Sweet Little Lamb Cupcakes

12 baked Cupcakes, baked in the Babycakes Cupcake maker
12 baked Cake Pops, baked in the Babycakes Cake Pop maker
White Candy Melts
24 almond slices
Black or Dark Chocolate Candy Melts
Pink Candy Melts
White buttercream or decorator frosting

Prepare the cupcakes using your favorite recipes, and allow the cupcakes to cool completely. (We made yellow cupcakes and yellow cake pops.)

Prepare the cake pops using your favorite recipes, and allow the cake pops to cool completely. Freeze the cake pops for just about 15 minutes or until firm.

Pour about 1 cup of white candy melts into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Insert the tip of a lollipop stick into the melted candy melts and then into a cake pop. Repeat with all of the cake pops. Freeze the cake pops with the sticks for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight to set the stick. (The cake pops are easier to decorate by placing on the sticks—but the sticks are taken out and discarded before the cake pops are placed on the cupcakes.)

Heat the white candy melts in the microwave oven on High, in 30-second intervals, stirring between each until melted and smooth. Dip the cake pops, one at a time, straight down into the melted candy melts, covering the cake pop completely. Tap it gently against your fingers to allow the excess candy melts to flow back into the cup. Immediately insert two almond slices to be ears. Set up in the tray and allow to dry completely. (Add additional white candy melts and reheat as needed to keep the candy melts the right consistency.)

Pour about 1/2 cup of black or dark chocolate candy melts into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Use the back tip of a fine, food-safe paintbrush to make dots for the eyes and nose on your lambs. Allow to dry completely.

Pour about 1/2 cup of pink candy melts into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Use a fine tip food-safe paintbrush and gently paint pink over the top and bottom of each almond “ear”. Allow to dry completely.

Frost the top of each cupcake with white frosting. Gently twist the stick out of the cake pop; set stick aside. Position the cake pop head on each lamb.

Fill a pastry bag with a fine writing tip with white frosting. Pipe tight swirls, generously all over the back and sides of the head, over the cupcake, and filling in the neck area, to be the wool. Set aside to dry. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and decorated cake pops.

Makes 12 lambs

Tips:
Don’t rush cake pop decorating—be sure to allow each coat or color to dry completely before proceeding.

Sort out the almonds and select pairs of almonds about the same size. Save the especially large almond slices for ears on bunnies, and the crumbled slices for other uses.

Black candy melts are difficult to find this time of year. You can use dark chocolate, and then, if desired, tint it black using black food coloring specially formulated for coloring candies.