Stranger Things Ring Pop Cakes

Instructions

1. WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2. White cake, buttercream frosting, royal icing, shortbread, white candy melts, silver sugar beads, silver powder paint and unflavored vodka (to paint on the powder paint).
3. WHITE CAKE:
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. In a large bowl, sift flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
6. In stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Once creamed, add egg whites.
7. In a glass, whisk together vanilla and milk. Begin adding flour mixture to the butter, sugar and egg batter, alternating with the milk mixture, whisking just until incorporated.
8. Mix until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.
9. Pour batter into two buttered and floured 9-inch pans. Bake in preheated oven until a tester, inserted into the cake, comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
10. Out of the oven, cool the pans for 10 minutes before removing from baking sheet. At which point, they should be covered and chilled until ready to use.
11. BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
12. In a stand mixer, beat room-temperature butter until fluffy.
13. Add icing sugar one cup at a time. Then add whipping cream and salt and mix until combined.
14. SHORTBREAD BASE:
15. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
16. In a stand mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla and flour and mix until dough ball forms. Roll out and cut out circular shapes, ring holes and a thin pipe shapes (as shown in photos). Place them on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 6-8 minutes until just golden brown.
17. Once cooled, assemble using royal icing. (NOTE: I used a clean Dremel tool to perfect the edges and drill-out lock and key sections of my bases. Purchasing one to using only for baking has been a great investment.).
18. ASSEMBLY:
19. Remove chilled cakes from fridge. Using a serrated blade, remove every edge and brown section, leaving only the fluffy white cake interior.
20. Crumb into bowl and mix in buttercream frosting. From into 2-3 inch balls and freeze on a parchment-lined sheet.
21. Once frozen, take out one at a time. Using a sharp blade, slice into a ring pop diamond form and set back into freezer.
22. Melt white candy melts and insert a sharpened wooden dowel into the end base of the diamond cake ball and dip it into the melted candy melts. Tap gently until all excess has dripped off and have a toothpick handy to pierce any air bubbles.
23. Stick base of wooden dowel in a foam carton so the diamond won't be disturbed.
24. Once set, remove from wooden dowel. Using a little melting chocolate, adhere it to the shortbread cookie base. Once set and firm, chill for another 10 minutes and decorate with royal icing, sugar beads and silver powder paint.
25. (NOTE: I worked with each one at a time and kept whatever I wasn't working on in the fridge for ensured rigidity of the diamond.).