Now that the Paddington movie has hit theaters, now is the perfect time to create these adorable cake pops in their likeness! It’s so easy and enjoyable.
Once removed from the refrigerator, carefully dip one cake ball at a time into melted chocolate by carefully dipping approximately one-half inch of its lollipop stick in it. Place upright into a Styrofoam block until hardening occurs.
Ears
Bear ears are what set them apart from other creatures, being both round and flat with an occasional hint of pointiness. I used the same approach for these cake pops – cutting moldable candy into shapes of ears using my cake pop toolkit, cutting moldable candy as needed into bear ears before shaping it with modeling clay to shape ears that looked just like bear ears! You could use regular chocolate chips, but I prefer how the shape and depression in Smarties Candy mimicked bear ears better!
Once you’ve inserted the lollipop sticks, place them back into the freezer to harden up before working on the head of the bear cake pop. At this stage, you can melt white candy coating as desired; I found using a deep microwave-safe bowl made this process simpler since multiple dips usually resulted in cracked frosting or missing pieces altogether.
My coating was melted using a warmer/mini slow cooker; you can also use a double boiler or the microwave. Oil-based candy colors should be used, as water-based ones could seize up and cause hard or grainy candy melts to form.
Once the melted chocolate has set, take your cake ball from the freezer. One at a time carefully dips about half of each stick into white candy coating before quickly retrieving them – too much time under will cause the frosting on top to dry and the ears to drop off!
Once your pop is fully coated, tap gently against the edge of the bowl if there is excess coating and set it into an open hole in a Styrofoam block for support while it sets.
Once the heads have hardened in the fridge, take them out and use a toothpick to place some melted candy where the ears should go (you could also put a bit in the center for the nose). Use two black sugar pearls as eyes.
Nose
A bear cake pop’s nose makes an enormous, impactful statement about itself. A nose that is too long or thick can distort one’s perception of its subject; small and thin noses tend to convey cute and innocent characteristics, while more significant, stuffy noses can give the impression of an intimidating beast.
After creating the basic shape of bear cake pops with your hands, use the end of a lollipop stick to indent an indentation in each bear’s forehead for its nose. A bit of store-bought or homemade icing may help keep cake crumbles together and stop them from falling apart while shaping.
Once an indentation has been created, carefully position two M&M chocolates to form the ears and one pretzel one as the nose for your Polar Bear cake pop. Dip the entire cake pop in melted white candy coating, tapping off the excess, before dipping back in again before the chocolate hardens – then add two black sugar pearls for eyes before hardening occurs.
Your cake pops are now ready for their eyes, nose, and scarf to be attached. Use an edible ink marker to apply small dots of black at each end of the nose and in the middle for the mouth; add round confetti sprinkles for the eyes; a heart-shaped spray will look lovely for the bear’s bow; and add another heart to finish off their noses!
If you plan on gifting cake pops, now is the time to add scarves and hats for an authentic polar bear appearance. Brown frosting may also be tinted grey using food-grade red food coloring drops for maximum effect.
Once your bear cake pops are completed, allow their candy coatings to dry before storing or serving them fully. If the color seems too dark after drying, use a toothpick dipped in white candy melts to lighten it slightly, or cover each bear with a thin layer of white icing instead.
Face
Bakerella (also known as Angie Dudley) first posted her cake pop designs online in 2008, and they quickly became an international craze, inspiring a book titled Cake Pops. More recently, her adorable bear designs have been updated for Christmas-related designs.
Beginning by melting half of the white candy melts in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave according to package instructions, using one end of a lollipop stick dipped into the chocolate for each cake ball inserted into each. Prior to setting, press two of the chocolate chips against each ball as ears before placing them in the fridge to set.
Once the ears and nose have been set, use a food-grade marker to draw eyes and mouth features with food-safe markers. After they’ve dried completely, dab some edible glue (also known as candy melts) onto each cake ball’s base to form its furry neck before attaching a tiny black nonpareil sprinkle for noses and two heart-shaped sprinkles for eyes.
Make use of any remaining brown candy melts by adding some melted white coating for an eye-catching Teddy bear color. Cover each cake ball in this coating, tapping off any excess and refrigerating for at least 30 minutes for best results.
Relight the brown coating for ears and face using more of the melted white, using M&Ms to make impressions on each cake ball’s surface. Gently lift them away after making their impression and dip their flat sides in a relightened coating to cover them up. Finally, add tiny black dot sprinkles on each M&M to mimic the eyeballs of a bear, punch the bottom stick into a Styrofoam block for support, and then punch a hole at its base using an empty craft stick!
This recipe is perfect for kids and would make an unforgettable treat for fans of Paddington Bear, the beloved Peruvian bear who’s making his big screen debut this Friday in a film based on Michael Bond’s best-selling books and produced by David Heyman (Harry Potter). Sure to please both kids and adults alike!
Scarf
Red licorice wraps its way around this cute snowman cake pop for an irresistibly festive treat! A black confetti sprinkle makes for the nose, while a food coloring pen adds his mouth for this delightful Christmas treat!
These polar bear cake pops are created using the same method as ears and faces but with extra details. A small amount of white frosting mixed with crumbled cake creates the body, while one M&M forms its head. Black nonpareil sprinkles serve as noses while a jumbo heart-shaped spray forms its bow; also included on this cake pop is a small piece of black licorice cut to form its hat!
This cake pop’s face is slightly larger than those of its peers to accommodate for its hat. Made from M&M candy, this M&M-shaped bear was coated in the same white candy coating used on its ears and snout; before setting, a toothpick dipped in that color was used to draw a floppy hat brim and secure one of two black M&M candies for its nose.
Once the hat is secured, a sizeable heart-shaped sprinkle is attached to the corner of the polar bear’s head as a scarf knot, then placed upright onto a Styrofoam block for drying. Depending on the thickness of your candy coating, you may need to gently shake it a few times so any excess can come off.
This adorable bear can be made by dipping an entire cake ball in melted white candy coating and then using half of an M&M to stick in place as its eyes before attaching its other half as its snout in front. Before the chocolate sets ultimately, outline its tummy using a toothpick dipped in that color before adding ears, nose, eyes, and hat as finishing touches – perfect for commemorating Paddington 2! This cake pop is also the ideal way to celebrate Paddington 2!
