures, red velvet would be the way to go.
So when I made these eyeball cake pops, I decided to do a little more playing around.
And I made little spiders crawling all over the cake pops. Well, they look kinda like spiders. Or m&m’s with eyelashes. But given on Halloween, people would get it.
I used black m&m’s for the bodies and attached to the pop while the coating was still wet.
And after the coating set, I used black jimmies for the…
Creepy!
You can just use your black edible ink pen to draw the legs on the stick and melted white candy coating to attach the m&m’s.
Creepy. Crawly. Cute.
Then I made another version – going for spiders that are a little more spooky than sweet.
Hmmm. Still kinda cute.
They need to be spookified.
That’s better. A toothpick and a little melted red candy coating did the trick for these treats.
Look at those beady little eyes.
These are pretty easy, too. The spider bodies are black licorice buttons.
I get licorice mix* like this at the Fresh Market, but they are available at most places that sell candy by the scoop.
For the spider heads, I used black coated sunflower seeds. (keep your eyes open in stores… you’ll stumble on seasonal sunflower seeds like these)
And jimmies for the legs.
Attach the bodies while the coating is still wet and the legs after it sets.
Hope you have fun making these.
See ya later.
I know … dorky, but I couldn’t resist.
* Please note that these are Amazon Associate links.
I’m definitely making the eyeballs! I don’t think I could do the spiders though…Creeeeepy! :-)
It must take so much patience to place all those tiny chocolate jimmies on the spiders! These are really cute (and creepy). Love them :)
You are such an inspiration. I made cake pops for the first time last weekend for a Halloween party. They turned out so cute and my 8 year old and I had so much fun making them.
Help Bakerella! I never can make the Americolor pens write on the candy coating ! They are water based and the candy is oil based! Are you sure you aren’t just using permanent marker for the photos? I’ve bought two different sets of pens, but really oil and water don’t mix! Help!
I made the pumpkin pops but ended up having to melt black candy coating and brushed on the faces with a paint brush. Not easy.
Thanks for all your adorible designs. They make every holliday so much fun!
oh, how awesome! I love the eyeballs! You are very talented.
How adorable these are and perfect for my upcoming girls night! Love Halloween!
Those spider ones are what I am going to make this year for sure! You are such an inspiration, Bakerella! I love showing people your website!
The spiders kind of look like ticks, but it’s still adorable! I’m torn between the eyeballs and spiders! I’d love to have the time to make both…
I love love love the spiders crawling on the pops. I’ve been looking for an idea for cake pops for Halloween, and I will definitely try these!
Ah Ha! I should have made the eyes instead of the cats!
You must have amazing patience along with all that creativity and skill, Miss Angie. Incredibly inspiring work as always. You inspire me to create and bake more. Certainly not at your level, but still fun and always a treat for the family.
All of these look so great!
So cute I absolutely love these!
Bakerella, you are the reason i love baking, you are sooo amazing! I LOVE your work! Thanks for sharing all this hard work with us.
I love them! :)) I would eat a bunch of them just for the fun of eating eyes, spiders, monsters, mummies and so on :D Even though I am on a diet :))
gifts
The eyes are great! I have to try them with the red velvet. Maybe I’ll just double dip them. Great job as always!
I love your site and your super inspirational baking ideas! Just today I was in our exclusive retail store here in S Africa (Woolworths) and guess what’s new instore? CakePops!!
These are awesome…having a Halloween party and these will fit in nicely…Thanks again for ur wonderful ideas..Stay well.
Amazing – as usual!! Can someone out there help me? I’ve been having A LOT of trouble getting the Wilton Candy Melts to thin out. No matter how much oil or shortening I add they remain thick. I thought I had overheated it, but when I tried again I got the same results. HELP PLEASE!!!
Loveee the little spiders – absolutely creepy..perfect!
Glad you’re feeling well enough to travel – we missed you!
Eye luv them!
I recently tired making cake pops for the first time, and had SEVERAL problems. First the wilton candy melts were too thick, so I tried thinning it out with a little veggie oil, that helped a bit. But the pops seperated from their sticks when I swirled. A little finess fixed that, but after they were dipped, I noticed that they began to “sweat” some kind of yellowish oil. What and why is this, and any suggestions on how I can fix this?
The spider cake pops are just superb!
So clever and imaginative. Btw, you look great. So glad you’re feeling good. :0)
I am making cake balls to give away at my wedding as a “thank you!”
Thank you for inspiring me to do cake pops for my kids..I am definitely going to have fun with the ideas you have given..I just bought your book today at Target, and I absolutely adore it!!
Do you have any ideas for Hello Kitty cake pops???
It acually looks more creepy with the white filling. I almost dont want to look at it :-S haha
These are awesome! What candy melts did you use for the eyeballs? I’ve only found some that is a little more cream than white?
Amazing Bakerella, They look delicious! You make the candy coating SO smooth!
I am trying to figure out how to lower my cholesterol, and this is undoubtedly not the way to go!! The thought of eating a little eye is so tempting though…
http://www.thecholesterolscoop.com/how-to-lower-cholesterol-levels.php
These look great! I want to make them this week! How do the confetti pieces attach? Do they stick to the edible pen ink?
You are sooo talented! I love seeing your new creations and the fact that you are willing to share your ideas…Awesome!!
Bakerella, You AMAZE me! I love this site!! Though I am only 9. I still love to bake!! I am SO EXCITED for Halloween! I am gonna be a purple and black witch! I have a really cute witch hat to go with it!! Bakerella, one more thing, You made my day!
These are so cute! Thank you for sharing!
Not sure if someone already asked, I tried checking but how do the spider legs made of “jimmies” stick? Thanks.
I LOVE THESE!!! I SO SO Wish I knew how to make my Chocolate that white!
