Schools
Cake Pop Adventures with Mariel Mital
SPFHS Senior Mariel Mital demonstrates how to make these scrumptious treats.
There’s no doubt that Mariel Mital’s cake pops are this season’s to die for sweet treat. Not only are they the perfect give away for your next goodie bag, baby shower, or fundraiser; with half the calories of a cupcake, these uniquely crafted confections are that delectable dessert your post-holiday diet can make room for.
In between managing senior year at , swim team, college apps to nursing schools, starting a ukulele club at school, playing the clarinet, working at the and volunteering, Mital actually found the time to start a cake pop business last year. For only a dollar a pop (2 to 3 dollars for special character pops), Mital’s tasty treats are definitely worth the bite.
Mital explained that she grew up in the kitchen, helping her mom perfect a family recipe for banana bread muffins. After marveling over the popular baking blog, Bakerella, Mital began to make her own cake pops, selling them to friends and classmates. She explained how her local connections and volunteer efforts helped get the word out about her budding business.
Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I often make these for little kid’s parties. In my neighborhood, there are so many little kids, so it was easy to find local customers. I was also approached by the Friends of the Fanwood Library association as well as Children's Specialized Hospital where I volunteer, to make the cake pops for various events,” Mital explained.
Mital emphasized that anyone a passion for baking can start their own cake pop business. With local connections and access to viral marketing, in just one year she has already started to turn a profit.
Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Facebook is a huge advertising tool for me. I always post pictures of all my new cake pop creations with a status letting everyone know that they are for sale. My boyfriend also took pictures of my cake pops and posted them on forums like Reddit and Tumblr so I’ve had a lot of popularity on the internet as well,” she said.
Mital is now looking to approach local bakeries and ice cream parlors in the hopes that some establishments will be interested in selling her handmade cake pops. Although she aspires to one day open her own bakery in New York, Mital is focused on getting into a college with an excellent nursing program. Last summer, she spent four weeks in an intensive nursing internship program at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Everyone in my family is a doctor or a nurse… my life dream would be to graduate nursing school and then open up my own bake shop with my mom. She has been a big help; she always finds the craziest decorations,” she said.
Mariel’s Extra Tips for Expert Cake Pop Creation
Biting into one of Mital’s cake pops is an explosion of layers of complex flavors. The sprinkles or decorations give way to a layer of delicious but not overly sweet icing. Then the shell breaks and your teeth finally sink in to perfectly moist funfetti, chocolate or even red velvet cake.
“Cake pops are fairly inexpensive to make. One box of cake mix can yield between 50 and 60 cake pops,” she said. For detailed instructions on how to make these cake pops, watch the videos featured with this story.
1) Betty Crocker Knows Best – Mital notes that after trying many different kinds of store bought mix and icing, this classic confection is the tastiest and easiest to work with.
2) Opt for the Microwave - While you can choose to melt your Wilton’s candy melts by using a double broiler and placing the candy over a pot of simmering water, Mital states that using a microwave (as demonstrated in the video) is not only more convenient, it is also a better way to judge the how fast the candy is melting.
3) How to Create the Cake Balls!
- After baking the cake mix, cut the cake into small cube shapes.
- Take several cubes, place them in a bowl and crumble by hand until you have a crumb based mixture.
- Add a heaping dollop of icing to the mixture. Roll a small amount into a ball as if you were rolling it into a meatball. The icing helps the cake balls stick together so it doesn’t fall apart on the stick.
- You can also use a melon baller or ice cream scoop to create uniform size cake balls.
- Place your cake balls on a piece of wax paper and in the refrigerator for ten minutes.
- You should begin to decorate the cake balls (about 5 to 10 at a time) within half an hour of refrigeration so that they do not harden.
For more local news, follow us on Twitter
