Information Technology
This class allowed us to learn how to create a website, edit photos and movies, use Microsoft word, excel, and powerpoint, and write professional emails.
Below is the link to a video that I made in IT class with my friend, Twyla. The assignment was to make 2-3 minute video about a food related topic.
Research Paper: Cake Pops
Just as trends such as parachute pants and bangs go in and out of style, desserts go from A-list to has-beens in a snap. From muffins to cupcakes, it seems that desserts that were delicious yesterday are now “so last season.” The most recent trend; cake pops. It seems so simple to have taken so long to appear on the dessert market; cake on a stick. They’re the seemingly perfect sugary treat for sweet-toothed folks on-the-go. So how did these fashionable pops become so popular when it’s just as easy to grab a candy bar or a cupcake? How did they grow so popular so quickly and how have they not gone out of fashion when their flavor is so strongly sweet? So my search for the reason these sugary treats are so popular begins, for as far as I’m concerned, they should have gone out with sillybandz.
First of all, the cake pop isn’t necessarily made from cake. They’re also made from pie fillings and doughnut batter. Whatever makes up the bulk of them, you can bet that they’ll be incredibly sweet because when dealing with such a small portion, the amount of flavor must be powerful. Put that ball of sugar on a stick and you’ve got yourself a very popular dessert. It all began in 2009 when Angie Dudley decided to experiment with cupcakes to post something original on a blog she was following: Cupcakes Takes the Takes. She shaped the cake with a cookie cutter, dipped them twice into chocolate, and put them on a stick. After posting a picture of them on the blog, she continued posting picture of her creations on her own website Bakerella. Within four months cake pops had become an unstoppable force in the dessert world.
From a seller’s perspective, cake pops are extremely profitable. Costing very little to make, as one nine inch round cake could equal up to 30 cake pops, and having the ability to decorate each one quickly and individually, folks rush to pick them up and don’t mind paying big bucks for them. Dessert Catering company Jenny Cookies sell individual cake pops from $1.50-$3.50 each (LAFRANCE, 2). Cake pop displays have become very popular in lieu of cakes at parties and weddings. Lisa Dupar Catering charges $36 for a dozen cake pops, or they’ll create a large display or a “cake bar” charging $4 per serving (LAFRANCE, 3).
They’re an extremely versatile dessert as each can be decorated in a different way. Designs vary from “tuxedo pops” in which case the cake pop is dipped in white chocolate and then dark chocolate on the sides, and given chocolate buttons and a bow tie in the center. They’re also dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with coconut for a “bride” look. Being a classy yet fun dessert, they’re popularity is understandable.
While it may seem extremely expensive for such a small dessert, it’s relieving to know how easy they are to make. Though they can be made in numerous ways, whether a pie crust outside with fruit filling inside, or a doughnut batter outside filled with warm raspberry jam, the most commonly seen and simplest to make use chocolate chips, boxed cake mix and canned frosting. These can both be substituted with homemade cake and frosting, but for the average mom in need of a quick party snack, this quick and easy method is sure to please. Simply make the cake, allow it to cool, crumble it, and mix with the frosting to form small balls. At this point, insert a lollipop stick or a popsicle stick. Put in freezer to firm, and then dip twice in melted chocolate for full coverage. Set in freezer until chocolate hardens. They can easily be decorated with sprinkles, candies, or nuts while the chocolate is still melted, or once cooled, melted white chocolate can be drizzled over the top creating a very classy and beautiful look.
While they’re probably going to be outdone with another trendy dessert soon, cake pops are a great way to make a bite of sweetness unique as each one can have different toppings, fillings, and decorations. While I prefer a cupcake, which is to me the perfect dessert, the appeal of cake pops is inevitable. Whether it be for the business selling them, the consumer looking for a creative, fun, and chic dessert for a function, or a home cook needing to make a simple sweet treat with a wow factor, cake pops are sure to last longer than sillybandz.
Works Cited
Lafrance, Michelle. "Dessert Trend: Cake Pops." Bride Magazine. Seattle Bride, 10 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://seattlebridemag.com/stories/dessert-trend-cake-pops>.
Ojakangas, Beatrice A. Beatrice Ojakangas' Light & Easy Baking: More than 200 Low-fat and Delicious Recipes for Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Desserts, and Breads. New York: Clarkson Potter, 1996. Print.
First of all, the cake pop isn’t necessarily made from cake. They’re also made from pie fillings and doughnut batter. Whatever makes up the bulk of them, you can bet that they’ll be incredibly sweet because when dealing with such a small portion, the amount of flavor must be powerful. Put that ball of sugar on a stick and you’ve got yourself a very popular dessert. It all began in 2009 when Angie Dudley decided to experiment with cupcakes to post something original on a blog she was following: Cupcakes Takes the Takes. She shaped the cake with a cookie cutter, dipped them twice into chocolate, and put them on a stick. After posting a picture of them on the blog, she continued posting picture of her creations on her own website Bakerella. Within four months cake pops had become an unstoppable force in the dessert world.
From a seller’s perspective, cake pops are extremely profitable. Costing very little to make, as one nine inch round cake could equal up to 30 cake pops, and having the ability to decorate each one quickly and individually, folks rush to pick them up and don’t mind paying big bucks for them. Dessert Catering company Jenny Cookies sell individual cake pops from $1.50-$3.50 each (LAFRANCE, 2). Cake pop displays have become very popular in lieu of cakes at parties and weddings. Lisa Dupar Catering charges $36 for a dozen cake pops, or they’ll create a large display or a “cake bar” charging $4 per serving (LAFRANCE, 3).
They’re an extremely versatile dessert as each can be decorated in a different way. Designs vary from “tuxedo pops” in which case the cake pop is dipped in white chocolate and then dark chocolate on the sides, and given chocolate buttons and a bow tie in the center. They’re also dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with coconut for a “bride” look. Being a classy yet fun dessert, they’re popularity is understandable.
While it may seem extremely expensive for such a small dessert, it’s relieving to know how easy they are to make. Though they can be made in numerous ways, whether a pie crust outside with fruit filling inside, or a doughnut batter outside filled with warm raspberry jam, the most commonly seen and simplest to make use chocolate chips, boxed cake mix and canned frosting. These can both be substituted with homemade cake and frosting, but for the average mom in need of a quick party snack, this quick and easy method is sure to please. Simply make the cake, allow it to cool, crumble it, and mix with the frosting to form small balls. At this point, insert a lollipop stick or a popsicle stick. Put in freezer to firm, and then dip twice in melted chocolate for full coverage. Set in freezer until chocolate hardens. They can easily be decorated with sprinkles, candies, or nuts while the chocolate is still melted, or once cooled, melted white chocolate can be drizzled over the top creating a very classy and beautiful look.
While they’re probably going to be outdone with another trendy dessert soon, cake pops are a great way to make a bite of sweetness unique as each one can have different toppings, fillings, and decorations. While I prefer a cupcake, which is to me the perfect dessert, the appeal of cake pops is inevitable. Whether it be for the business selling them, the consumer looking for a creative, fun, and chic dessert for a function, or a home cook needing to make a simple sweet treat with a wow factor, cake pops are sure to last longer than sillybandz.
Works Cited
Lafrance, Michelle. "Dessert Trend: Cake Pops." Bride Magazine. Seattle Bride, 10 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://seattlebridemag.com/stories/dessert-trend-cake-pops>.
Ojakangas, Beatrice A. Beatrice Ojakangas' Light & Easy Baking: More than 200 Low-fat and Delicious Recipes for Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Desserts, and Breads. New York: Clarkson Potter, 1996. Print.