Bumble bee cake pops

Preparation

Making cake pops is great fun to do during the holidays and there's a job for little helps of all ages, whether it's crumbling sponge cake or piping melted chocolate. Use our Belbake vanilla sponge cake mix or a ready made sponge to speed things up a little, but don't forget to allow for plenty of chilling time - the pops need to set properly to sit on the sticks.

1. Preheat oven to 190ºC/170ºC fan/gas mark 5. Grease and line 2 20cm cake tins, a tray bake tin or a 12 hole bun tin.

2. Begin by making the cakes.Sieve the flower into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Whisk until smooth using a hand mixer.

3. Spoon the cake mix into the tin and level out the mixture. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes (less if using the bun tin) or until golden and springy.

4. Once cooked, remove from the tin and leave a wire rack until completely cool.

5. For the buttercream, combine the ingredients in a bowl and beat together using a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.

6. To assemble the cake pops, crumble the vanilla sponge into a large bowl, aiming for the texture of coarse breadcrumbs.

7. Add the buttercream a heaped spoonful at a time, mixing well until the cake and buttercream come together to form a dough-like mixture - you may not need all the frosting, as the texture should still be a little bit crumbly.

8. When it reaches this stage, bring together the mixture with your hands and roll it into small oblongs. Arrange these across a baking tray lined with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

9. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the turmeric - add more for a stronger colour but remember the flavour will come through more strongly too.

10. Beat the lemon juice into the icing sugar, adding a little extra water as needed until the mixture thickens into a glossy icing.

11. Dip the end of a lolly stick into the icing and spear it gently into a cake pop. Leave the stick to set a little while you do the rest.

12. Use the stick to dip the cake pop in the icing, spooning icing over the top until it is evenly coated. Twirl the cake pop round over the icing a few times to remove any excess, then press in jelly bean pieces (if using) to form the eyes. Leave them to dry and set overnight.

13. To finish, break up the dark chocolate pieces and place into a freezer bag. Melt in the microwave in 15-20 second short bursts, then snip the corner of the freezer bag to create a piping bag.

14. Pipe stripes across the bees and decorate the faces with a smiling mouth and pupils on the jelly beans (if preferred, use white icing for the eyes instead). Finally, make 2 slits on top of the bees and push in the chocolate button wings. Serve immediately or chill until required.