My baking goals for the next NLP post are to find a strategy to keep the cake pops on the sticks between baking and decorating, find a way to store them upright after decorating, and begin to look into manageable decorating ideas. My networking goal is to comment on at least one of the blog posts I found helpful during the first step of this project. I have frequently used Pinterest and blogs to learn skills and get ideas for projects, but I just read the information as if it was written in a book. I have not connected with the people I am learning with and from. After reading Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips by Dr. Mark Wagner, and writing my own blog, I see the value in utilizing the interactive nature of the internet to build connections within my personal learning network.
So it seems I may have figured out where I went wrong with my initial run of cake pop making. You can’t use a boxed cake mix! Who knew? Well, apparently a lot of people judging from the number of answers I found by searching “Babycakes cake pop maker problems” and “Why aren’t my cake pops round?” on Google. However, this also tells me a lot of people made the same mistake I did. It is comforting to know I was not the only one who encountered this problem. This is one of the perks of using a Personal Learning Network to acquire a new skill. You find connections with people all over the world through shared experiences and inquiries.
I started building my personal learning network by creating a “Cake Pops” board on Pinterest, I discovered there are a variety of ways one can make a cake pop. In addition to the cake pop maker, there are molds, special pans, and an entirely different method that uses crumbled pre-baked cake and frosting. I also discovered the many “Pinterest Fails” experienced by others, which I have to admit made me feel much better. My initial endeavors didn’t look that bad compared to some of those! I find Pinterest to be the best method of collecting and curating my sources. In addition to searching Pinterest, I also use the “Pin It” button to add resources from Google searches to my board. I really like being able to change a pin’s description to be more suited for my personal use after reviewing the content. I can also delete pins which aren’t as useful as they first promised. In addition to Pinterest, I joined the Google+ community Cake Pops & Cupcakes & Co., but this has not been as useful as I thought it would be since a lot of the posts are focused on cupcakes and/or not in English. So far I have found the Tips and Recipes page on the official Babycakes site, and a post on using the cake pop maker on Love From The Oven to be the most helpful in understanding the error of my cake pop ways.
So, why doesn’t a cake mix work? Here’s the gist: cake pop batter needs to be thicker and less oily than regular cake batter. I did read several suggestions on how to adapt a cake mix, but everyone seems to have their own ideas on the best way to go about it. Instead, I am going to try the Vanilla Cake Pops recipes from the Babycakes manual. I found a tutorial on Munchkin Time for this recipe which features step-by-step photos. I think this will be very helpful as I am a visual learner. The downside of this is the finished cake pops look almost too good to be true. They are perfection on a stick! I may have to check out a few more “Pinterest Fails” to build up my confidence before I begin baking.
Baking round cake pops is the first step of my personal assessment plan. I will not be able to move forward in this project if I cannot master the baking portion. After all, it is kind of hard to make a cake pop without the actual cake. Nevertheless, I have a back-up plan! If this doesn’t work, I will explore one of the other cake pop making methods described above so that I may progress to the next step - keeping the cake pops on the stick.
My baking goals for the next NLP post are to find a strategy to keep the cake pops on the sticks between baking and decorating, find a way to store them upright after decorating, and begin to look into manageable decorating ideas. My networking goal is to comment on at least one of the blog posts I found helpful during the first step of this project. I have frequently used Pinterest and blogs to learn skills and get ideas for projects, but I just read the information as if it was written in a book. I have not connected with the people I am learning with and from. After reading Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips by Dr. Mark Wagner, and writing my own blog, I see the value in utilizing the interactive nature of the internet to build connections within my personal learning network.
6 Comments
Nicole R.
7/23/2015 03:20:02 pm
It sounds like you're off to a great start, Erin! I think it's so interesting to hear that you have to use homemade cake batter for cake pops- it will probably make them even more delicious! I love your idea to comment on the most helpful blog posts. It will likely take minimal effort but the benefits could be awesome! I think I'm going to follow your lead with that idea. I can't wait to see your cake-pops and storage container!
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Erin
7/23/2015 08:17:23 pm
Thank you Nicole! I appreciate your optimistic outlook. You can use one kind of cake mix, the Babycakes brand. Nothing like cornering your own market! However, I can't find it anywhere except online and it is really expensive. You are right, from scratch is better anyway.
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Reggina Kailan
7/24/2015 03:09:53 am
You are off to a fantastic start. Your point about commenting on blogs is a really good one. Before this online endeavor, I would have never thought about contributing comments, but I am beginning to see how useful and necessary it is to the learning process.
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Erin
7/24/2015 01:38:28 pm
Thanks Reggina! I have to admit, I am a bit nervous to comment on one of the blogs. A few years back I wrote a review on Amazon after receiving a digital camera that was not very good. I was attacked by people who must have loved that camera! I have avoided public online writing ever since. Until now at least!
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Nicole
7/24/2015 03:44:59 pm
Your cake pop adventure sounds interesting. You have discovered some great tips. I'm not a fan of boxed cake mixes so I would think your cake pops will taste great since you will make your own batter.
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Erin
7/25/2015 01:34:57 pm
There is something special about baking from scratch. However, I am gluten intolerant so I have to be careful about cross-contamination of ingredients, even a little flour getting in the sugar could be bad for me! A boxed mix is safer because all the gluten-containing ingredients are pre-measured; all I have to do cut it open and dump it in.
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Erin Berthold
1st grade teacher, former special education teacher, Zumba Fitness instructor, graphic designer, cupcake baker, wife, and pet mama working towards a 6th Year Certificate in Instructional Technologies and Digital Categories
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