I’ve been experimenting with many cake pop variations lately—almost 40 different versions while working toward a book. With Thanksgiving approaching, I wanted to share a fun way to serve moist, flavorful cake instead of dry turkey. Choose your favorite cake and frosting combination and follow the basic cake pop method for super moist cake pops. Then use the following simple additions to transform them into festive Turkey Pops.
For the body, use chocolate candy coating, almond bark, or candy melts and dip the cake pops. Use a bit of extra melted coating to “glue” decorative pieces onto each pop.
Turkey Feathers
Caramel candy corn makes great feathers with warm, autumn tones. If you prefer brighter colors, use the original candy corn flavor for more vivid feathers.
Heads
Use coated espresso beans (the brown ones) to form the turkey’s head. I found mine at a specialty grocery, but similar coated coffee beans are widely available.
Beaks and Wattle
For beaks, orange candy-coated chips work well. Small heart-shaped sprinkles make a cute wattle. If you can’t find the exact shapes, look for small orange candies and tiny red decorations that will serve the same purpose.
Legs
Break the “I” pieces from alphabet pretzels to create tiny legs, or simply use short pretzel sticks. You can insert these into the cake pop body while the coating is still wet so they set securely.
Eyes
Finish each Turkey Pop with small eyes. An edible ink pen or tiny edible decorations work well to draw or apply eyes neatly.
Assemble each pop by dipping the cake ball in your chosen coating, attaching the head, feathers, beak, wattle, legs, and eyes with a dab of melted coating, and allowing everything to set completely. These Turkey Pops make a playful, crowd-pleasing addition to any Thanksgiving table and are easy to customize to match your colors and flavors.
Wishing you a happy and delicious Thanksgiving!