Hello there, Kitty

I'm not at all a fan of cats.

They strike fear in me. I don't know why...

Hello Kitty is probably the only exception to my lifelong nemesis.
Perhaps it's the lack of a mouth and fangs (yes, they DO look like fangs to me).

Her cute little red ribbon perched askew might have something to do with making her less feline scary, too.

Check out more of our red desserts:
> Sweet, sweet strawberries
> Rich red velvet cake
> Red Santa hats
> Poppin' red cherries, even the jackpot ones

Whatever the case, she's the only kitty I'm gonna be friends with.

Ever.

I drew inspiration from cake pop goddess Bakerella, with just a few minor modifications. She's got the most amazing imagination, and has the superhero power of visualizing uses for any piece of candy.

Start off with regular cake balls, shape them into ovals and flatten them a little.

Then it's off to the details:

Minute oval balls for her  black eyes and pert lil' yellow
nose - these were barely 1mm each, soooo teeny tiny!

Uh-oh... she has SIX whiskers each... that's a whole of
ant-sized rods to make by hand. I lost count of how
 many I broke along the way, they were so fragile.

Just make sure you make tons of extras, they'll break
every step of the way. Oh. and don't freak out if they're not
perfectly shaped, animal parts are never symmetrical anyways :)

I had these sweet little confetti hearts that
were perfect for her signature bow

A cheeky lil' Hello Kitty towel to top the birthday basket off

Mission completed - my kitty litter is born!

More character cake pops:
> Never too much red with Elmo around
> A Rilakkuma birthday
> Curious George... almost!

I love birthdays!

Next to Christmas, they're my favorite celebrations.

They're your day, with your name on it (even the cake message says so).

Everyone's extra sweet, you're queen/king of the day.

There's a legitimate reason for you to eat, drink and be extra merry, and push the food guilt all away till the celebrations die down.

More birthday celebrations:
> A very lovely elephant day
> 10 years young
> Hole in one, anybody?
> Petite Pops goes to the zoo... dinosaur roarrr!

You probably share your birthday with 10 dozen people round the globe. BUT as long as those 10 dozen birthday babies stay well across the globe and far out of reach from my birthday treats - I can live with that :)

This birthday request was spur of the moment, for an office celebration of the boss' 40th.

I thought it'd be nice to make it extra rich and decadent, and paired the 4-0 cupcakes with rich, chocolately cake balls.

Started off with a sea of scrumptious red velvet
cuppies... impossible to walk away from, I tell you.

The right corner cupcake's missing, found it's way
into my stomach (taste test!), the empty spot
conveniently cropped out of the picture. 

Each of the survivors got their own crown of
strawberry buttercream, topped with gold rocks

The chocolate cake balls - dipped in a layer of bitter chocolate,
topped with a teeny bit of green sprinkles for color and sparkle

Happy 40th birthday!

Cake pop birthdays:
> Petite Pops goes to the zoo... Ponies
> Never too much red with Elmo

Petite Pops goes to the zoo... dinosaur ROARRR!

Happy Birthday OLPT!

ROARRR!!! Is that the sound dinos make?

I hope so.

Cuz that's going onto the cake I'm making.

More on Petite Pops' animal adventures:

> Hop right in!

> Curious George (... his distant relative!)

> Galloping ponies 

> Canines go upscale

Just back from Japan - rejuvenated, missing the crazy fubuki and superb food terribly, but all ready to work on my OLPT's birthday cake *rub hands in glee*.

> OLPT = Official Little Pops Tester (it's a good job ;)

His Mommy's throwing a dino party this year, and we thought it'd be fun to work in a couple of cake pops into the chocolate cake (seriously... what's a birthday without cake pops?!).

Trees - that's what I'll use the red velvet cake pops for.
Set up a nice jungle backdrop for the dino story.

> How to make basic cake pops

This is from my baking inspiration, Bakerella - she is THE cake pop goddess! The recipe uses boxed cake mix, I use cakes baked from scratch which work just as well. 

It also features canned frosting, which is a fantastic binder. I'm not such a fan so I use jams, buttercreams, ganache - anything that binds will work. Oh, but no chunks. Those get in the way when rolling into cake shapes.

