Spiked Lemon Chiffon Cake Pops

Spiked desserts are always a fun way to add a little something special to a celebration.

For my mom's 50th birthday, it was made very clear to me that cake pops were to be made. I've experimented with so many recipes for cake pops, and my family has pretty much enjoyed the fruits of my labors every time, so I needed to get creative with this 50th birthday dessert if I wanted it to stand out from the rest.

To my surprise this feat was easily managed thanks to the Lemon Chiffon Cupcake Vodka that crossed my path during the brainstorm process.

My mom is a big lemon lover, so it was the perfect inspiration for these cake pops. I have to say, this recipe has turned into my favorite choice thus far - especially for special occasions like a 50th birthday.

There's a subtle elegance to the flavor of this recipe thanks to the lemon chiffon vodka and a lightness in texture that's comparable to biting into a mousse. I clearly recommend giving it a try!

Be forewarned, however, that because of the vodka, these guys get extra moist, which is great when you bite into one, but a bit of a challenge while you're coating them. Well worth the effort though!

Ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix (along with the oil and eggs they tell you to use)

Lemon Chiffon Cupcake Vodka (to use in place of water)

1 can white frosting

Cake pop sticks

Melting chocolate

Printable "Fifty" birthday tags- if you're celebrating like we did!

Directions:

Begin by preparing your cake as you normally would, but replace the water with the vodka. Give it a good mix and pour your batter into a lightly greased cake pan.

Bake the cake until just golden, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the pan as soon as you can and allow it to cool on a wire rack. Once it's cool, crumble it into a large glass bowl so that it resembles a fine, even texture.

Using the back of a metal spoon, incorporate 1/4 of the frosting at a time - you want the cake mix to be more tacky than anything else so that it holds together, but not so moist that it won't hold shape. I used 3/4 of the frosting, but you may need more or less, depending.

After you've mixed in your frosting, roll the cake mix into evenly shaped balls. Place on a tray lined with wax paper as you work. When the cake mix is completely rolled, place the tray into the refrigerator over night.

When you're ready to coat the cake balls, melt your chocolate in a deep, narrow bowl.

*If turning the cake balls into cake pops, begin the process by dunking the tips of your sticks into the chocolate and inserting into the center of the cake balls. Place back in the fridge for an hour after prepping all of them.

Next, dunk the cake into the chocolate. Use a spoon to help you coat it quickly so it's less likely to break and will have a more even coat.

You can place the cake balls directly onto the wax paper as you work, but if making pops, stick them into Styrofoam to solidify evenly - they'll harden up in a few minutes so that they're safe to lie flat.

Once you're done, decorate however you'd like! We attached our circle "Fifty" tags to the cake pops we made my punching a whole at the top and bottom, then simply slipped on.

This post was sponsored and inspired by Pear Tree Greetings, but the great ideas come from the creative minds of our contributors, not the advertiser. Inspire yourself and visit Pear Tree for photo birth announcements, Christmas cards and save the dates.