If you were at Club Fair on Sept. 12, you probably noticed the adorable and skillfully-decorated chocolate cake pops shaped like Hello Kitty that we had available at the EAST (Exploring Asian Societies Together) table. There they sat, in their candied glory, waiting to be devoured by anyone who signed up for our club.Where on earth did we EAST Council members find these amazing edible versions of everyone’s favorite Japanese cartoon character? Here’s our secret: Nicole ’12, one of my fellow Co-Presidents, is EAST’s unofficial baker. She made all 80 cake pops herself, purely out of the goodness of her heart and her love for EAST. When she said she was planning on making them for Club Fair, I thought she was kidding. No way could anyone perfectly recreate Hello Kitty’s face on a cake pop.

Here’s what I learned: never underestimate Nicole’s baking skills. I should have known; she often brings in home-made treats to our EAST meetings. Last year, she brought funfetti cakes that she frosted to look like the flags of Asian countries like South Korea, China and India. Yes, it was awesome.

Last summer, Nicole discovered the Hello Kitty cake pop recipe on Bakerella.com. She was determined that some day, she would attempt to make them. Once Club Fair was around the corner, she knew that her chance to make this dream a reality had finally arrived. “It seemed like a perfect excuse to make a million,” she said.

And indeed it was. The cake pops, along with the Korean-style ice pops that we also brought for the occasion, brought swarms of people to our EAST table.

If you were lucky enough to grab one of the cake pops while they lasted and you want to make them at home, fear not. According to Nicole, you don’t need to be an experienced baker in order to create the Hello Kitty cake pops at home.

So if you’re up to the task, here are some of Nicole’s helpful tips that you won’t find on the Bakerella recipe:

– Don’t use the brand of edible markers that Bakerella suggests. They’re hard to write on the coating with.
– Be generous with the candy coating on each cake ball. If you don’t put enough of the coating, the cake pop will look messy and won’t be smooth.
– You can’t find some of the required ingredients at an average grocery store. Nicole found everything she needed at Gloria’s Cake & Candy Supplies in Culver City.
– It takes patience!

Happy baking! Be sure to come to EAST on Thursdays in Ms. Tonnu’s room if you’re interested in Asian culture and you want to taste one of Nicole’s baked creations some time.