Ann Reardon

Make your own ‘popin cookin’ mini cake kit

mini cake ann reardon poppin cookin

Now you can make your very own Popin Cookin style mini cake kit at home.  Give these as a cute gift for birthdays or use as a fun activity with the kids.
A few weeks ago I did a Popin Cookin video and had hundreds of requests for a mini version you can make yourself … and one that actually tastes good! So many people love these little Japanese kits but they’re nervous about what is in the powders and also a bit turned off by the taste.
So I’ve been getting my food scientist on over the last few weeks, conducting experiments in my kitchen and designing some cute packaging. And now, it’s finally ready…  see the video for a demonstration of how to make this super-cute mini cake using the kit.  And then how to make the powders for the kit itself.

Get the labels, box cover and sheet of instructions to go in the kit via the link below.

 

 

Making Your Cake

Add 6 scoops of water to the cake mix.  Make sure each of your scoops are full to the top.  Stir well.
Place that in the microwave on medium heat for 1 minute.  Then take it out and leave it to cool.
Add the fondant mix to a new case and add 1 scoop of water.  Mix well.  Microwave on high for 15 seconds and then stir it really well.  Tip it out onto some baking paper and knead it until it is smooth.  Use it straight away because it will set hard when it is cold.  Make into candles as shown in the video.
Roll the left over fondant into two balls and squash down to the size of the cake.
Remove the cake from the case and cut into three layers.  Then stack them up again with the fondant between each layer.
Using two hands gently roll the cake between you hands to smooth off the sides so that you have a nice neatly shaped cake.
Place that on top of the measuring cup.
For the chocolate frosting pour the powder into the last case and add four scoops of water.  Stir until it clumps together like wet sand.
Microwave on high for 10 seconds and then stir it to get out any lumps.  Pour the frosting over your mini cake. and use the spoon to make sure it covers all the sides.  Place the left over frosting into the piping bag and pipe a pattern around the top edge. 
Pipe some more frosting around the base of the cake to make it look neat.
Add your decorations to the top.  Then add the candles that you made to the top of the cake.
And you can really eat the whole cake without feeling guilty and the candles too.

mini cake kit DIY

How to make your popin cookin style kit

In each kit you need to put:
– a mini piping bag
– a little medicine measuring cup
– three strong lined cupcake cases
– some decorations
– The three different powders a fondant mix, chocolate icing and cake mix. (recipes below)
– A 1/4 of a teaspoon measure (1.25millilitres (0.04 fluid ounces))
– a couple of mini sheets of baking paper
– and the instructions
Chocolate cake mix recipe, makes enough for 10 kits
100g (3.53 ounces) or 10 Tablespoons plain / all purpose flour NOTE: The tablespoon I used is a standard international one which is 15millilitres (0.51 fluid ounces)
114g (4.02 ounces) or 9 Tablespoons sugar
1 tsp baking powder
100g (3.53 ounces) dark chocolate
12g (0.42 ounces) or 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
13g (0.46 ounces) or 1 1/2 Tablespoons powdered whole egg. I bought it at my local supermarket but you can get it online here.

Place everything into a blender and pulse.  Then blend for a few seconds until all the chocolate is powder.
For each kit place two tablespoons plus one teaspoon of cake mix powder into one bag.
‘Fondant’ Mix Recipe, makes enough for 10 kits
140g (4.94 ounces) or 13 tablespoons icing sugar or powdered sugar
30g (1.06 ounces) compound white chocolate.
Place them both into your blender.  And pulse and then blend until smooth.
For each kit add 1 tablespoon and two teaspoons of the ‘fondant’ powder into a bag.
Chocolate Frosting Mix, makes enough for 10 kits
270g (9.52 ounces) or 2 cups icing or powdered sugar
17g (0.6 ounces) or 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
225g (7.94 ounces) white compound chocolate.
Blend it together in a blender until it is a powder.  
For each kit put three tablespoons of mixture into a bag.
For each one fold the top over several times, seal it with tape and then place a label on the front.
You can get the instruction sheet, labels and box cover here:

 

 
mini cake mix kit ann reardon

Watch Strawburry17 make the mini cake

My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

325 Comments View Comments

  1. How i will get the instructions and labels and it says by it now??

    • Hi Alya, these are available for purchase via the Buy it Now button or the Shop page.

  2. How long can the kit stay outside? Or does the cake mix have to go in the fridge.

    • Hi Lily as the ingredients are dry, they can be stored in the cupboard as long as sealed in plastic bags or similar.

  3. Can you sell the powders and everything in the kit so not just the labels but the powders as well

  4. Where did you find the strong lined cupcake cases? I have searched the Internet and can’t find ones that look like the ones you used.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am planning on making these kits for my granddaughter’s birthday party favors.

