Safari Animal Print Cake Pops

These safari animal print cake pops are homemade with a combination of delicious vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream rolled into a ball and dipped into white chocolate. The bold animal prints make it the perfect item to add to a wild one safari first birthday party dessert table or any jungle-themed party. The best part? They are surprisingly simple to make.

These cake pops are easy to make especially if you are using leftover cake. Plus, there is no need for a fancy cake pop tray. You simply create the cake balls by rolling the cake mixture into balls and freezing. Once set, dip away into melted chocolate and paint on your animal print patterns using homemade edible paint.

Cake pops are just so much more fun to decorate and eat when they have a theme. But, if it's not your thing, you can always opt for simple vanilla cake pops or chocolate cake pops decorated with sprinkles. Same amount of deliciousness. Plus, you can coordinate the colour of the sprinkles to still match the theme that you are going for.

What is in these Vanilla Safari Cake Pops?

• all-purpose flour
• baking powder and baking soda
• salt
• butter
• granulated sugar
• egg
• vanilla extract
• whole milk
• frosting - made with butter, icing sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract.
• chocolate coating - pure white chocolate and coconut oil.
• gel food coloring
• lemon extract

You will also need: a silicone spatula, round 6-inch cake pan, lollipop sticks, food paint brush, and a cake pop stand (or styrofoam block).

How to Make the Best Homemade Vanilla Cake Pops

First, you need vanilla cake. You can use leftover cake, or bake your own. It's quite simple to bake your own.

• First, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a small bowl.
• Next, cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl using an electric mixer, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and continue to beat until fully mixed together.
• Slowly add one third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beat until just combined. Then alternate with half of the milk. Continue adding and alternating flour mixture and milk to the batter, and ending with the flour mixture. Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides and to stir until just combined.
• Pour batter into a lightly-greased round 6-inch cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 375 F preheated oven, until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Allow cake to cool in the cake pan for 30 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack until completely cooled.

Next, make the frosting. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat butter until smooth, approximately 2 minutes. Add sugar, milk, and vanilla, and continue to beat until smooth.

Now we are ready to assemble and shape the cake balls. Crumble the cooled cake and place into the bowl of frosting. Using an electric mixer to beat together until combined and smooth, approximately 2 minutes. The cake mixture should have a play-doh like consistency.

Take a tablespoon of cake mixture and roll it into a ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking tray. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. Place tray into the refrigerator for 1 hour.

How to Coat Safari Cake Pops

For the animal print, we will be making cake pops with 3 different base colours: white, pale yellow, deep yellow and orange. First, melt the white chocolate with coconut oil in a tall mug or measuring cup.

• For the white base: Dip ¼-inch of a cake pop lollipop stick into the chocolate, and then insert it halfway into the cake ball. Completely dip the cake ball into the chocolate and lightly tap off any excess. Place upright into a cake pop stand (or styrofoam block). Repeat with a quarter of all the cake balls.
• For the pale yellow base: Now dye the chocolate a light pale yellow using gel food coloring. Repeat the above step and coat a quarter of all the cake balls with the pale yellow chocolate. Place upright in the cake pop stand.
• For the deep yellow base: Dye the chocolate a deeper pale yellow using more gel food coloring. Coat a quarter of all the cake balls with the deep yellow chocolate. Place upright in the cake pop stand.
• For the orange base: Now dye the chocolate orange by adding some red gel food coloring. Coat the remaining cake balls in orange. Place upright in the cake pop stand.

Carefully place the cake pop stand with the cake pops in the refrigerator and allow coating to set completely, approximately one hour.

How to Decorate Safari Animal Print Cake Pops

Giraffe Print

• In a small dish, add ¼ teaspoon of lemon extract to one drop of brown gel food coloring.
• Using a food paint brush and ⅔ of the brown paint, paint a giraffe print pattern on the deep yellow cake pops.

Leopard Print

• Use the remaining ⅓ of the brown paint to brush circles/dots onto the pale yellow cake pops. Then, place back into the cake pop stand.
• In a small dish, add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract to two drops of black gel food coloring.
• Use about ¼ of the black paint to brush crescents around the brown dots to complete the look.

Zebra Print

• Use half of the remaining black paint to brush stripes on the white coated cake pops.

Tiger Print

• Use the remaining black paint to brush stripes onto the orange coated cake pops.

Place decorated cake pops upright back into the cake pop stand or a styrofoam block. You can store cake pops at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator or up to 1 week.

Wild One Safari Jungle Birthday Party

These cake pops are the perfect addition to a "Wild One" safari jungle party, or any safari or jungle themed party.

More Bite-sized Desserts

• Vanilla Cake Pops from Scratch
• Chocolate Cake Pops
• Baked Jelly Donuts with Strawberry Jam
• Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
• Nutella Mousse Cups
• Caramel Cheesecake Brownies

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