Welcome to Party Tip Tuesday! Today we’re featuring the creative Karyn of Pint Sized Baker. I came across some of her cake pop creations as few months ago and I was amazed at her talent! Not only does she share photos of her adorable creations but she provides step-by-step instructions to help guide you through making your own. Today she’ll tell us a bit more about herself and how she got started plus she’ll share delicious recipes and tips for making your own special food creations. I’ll now pass it over to Karyn!
What is Pint Sized Baker?
Pint Sized Baker is more of a Who…I’m Karyn of Pint Sized Baker and this adventure has taken off in a direction I could never have imagined. I started baking after I was laid off and decided to do more for my daughter’s pre-school class. I brought in cookies and cupcakes and one day I made cake pops and I was hooked!
I bought “Cake Pops” by Bakerella and started making them for EVERYTHING! My husband encouraged me to join the local Farmer’s Market and sell them online and start a business, but I had no idea what I was doing! It’s almost comical looking back now. I never did join the Farmer’s Market, instead I finally got on Facebook and shared my cake pops and cupcake photos with the Bakerella community and people actually liked what I was doing. They wanted to see more of my stuff! Complete strangers LIKED me on FB and I was amazed! I reluctantly started my blog, wondering why anybody would care about me or my life, but it turns out that doing so was the best thing to come my way in a long time.
I also have a second blog that I stared April 1, 2013. Dieter’s Downfall is a blog that is geared to busy people who want to make a larger complicated dessert but who lack the time. I take those recipes and break them down into smaller three days’ worth of baking so that they don’t seem so overwhelming. Everything is homemade and the results are amazing! Take a look!
My family includes me, Mr. Quart and my Little Cup. We live in a small town in West Virginia about a 90 minute drive outside of D.C. We also have some cute, furry critters that run around the house.
Where are your favorite places to go for inspiration?
My daughter inspires a lot of the treats. I’ve made sugar cookies based on her Lalaloopsy Doll House. She loves chocolate chip cookies, so I have done my best to try a few different cookie recipes. Obviously, the seasons also serve as inspiration, but the trick is to make something that you hope no one else will make. For example, at Halloween, I found “Booger Gummies” and made some Booger Pop Tarts. I had never seen that on a blog before. Sometimes my old cookbooks spark an idea that I haven’t seen in a while or the simple substitution of a seasonal ingredient makes a huge change.
What is the most unique cake pop creation you’ve made?
I have made so many cake pops… I think my Little Vampires for Halloween were pretty unique. I used a heart shape mold and then decorated the face.
I also really liked my LEGO Men. They turned out GREAT!
There are so many wonderful cake pops out there. Just Google it and see what you find. Chances are, someone had made it. Just add a little twist to it and make it better!
For those of us who think we aren’t skilled enough to make adorable cake pop creations, what advice do you have?
Take it slow. Don’t try to make an entire cakes worth of cake pops on the first try. Start with a quarter of a sheet cake and a tablespoon of frosting and go from there. Watch the consistency of the cake pop batter to be like play doh. You can always add more cake or frosting as needed.
Melt your candy melts at 70% power in the microwave. The candy melts will soften at 100 degrees F, once they start to soften, you need to be patient and continue to stir the candy. If the candy gets too hot, it’ll only get thicker! Everyone thinks that when it’s thick, it’s not hot enough, but in fact the candy is slowly burning. If it gets thick, test the temperature. It should not be much more than body temperature. If it’s hot, you just need to set it aside for 30 minutes and wait for it to cool. Then try to re-melt SLOWLY!
Messes happen. Pops fall off the stick. Sprinkles end up on the floor. Chocolate gets dripped. Just accept it and clean up later.
What is your favorite treat to make for a potluck party?
Simple recipes are the best. No stress. No muss, no fuss. That’s my motto when it comes to larger desserts.
I’ve made an easy Cherry Cobbler with a cake box mix that everyone loved.
And I LOVE to take Fun-Da-Middle cupcake mix and dressing it up. Here are a few easy additions to the cupcakes that were amazing!
Raspberry Lemon, Pineapple coconut, Cinnamon, and Nutter Butters. I also have Candy Cane and Guinness and 4th of July Fun-da-Middles on the blog!
Photos courtesy of Pint Sized Baker.
We’d like to send a big Thank You to Karyn for being featured in this Party Tip Tuesday! Be sure to check out the links to her social media accounts to keep updated on all of the fabulous ideas (links to these can be found on the top right hand side of Pint Sized Baker) . She’s always adding new & incredibly cute food ideas so you’ll want to be sure to follow along on Pinterest.
Do you have party related questions that you’d like me to ask an expert? Do you have a favorite expert that you’d love to see featured? Please contact me to let me know!
For more fabulous party tips from experts, follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Bloglovin’.
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