DIY: RAINBOW CAKE POPS

Supplies:
1 box of yellow or white cake mix
1 can vanilla frosting (I only used about a quarter of it)
1 12-ounce package blue candy melts
1 package mini m & m's
Mini marshmallows~one for each pop (I ended up with 13 pops)
Food coloring pastes~purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red
Block of styrofoam to hold pops while they dry


Directions:

- Mix up cake batter as directed on the box.

- Separate the cake batter into six bowls with 1/2 cup of batter in each bowl. Tint each bowl with one of the colors of the food coloring.  (I had enough cake batter left for a one layer 5-inch cake which I'm saving for later in the freezer. I suppose I could have made more colored batter/pops, but followed Brooke's directions.)

- Spoon each cake color into two cupcake wrappers, and bake in a muffin tin according to package directions. You will have a dozen cupcakes.

- In six small bowls, crumble each cupcake color by color into fine crumbs. Add just enough vanilla frosting to create a playdoh like consistency with each of the colors. I only needed to add about a full teaspoon of frosting to each.

- In your palm, press a small amount of red cake dough, then press a bit of orange on top. Follow with yellow, green, blue, and purple, then roll the dough into balls.
- In a small, deep, microwave-safe bowl, heat the candy melts according to the directions on the package.

- Press the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate, then press that end into the center of your cake ball, about halfway. Allow the candy melts to harden at room temperature.

- Gently dip each cake ball into the candy melts. Allow any excess to drizzle back into the bowl before pressing the bottom of the lollipop stick into a piece of styrofoam. Allow the cake pops to cool upright.

For rainbow/clouds decoration:

- When the pops have dried, use the leftover (there should be some left) melted candy melts to adhere the rainbows and clouds.

- Cut a mini marshmallow in half and flatten with your fingers. 

-With a toothpick add a bit of candy melt to the back (sticky part) of the marshmallow and place on the pop. 

-Add the other marshmallow cloud.

- Use a toothpick and add a dot of candy melt to the back of each (blue, green, yellow, orange, red) m & m (one at a time) and place in an arch between the marshmallow clouds. Stick each pop in the styrofoam block to dry.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS WEEKEND KIDS!!!