Nothing?
Nobody? Wow, tough crowd!...
Inspired by my recent purchases whilst on vacation, I decided to try my hand at cake pops this weekend. These simple little treats make a big impact, whether you're making simple, truffle-style ones for a bake sale or beautiful bride & groom pops for a wedding shower.
One thing I love about cake pops is how easy they are to begin making. There's no fancy recipes, tricks or skills needed as the entire thing begins with two items you likely already have in your cupboard: a cake mix and a can of frosting. For the purpose of these instructions (and because I've no use for 48 cake pops today) I'll be using 1/4th of the ingredients. Should you want to make 48 cake pops, it'll take the entire cake mix and the whole can of frosting. I'm using a fourth of a cake and therefore, a fourth of my can of frosting.
So, the first thing is to get some ingredients together:
In this case, you'll also need a few items to help with the assembly of your cake pops. First, you'll need some lollipop sticks (or "sucker sticks" if you're my friend Steve :P), a large block of Styrofoam and a plastic bottle (if you're planning on drizzling decorations on the finished pops.) If you want to simply make cake truffles, you can omit the sticks.
So, easily enough, the first step is to make your cake:
and put it in the oven to bake.
Once the cake is all cooled and you're able to handle it, quarter it (see above note) and crumble it into a large bowl.
Spoon in some frosting and mix until you get something that looks a little bit like cake play dough.
With the aid of a cookie scoop (or just a regular spoon if you don't have a cookie scoop) divide the dough evenly into balls and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet line with parchment paper or wax paper or an awesome Silpat baking mat! :)
Next, take a handful or two of chocolate chips and melt them in a small bowl in the microwave. These are just for "glue" so you don't have to worry about what kind of chocolate chips you use. Whatever you've got on hand.
Take the ends of your lollipop sticks and dip the ends in the melted chocolate, then into the balls of cake, no more than halfway. This will help the stick stay in the cake, since the mixture is pretty soft.
(if you're keeping head count, yes, there's only 11. I dropped one...oops!)
Put the whole pan into the freezer for about 2 hours so everything gets nice and firm! Mine will be in for more than 2 hours because it's just about dinner time at the LMC kitchen. Cst. LMC is on night shifts, so he'll be awake soon -- and HUNGRY!
[3 1/2 hours later...]
Now that the cake pops have had lots of time to freeze, it's time to dip them!
Melt your chocolate or candy melts in the microwave or over a double boiler. If you're using candy melts, be sure not to over heat them or to allow any moisture to get in the mix, otherwise you'll lose your consistency and the dip will be unusable.
I have a technique I like to use and it generally makes dipping easier. I melt my chocolate in a large mug. That way, I have the depth to dip in and the ceramic keeps the chocolate softer longer :)
One by one, dip the cake pops into the melted chocolate and give them a little spin so the excess drips off. Because the cake is pretty cold, the chocolate will harden pretty quickly.
You can use whatever you want to keep the pops upright...I use a Styrofoam block, but a thick cardboard box with holes pre-punched in it works well too :) Or, if you don't mind flat bottoms, you can just turn them back upside down on the cookie sheet! :)
I tend to double dip if I have enough stuff and especially if I am using a light colored chocolate over a dark colored cake! I do all the dipping, let them harden, then dip again. But that's entirely up to you. And, if you're going to use sprinkles, make sure to do it right after you dip, because otherwise, they may not stick.
I chose (you guessed it) more chocolate!
The decorating possibilities with cake pops are endless and I encourage you to be as creative as possible when trying these. Have fun and enjoy the yummy outcome!
Happy Dipping (and baking!!)
Crystal
