Music Note Cake Pops - How to make them.

PREFACE/VERY IMPORTANT: This tutorial begins after cake ball/cake pop dough has been made from baking a cake, letting it cool, mixing the cake with frosting or other mixer and freezing the dough. If you need instructions on how to make cake ball pops to this point, follow steps 1-5 found HERE, then proceed with this tutorial. If you're already adept at the skill of cake balling, then you probably know where to start following my instructions on making them into music notes (after you've created your "dough" and let it chill in fridge or freezer).

Ingredients/Materials: White almond bark or white candy melts, colored icing writing gel or icing for writing, a picture of the music notes you wish to create handy (if free-handing shapes) and small but sharp knife or blade.

STEP 1: CREATE THE NOTE SHAPES FROM YOUR COLD DOUGH

We begin with your cold cake mixture or dough. Because, I made my music notes free-handed, without the use of a cookie cutter, I took parts of the dough at a time to work with and I cut one shape at a time. If you don't trust yourself to draw the notes by looking at a figure, you may want to start Googling "off the beaten path cookie cutter shapes" or maybe just "music note cookie cutters":).

• Make a Dough "Patty" - Grab a handful of your dough mixture and throw it on a cutting board covered with wax paper or aluminum foil. Pound it with your hand a couple times so the width is even. The middle of the "patty" should be approx. 3/4 inch. 
• Place Your Music Note Image Where You Can See it for Reference or Place it on Top of "Patty" to Trace
• Draw Music Note Shape in "Patty" with Tip of Knife - I used the point on the end of a knife to draw my note into the middle of my "patty" making sure to cut the shape all the way through the dough. 
• Peel Away the Dough from Around your Shape and Repeat - Set your cut outs on a pan covered with wax paper or foil and keep it in the freezer. So with each note you make, you should add it to the bunch setting in the freezer. Sooo easy peasy. 
• Mix Up Shapes - I made a couple different note styles and then some regular round cake balls so my bouqet had variety.

STEP 2: MAKE MUSIC NOTES INTO POPS
When your shapes are cool and hard enough to work with without getting mis-shapen easily, you can put your skewers or lolli sticks into them.

• Slide Skewer or Lolli Stick into Cold Dough Shapes - You'll need to strategically and carefully glide the sticks into the shapes one by one and place them flat down on your sheet in the freezer while preparing your dipping chocolate.

STEP 3: PROCEED WITH COATING YOUR POPS BY FOLLOWING STEPS 8-10 FOUND HERE

STEP 4: DECORATE COATED MUSIC NOTE CAKE POPS

Now your pops are cool again and ready to decorate. Your music notes may not look very much like they are supposed to. They could even look like down right blobs on a stick. That's why this last step is necessary.

• Outline Shapes with Icing for Writing - You're basically going to trace the outline of each note with icing writer gel or icing for writing on cakes with. Some you can color in with your writer after you've made your outline and some you can leave as outlined only. The pop in the pic that looks like it has a record on it is just a candy melt that I stuck onto the cake ball pop right after I dipped it in the coating so the candy stuck to it. Then when set, I used my black and red writers to make the record.

STEP 5: SET CAKE POPS IN FREEZER
Put your pops in the freezer or fridge to set the gel icing so it is less likely to run or melt. I think it is better, in this case, to have pops lying down while they set or until you are ready to make your presentation.

ENJOY! YOUR FEEDBACK/COMMENTS/QUESTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED AND WELCOME HERE.