Ingredients
Butter cream
Royal icing
Method
1.To make butter cream, beat butter until white as possible, gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar then milk, then remaining icing sugar. Beat until smooth.
2.Grease and line 20cm x 30cm (8-inch x 12-inch) rectangular cake pan with baking paper. Combine cake crumbs and butter cream in medium bowl. Press mixture evenly into pan; cover, freeze 1 hour or refrigerate overnight until firm.
3.For the wedding cakes, cut 9 9 x 2.5cm rounds, 9 x 3.5cm rounds and 9 x 5cm rounds from the cake crumb mixture. For the hats, use 3cm cutter to cut 9 rounds from the cake crumb mixture.
4.Stir two-thirds of the chocolate in medium heatproof bowl over medium saucepan of simmering water until smooth (don’t let water touch base of bowl). Transfer to tall narrow heatproof glass or jug.
5.Meanwhile, use a sharp pointed knife to make 18 small holes, about 5cm apart, in 20cm (8-inch) styrofoam block.
6.Dip the end of a toothpick into melted white chocolate; push about halfway into the middle of a 2.5cm round. Repeat with remaining toothpicks and remaining 2.5cm and 3.5cm rounds. Freeze cakes about 5 minutes.
7.Dip the end of a cake pop stick into white chocolate; push stick all the way through 5cm round, extending about 4.5cm past the top of the cake. Repeat with remaining cake pop sticks and remaining 5cm rounds. Freeze cakes about 5 minutes.
8.Dip wedding cake rounds in melted chocolate to coat; rock back and forth, don’t twist or cakes will break (re-melt chocolate as necessary). Stand upright in styrofoam, refrigerate until set.
9.To assemble wedding cakes; scrape away any excess visible chocolate from the toothpicks or cake pop sticks to prevent damaging any of the tiers. Remove 3.5cm rounds from toothpicks, carefully push onto cake pop sticks on top of the 5cm rounds. Repeat with 2.5cm rounds. Use a little melted white chocolate to join tiers together.
10.To make royal icing, sift the icing sugar through a very fine sieve. Lightly beat egg white in a small bowl with a wooden spoon; add icing sugar, a heaped tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. When icing reaches the desired consistency, add juice; beat well.
11.Use a tiny bit of yellow colouring to tint the royal icing the same colour as the chocolate on the wedding cakes. Half-fill paper piping bag with icing, use to fill any gaps between tiers of cakes; smooth icing with fingertip.
12.Pipe tiny dots around base of 2.5cm and 3.5cm tiers; using tweezers, position sugar pearls in wet icing. Repeat all the way around cakes. Secure flowers to cakes with a little royal icing.
13.To make top hats; melt remaining chocolate; use black colouring to tint chocolate grey. Transfer chocolate to tall narrow heatproof glass or jug. Dip end of cake pop stick into chocolate; push stick through 2 x 3cm rounds about halfway into the top round. Join rounds with a little melted chocolate; freeze cakes about 5 minutes.
14.Dip hats in melted grey chocolate to coat (re-melt chocolate, if necessary); stand upright in styrofoam, refrigerate until set.
15.To make brims for hats: re-melt grey chocolate as necessary, spread onto a sheet of baking paper about 2mm thick. Stand about 10 minutes or until almost set.
16.Use 5cm-round cutter to cut 9 rounds from chocolate. Use a metal skewer to pierce a hole through the centre of the rounds (heat skewer if the chocolate has become too hard); thread onto cake pop sticks. Secure with chocolate. Return cake pop sticks to styrofoam, refrigerate until set.
17.Roll store-bought icing on surface dusted with a little cornflour until icing loses its stickiness. Roll icing on surface dusted with cornflour until 2mm thick. Cut icing into 9 strips, measuring 1cm x 8cm (they should be long enough to wrap around the hat). Secure bands to hats with a little royal icing.
18.Tie small bows around cake pop sticks.
The cake pops are fiddly to make, but are well worth the effort. We used little sugar roses, bought from the supermarket, to decorate the wedding cakes.
Note