Ok, back to the dino cake.

What's next?

I mulled over the design for a couple of days and started putting the pieces together:

It looks like a jumble now, but it'll all come together, you'll see!

The cake is taking shape... 

Thin crumb coat of banana buttercream before
the fondant goes on ... or as the Cake Boss would say, "durrrty-ice it!"

Keeping the colors fairly cheery, OLPT is after all only 6.
And my fave detail: the bones!

This little fella found his way into the dino scene. Couldn't help it,
got hold of the cutest little porcupine cutter in Japan and had to use it.

ROAR!!! Finishing touch of dino eggs,
cake pop trees and we're all set.

Happy Birthday Aaron, to many years of Official Pops Testing ahead!

Crimson splash: Rich Red Velvet Cake

There are some things in life made to go together.

Cookies and milk.
The morning paper and coffee.
Fish and chips.
Kaya and toast.
Michael Jackson and music.

Things that make sense together work because they:
a) compliment - sweet to offset salty, light to counter heavy, yin to balance yang
b) enhance - bring out hidden layers, enrich and embolden. Like how surrounding black with white, makes the black look even deeper
c) sound nice together.. what's Burt without Ernie? It just doesn't work... there's no ring to it

Red velvet and cream cheese is that sort of a match, the sort that happily ticks all the above boxes.

Mmmm...  

I decided to make a red velvet cake for a farewell party, without adornments, just good 'ol fashioned rustic. Or 'nekkid', as I like to call it. 

Fuschia red when it starts in the mixer...

... after baking, a layer of luscious cream cheese frosting goes on ...

... topping the now rust-colored baked red velvet cake. 

Gimme some of that!

The cake went well with the office crowd at the farewell, folks who wanted good-tasting cake and didn't need the adornments.

The next time you're thinking of tea, coffee, weekends, taking a breather, celebrating or just indulging a little, think of cake.

It's a natural fit, a perfect match :)

More stories with a hint of red:
> Crimson splash: Red Santa Hats
> There's never too much red with Elmo around

Red - also the color of lurve...
> Is it time for Cupid yet?
> Baked with love

Get in on the lunar new year, bring your bit of red / auspiciousness to the party!
> Year of the Snake, don't let it be a party without cake
> Dong Dong Chiang!

Crimson splash: Red Santa Hats

Christmas is over, I know...  But there are a few good reasons why these cute little cupcakes are here.

Firstly, it's my delusional way of extending my favorite holiday, and making it last just a little longer :)

Secondly - there's always time for red velvet.

Lastly, the Lunar New Year is coming up, and red is just the color for untold wealth and prosperity ... so they say.
> Looking for something different this Lunar New Year?
> Dong Dong Chiang
> How to share a good pineapple tart
> Hello world, it's 2013!

So it's really just the right time to write about these adorable little Christmas head-toppers.

I think the magic is in the simplicity.

Nothing mind-boggling, nothing earth-shattering.
Just good ol' fashioned adorable.

Blood-red strawberries.... 

... perched on crimson red velvet

Their combined robust charm, just singing out Christmas all over...

The white frosting peeking out for a tinge of festive chill and cheer.

All tied up pretty ...

... and ready to jingle some bells!

Need more red?

> There's never too much red with Elmo around

> Baked with love

> Poppin' red cherries, even the jackpot ones!

Sleigh bells are ringin, your Christmas desserts a-callin'!

Hi Petite Popp-ers & friends,

We're almost on to Christmas, it's just barely 3 weeks away - where did all that time go?!

Christmas carols are playing everywhere, the lights are up, and it may be rainy these days - but you could almost turn that into a nice chilly Christmas season.

Everyone is already feeling the festive-in-our-bones, and we do wanna help get your Christmas shopping on the way. We have something new, something homey, something decadent, something classic... something for every sorta taste. Almost anyways ;)

Have a look at the Petite Pops Christmas Bake List above, share it with friends and family who are looking for a little something special for Christmas this year.

Email your orders to PetitePopRocks@gmail.com as early as you can, the more time to work on your orders, the better!

And don't forget - sign up for our newsletter at petitepops.blogspot.com for updates.

xoxo,

Petite Pops