Breaking news! Well, I admit I don’t get out much, so maybe it’ll be old news to you. But here goes: Have you heard of “Carrot Cake Cheesecake Pudding Pops”? This is definitely a new take on a summer favorite!

This was a new one on me. And how timely, considering the sweltering heat of summer can be tamed by a heavenly frozen treat. And this is your heavenly frozen treat, folks.

This recipe was found on the site I’m a Foodblog (www.imafoodblog.com), and I can’t thank these folks enough. Up front I’ll admit these take a bit of time to make (about 1 ½ hours plus an overnight freeze). But sometimes you find a recipe that’s worth the time and effort, and I think this one is just that:

CARROT CAKE CREAM CHEESE PUDDING POPS (yield: 10 pops, depending on size of popsicle molds)

CAKE

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 large egg

3/4 cup shredded carrots

CREAM CHEESE PUDDING

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups cold milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup room temperature cream cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the sugar and oil until light and fluffy. Whisk in the egg and carrots. Stir in the dry mix, pop into a parchment paper lined loaf pan or two 4-inch round cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

3. While the cake is baking, make the pudding. Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt, then whisk in milk. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture starts to thicken and small bubbles come to the surface, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and cream cheese until smooth.

4. When your cake is cool, but your pudding is still warm, assemble the pops. Break the carrot cake into chunks and stuff into the bottom of the mold so your popsicle stick has something to rest on. Insert the stick and loosely pack chunks of carrot cake into the rest of the mold. Spoon the pudding into the mold, tapping down so that the pudding goes to the bottom, then freeze overnight. When frozen, enjoy!

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You can see how this recipe would lend itself to several variations. For instance, how about making a yellow or white cake and adding a strawberry pudding (and some strawberry chunks as well)? Or maybe a banana pudding along with a yellow cake? And why not a chocolate cake and chocolate pudding combo? Yum, all the way around. I’ll leave it to your imagination.

If this recipe sounds good, or if you just like the idea of cooling off with a homemade popsicle now and then, let’s move on to all the different popsicle molds there are to choose from.

This product has a 4 ½- out of 5-star rating and is by Top Choice. I found this set of 6 on ebay for $10.19. They come with a lifetime guarantee and are billed as easy to fill, no-drip.

Also BPA-free, these Zoku molds are designed for easy cleaning and feature individual molds that pop up from the base when you pull up the pop stick. This set runs $15.99.

Still opting for BPA-free, this sleek Norpro set takes up less freezer space, but is a little pricy--$20.37.

And here’s a clever idea (BPA-free, of course). Why not just squeeze your popsicle. No drips for sure with these cuties. These are called Tiny Push Pops, but they come in larger sizes. They can also be a little pricy—the larger molds are around $15 for a set of 6.

If like me, you’re thinking, let’s find a less expensive method for our popsicles, then how about the old paper cup trick? They won’t be drip-free, of course. But it works!

And it works whether you use popsicle sticks (found at any craft supply store) or basic plastic spoons as your popsicle holders. However you choose to mold them, do give this cake and pudding idea a try. And let me know what you think of this new take on a summer favorite!