Cake Pops !!

Cake pops are one of my most asked for concoctions. There are a variety of flavors which I will post all of them as I make them again (I unfortunately have not been good documenting cake pops in the past like some of my other desserts) This page is just for a basic understanding on how to make cake pops. I will be making a few here soon for a baby shower and I will post pictures with step by step pictures on how to do them. I first made my first big batch for a friends baby shower a few years back. We did a red velvet cake (a big crowd pleaser), Birthday cake (Johnnys Favorite) and Carrot cake. I made about 150 and there were NO left overs!!

With all cake pops you need a few things...

Cake (Rather its a box, from scratch, or premade)
Icing (From scratch or in a can)
Chocolate coating
Cake pop sticks
Toppings (optional)

Directions:

First start with your cake. I like to make mine from scratch. If you make it from scratch, it might be helpful to make it a few hours earlier or the night before so you can allow the cake to cool completely.

Once your cake is cooled, crumble it into fine pieces. You can use a food processor to help thin the cake out as fine as possible.

One the cake is crumbled, mix in the frosting. I usually one 3/4-1 full can if I use it from the can depending on how thick the cake it. You want to be a nice consistency but not too saturated or the balls will not form. It is recommended to use a kitchen aid mixer or a hand mixer to make sure the frosting is spread out evenly in the dough. Allow the cake to sit for 30 minutes to tack up.

Okay! Lets get ready to roll! Take the cake and start rolling into small balls. A small ice cream scoop can help you get a better round shape. Once all the balls are rolled, we are going to get the sticks ready.

To get the sticks to stay in the cake balls, melt a little of the candy coating. Take the stick and dip about an inch in to coat the bottom of the stick. Take the freshly dipped stick and place in half way into the cake ball (You don't want to go all the way threw or the balls will not stay on). Once all the balls have their sticks in them, set them in the refrigerator for AT LEAST 30 minutes to set.

 Once your sticks are set we can start dipping the actual balls.  Take a bowl and melt the chocolate in. Be careful not to overheat the chocolate causing it to be lumpy. Take the stick, placing the ball into the chocolate until the ball is fully emerged. Pull the ball out carefully and slowly turn to the side dripping off any excess chocolate. I like to place mine on the pan for they stand up with out a stand (or you can take an un-melted chip and place it on the chip) If you have a cake pop stand, place the stick in the stand. If you are going to sprinkle anything on top of the cake pop do it as the chocolate is still wet. For Red velvet I like to use left over crumbled cake and sprinkle it over top. Its recommended to sprinkle on top of each one after you dip it individually. Once all the balls are dipped place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before servings.

I will upload some more pictures and individual recipes by next month.

Keep in mind this can be a time consuming project so make sure you have enough time to bake, make, and refrigerate! Enjoy!