Happy Halloween - Chocolate modelling paste cake pops

Happy Halloween! What better gift for your trick or treaters than cake pops. I was recently given the idea of covering cake pops in chocolate modelling paste from Kevin at Chocolate Earth. Which for me was one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. It's quick, easy, fun, and more suited to making cake pops with children, than the traditional method of dipping in melted chocolate

My fun ghost uses white and black chocolate modelling paste. Simply roll out an uneven shape of chocolate modelling paste (aprx 2-3mm thick) so when it's draped over your cake pop it falls just below the level of where your cake joins your stick. Roll two tiny balls of black, squish between your fingers to make 2 ovals. The chocolate modelling paste will stick to itself easily. The sticks I've used can be found here (while they look like paper straws, they aren't, the walls of these sticks are at least twice as thick as a paper straw). I used the cupcake pop mould from here. The chocolate modelling paste drape for a ghost works better over this shape than it does over a round ball.

For this orange & black pumpkin cake pop, you need to work with a chilled cake pop on a stick. I used the ball shape pop mould from here. Roll out your chocolate modelling paste to aprx 3-4mm thick. Use an 8cm round cutter to cut a circle of paste that will be wrapped around your ball. Drape this circle over your ball bringing all of the edges together at the stick. The warmth of your hands will smooth out any creases.

To create the lobes of your pumpkin, take a lollipop stick and press it in 5 equal spaces around your orange ball. Use your finger sliding it up and down the creases to widen and soften your indentations.

For the leaf, I freehand cut a teardrop shape and created the veins using a kitchen knife. The little tendril I created by rolling a long fine sausage of chocolate modelling paste which I then coiled around a paintbrush handle (this gives it a nice taper). If your spiral doesn't immediately release from the paintbrush handle, leave it for a minute or two and then it should slide right off. The heat from your hands causes chocolate modelling paste to become soft & sticky, with the tendril being so fine, it can often need a moment to cool down.