I love the bug pop. Disgustingly Divine!
Your halloween treat was featured over at Sassy Sites! Come by and check it out and don’t forget to grab a featured button!! XOXO!
http://sassysites.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-treats-for-kids-link-up.html
So cute! For the eyeball pops do you push the pointy end of the green wafer into the cake pop? How did you get it flush with the rest of the pop?
i definitly have to make them!
I linked to your recipe on my blog – thanks for sharing!
doro K.
I need some help. I have a lot of trouble with my candy writers i did the eyeballs last night and i have trouble with the pens…they just barely make a mark. And the other question i use either Clasen or Merken melting wafers (that’s whats at the store near me) how much veggie oil do you need to add?! cause i had to add a decent amount!
And Btw the pops come out super super awesome!!! the eye balls are AMAZING!! I also did the Spider ones, but instead of sprinkles for the legs i used the black candy writer :)
Thanks Bakerella!!!!!!!
@Sharon I actually rolled my balls over the week end and put them in the freezer until yesterday. The only think i did was put them in the fridge about an hr before i was ready to start to defrost them. They came out fine…my friends were willing to test them!
@thanks Sam.
I was so scared of making up a bunch of cake pops, freezing them, and then having them crack or “weep” on me as they thawed. So instead of starting early, I’ve just been at it for a couple of days. I’m going to do as Bakerella said and store them sealed in a cool, dry area.
Amazing ideas however.. the link you put up for cake art doesnt seem to go anywhere :/ please fix it!!
Thanks! <3
I made these!!! They don’t look near as perfect as yours, but I am proud of them nonetheless. They were my first cake pop attempt. I think next time they will look a bit better. I am excited as I think of new creative ideas with cake pops.
I had a swear-fest with the edible ink markers not wanting to write on the eyeballs, so I shook the pen trying to get the ink flowing which resulted in ink spraying all over my kitchen and myself. What a mess! :) I decided to purposefully shake the ink out and use a fine tipped paintbrush which was faster and easier for me.
Thanks for the inspiration and creative ideas! I have always wondered how you take such great pictures and the background always looks neat and tidy. That is not how my kitchen looks mid-creation. Ha ha ha!
I made these cake pops for the first time (and making a cake pop in general for the first time) and my office loved them!
Sure my chocolate coating wasnt as smooth and some of my eyeballs were lopsided but it all came out surprisingly well!
I use green candy melts for the pupil and a candy dot (sans paper) for the highlight…not bad at all!
Made the eyeballs and mummies for my daughters birthday. They were amazing, and easy. Just remember not to skip any steps. The only thing I didn’t like was the markers. They didn’t work that well. Wound up putting red frosting in a zip lock bag and piping in on. Can’t wait to make something for thanksgiving and Christmas.
These are great! I made some eyeballs, too. My Halloween pops turned out great. Check out my gallery on my website georgiecakepops.com
You were the inspiration for starting my own cake pop biz…
These are amazing! My twin brother is currently in Optometry school. I HAVE to make these for him when he graduates! Thanks for the idea!
so creepy but so yummie. these eyeballs are funny and tasty at the same time.
Wow those look so cool
I tried these cake pops because i had seen them so much and they are such a fad now! I thought that they would turn out FANTASTIC! try the opposite of that. they turned out terribly! I used the best candy coating (wilton’s), cutest colors, and everything! I got so excited! I ad finally baked, mushed, put into balls (did not forget the frosting to help them stick), and finally refrigerated! i worked so hard! they came out horribly! i tried dipping in the coating, and it was a disaster! Now 16/42 of them worked! thank you so much for helping me make the mess in my kitchen and for reminding me too never buy ur books or anything again!
its so FRAKING COOL LOVE ITT <3
With not just one but even 2 Halloween boys (or almost, 29 Oct and 30 Oct) I can’t pass these eyeballs. Hope they’ll turn out just as pretty as these.
Denise
The Netherlands
These are just too cute! Mine turned out even better then I thought!
I love these spooky cake pops. I’ve done the eye balls in the past using fondant and I love that you were able to do the eyeballs without the use of fondant. The spider cake pops are so awesome! I can’t wait to try it out for Halloween. Thank you for all of your creative ideas.
I have been following you since the beginning Bakerella, and you always have the most imaginative ideas! Hallowe’en is just the best time to experiment with pops and I can’t stop grinning in anticipation of the childrens’ faces when they see those eyeball and spider pops! Just goes to see what you can do with a simple round pop shape! Scotland loves cake pops too!
Ellie x
awesomeeeee
I inject my eye ball cake pops with strawberry pie filling using an infant medicine syringe. :-)
I have not had success using the markers so I paint mine by hand. This year I will try using the wafers, so smart!
I just made the eye ball pops, and they came out pretty great! I was struggling at first with the ball falling off in the candy coating, because the coating was too thick. But the oil helped perfectly. Instead of markers, I used decorative icing since I ha it on hand…it’s a little messier that what you suggested. Perhaps I’ll go get those pens after all. Im excited to bring these to the Halloween parties this week. Thanks so much for the inspiration and direction.
I made the eyeballs with plastic forks instead of sticks and dipped sloppily in red candy coating before sticking into the cake ball. It enhanced the spooky factor nicely.
Love these spider cake pops too. OM-G such a cute idea and easy to do too! Included this one in my round up too!
I was wondering if you could show the back of the eyeballs so I will know how to draw the red veins.
hi…Look at Mom’s Got Ink on FB. She stole your photos from this post
Great idea , Very creative designs
Awesome job! Quick question: Can I make the night before and if so, how should I store them overnight (in the fridge or on the counter)? Thank you!
How do you get the confetti to stay on the black part of the eye?