    • Found the strong lined cupcake cases at the Dollar Tree. Can’t wait to make these kits. Please add more kit ideas for other items! Love your You Tube videos.

      • That is great to hear Johnna. Happy Baking!

  5. Hi Ann

    I can’t spend $25 dollars on powdered eggs I was wondering if I could do a normal egg but just not add it to the box and just use one at the time I’m making the kit.

    • Hi Wants to know, unfortunately this recipe is not suitable. Powdered egg must be used.

    • If You are in Australia you can get them in supermarkets for about $5 if not than I am not sure 🙂

  6. Hi Ann,

    Is there any chance that you could make a printable version of the instructions, labels, ect.
    That would be great if you could, I want to make about 5 boxes for Christmas so it would be much much appreciated if you could!

    Star

    • Sorry didn’t read that properly!

    • Hi Star, Ann has created that for you. Use the Buy it Now button to purchase and download the full colour template.

  7. What is the wattage of the microwave oven that you used

    • Hi Emily, Ann’s Microwave is a standard model and is up to 1100w

  8. Wow! Great to find a post with such a clear megsase!

  9. Hi Ann i can’t find tha Recipe & Printouts
    where are they?

    • Hi Mika, Use the Buy it now button to purchase the templates. The recipe and instructions are all above.

  10. HI, just putting my thoughts out here but I’m pretty sure that about a year ago when I checked this website it was free but now it costs money? correct me if I’m wrong but I think its a bit unfair as I didn’t have my own laptop then so I couldn’t download it but now I do and it costs money because I’m a year too late???

    • Hi Rhiannon, The templates that Ann has designed have always been purchasable through the How to Cook that Shop via the link on this page.. The appearance of the button may have changes slightly. Ann spends a lot of hours creating these. Once purchased you can use them as many times as you like.

  11. Where can I buy one of those mini popin cookin kits ann

    • Hi Dana, You need to make your own.

  12. I just stumbled across your channel a few weeks ago and saw the video on this kit. I love the idea. I want to do this with the kids I work with in Summer Camp. I was originally thinking that they could make up the kits and then take them home to make the cake, but trying to get enough measuring spoons for 30+ kits is a little on the pricey side when I was doing my research. So my thinking now is to make up the kits for them and then do them at camp.

    I was also thinking, is there anyway to do other flavors of cakes? I was thinking vanilla or strawberry for a start. I might experiment myself in the coming days when making up the recipes for the mixes.

    I was running out of ideas to do with the kids until I saw this video.

    • Hi Jennifer, What a great idea. Source a bulk quantity of spoons by buying the mini-spoons from ice-cream or gelato suppliers. You may need to adjust the recipe slightly to ensure your ‘spoon measures’ are accurate. You would be smart to experiment with the flavours first as you need ‘dry flavor ingredients’. Chocolate is the easiest.

  13. Can U leave out the powdered egg? Or is there a subsitute?

    • you could use powdered egg whites instead 🙂

    • im sorry , false answer about the powdered eggs but you must use them if you want to make this kit , 🙂

    • Hi Hx, the powdered egg is an essential part of this recipe. There is no easy alternative.

  14. Hi Ann,

    Where did you get the lined cupcake cases?

    • Hi Sierra, The cupcake cases are readily available here in supermarkets or cake decorating stores.

  15. Hi ann i cant find egg powder can i use normal eggs instead

    • Hi Fajar, no you must use powdered egg for this recipe.

      • But why

        • Hi BFF, Raw egg can’t be packaged up to use in the kit.

  16. I followed all the directions and found that using the microwave made my cake a rock! Instead I put it on a cookie sheet and used the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This way it came out much better. I also found that my cake did not rise as much as yours and was quite disappointed. Otherwise, this is an interesting recipe and made very adorable cakes.

    • Hi KK, it sounds like you have a high powered microwave. You could decrease the cooking time or power level.

  17. Please make more of these kits! They’re awesome and also very good to eat!

  18. Can you use meringue powder for the powdered egg

    • Hi Katherine, no you can’t as Meringue powder doesn’t container any fat.

      • Hi ann i cant find egg powder so can i use normal eggs instead

  19. hi, thanks for a wonderful tutorial and all the printouts
    I was wondering, how far in advance can i make these kits? i’m gonna be making around 50 and would love to make it as early as possible before the party.
    also, ive read through most of the comments. the cupcake case link is for mini cupcakes and you state that this recipe is made with regualr size holders. do you know where i would be able to get regular size cupcake cases?

    • Hi sara, use the powdered egg use by date as a guide. You can make them well in advance, as long as that ingredient is still useable on the date of the party.

  20. You should make the whole kit and sell it on the website all together so we don’t have to make it ourselves

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