It seems like everyone’s making cake pops, those decadent balls of moist cake conveniently propped on a stick.
They’re everywhere — baby showers, weddings, birthday luaus. Even Starbucks is selling them.
So I figured, “How hard could it be?”
Uh, hard.
The thing is, everywhere you look online, cake pops seem like the easiest thing to make. It’s simple! You can use a box cake mix! My kids are making them!
But these sites don’t tell you how tedious the process is — and how much can go wrong along the way.
So here’s my real take on making cake pops. You may want to spring the $2 to buy one already made.
Here's what you need
Great video by Angie Dudley of Bakerella that shows you step-by-step how to make basic cake pops
Basic cake balls
Used to make cake pops
Ingredients:
1 18 1/4-ounce box cake mix
1 16-ounce container prepared frosting
2 12-ounce bags of candy melts (I used Guittard’s Melt ‘N Mold)
Lollipop sticks
Candy sprinkles or edible glitter
Directions:
Bake cake as directed on the box, using a 13x9x2-inch cake pan. Let cool completely.
Once cake is cooled, cut it into four large pieces. Rub two pieces together so it crumbles into a bowl. Make sure there are no large pieces; the entire cake should be crumbled into a fine texture. You can use a fork to break apart any larger pieces. (If large pieces are mixed in, the cake balls make turn out lumpy and bumpy.)
Add 3/4 of the container of frosting into cake crumbles, using the back of a metal spoon. DO NOT USE THE ENTIRE CONTAINER; your cake balls will be too moist.
Roll 1 1/2-inch balls and place onto a baking sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap (optional) and chill for several hours in the refrigerator. You can also place them in the freezer for no longer than 15 minutes. You want the balls to be firm but not frozen.
Melt your chocolate melt, as directed.
Dip the tip of the lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and insert into cake ball not more than halfway in; this will serve as the “glue.” Then dip the cake ball into melted chocolate. DO NOT TWIRL as the cake ball may fall apart.
Once fully coated, remove the cake ball and allow for excess chocolate to drip off. Decorate with candy sprinkles or edible glitter. Place into Styrofoam and chill in refrigerator.
Makes 48
8 Comments
If I wasn’t bent on losing 20 pounds by Christmas I would do this. If I made 48 I would eat 47.
LOL. I’m completely OK with that. 🙂
OK Cat, I took extensive notes from you post on how to do this:
1) Buy them!
LOL!
Good plan! I support it! Hahahaha!
since I’m not usually a cake guy (save the Oliveto’s chocolate cake I linked you to), I’m, not surprisingly, kinda meh on cake pops. I can, however, get behind an idea I saw about five years ago: cheesecake pops. same idea. take a cheesecake (without the crust) and mix into a ball. scoop and form into balls. put on sticks. chill in fridge until stiff, then dip into chocolate or other frosting. add toppings then chill again to harden the frosting.
Damn, that sounds good, actually. Maybe that’s my next project!
Hey, is this true: more women like cheesecake than men…?
I’ve never tried to make cake pops nor have I eaten one yet. Store bought frosting tastes overly sweet to me. I’m wondering if you could just use cream cheese instead? Or a homemade cream cheese frosting with less sugar? Also, I’ve wanted to try bakerella’s version that uses nutter butters instead of cake.
yes tedious! i made them 2 years ago for my daughter’s 1st birthday and I decided to be adventurous and make them into cupcake shapes. AHHHH HELL! Never again, that’s why it’s been 2 years since I’ve made them last. But there are so many gadgets that are supposed to make the process easier, HA! As if. I’ve only tried the “my little cupcake” mold and even then they didn’t look like cupcakes. I think the worse part is having to mold them into perfect balls (all the same size). I have an order for75+ cake pops to be made in December hoping it will be an easy venture this time around.