Today is Ms. Sophie Joan's summer birthday celebration at school. {Her real b-day falls on August 13th} So for her special snack day we made cake pops yesterday! I thought it would be an easy feat to accomplish.
Boy was I mistaken!
Has anyone else tried to make these tasty treats before?
I began my adventure documenting my process....heheh- who do I think I am? It all seemed easy enough. I'm always up for a baking challenge. And it started out fun!The easy/fun part did not last long.
Perhaps you will not have the same problems as I did.
::{DIY Cake Pops}::
Assemble your ingredients and tools:
- 1 box cake mix + ingredients for baking (eggs, water, oil)
- 9x13 pan
- 1 can of frosting/ or 2 cups homemade frosting {I used 1 cup...2 seemed like way too much}
- sheet pan or mini muffin pan for resting cake pops in the fridge
- FOAM BLOCK
- lollipop sticks
- chocolate candy melts
1. Make and bake your cake for the designated time (30-35 mins).
Pull out of the oven and let completely cool. (Hour- hour 1/2)
2. Crumble up your cake. I used a mixer to save a bit of time,
but fingers and utensils would work absolutely fine.
Add in the frosting and continue to mix until well incorporated.
Allow mix to REST for a few minutes.
3. Use a melon baller or tablespoon to measure out your balls.
Roll uniformly. {Appx. 1-1/2"}
Place on a sheet pan. Refrigerate until firm (10 minutes or so).
4. Melt your chocolate in a small dish or measuring cup in 30 second intervals.
It should have a nice, slightly runny consistency. Dip the tip of your stick into the chocolate
{*note: Use sparingly.} Insert into your chilled, firm cake ball.
This will help the cake ball stay on the stick.
Put them back into the refrigerator to harden.
A few minutes should do the trick.
5. Set up your foam block for drying.
Make sure your chocolate is still melted- mic. it for 30 more seconds to be sure.
Meanwhile pull out your cake pops, yet again.
6. Dip those puppies into your chocolate, tapping off any extra for a nice, smooth, even coating. Garnish with a few sprinkles (or what have you) and place into your foam block for drying! Voila!
Keep cool until the chocolate sets.
And there are your beautiful Cake Pops!
{Yields about 35-40 pops}
Easy peasy, right? Sure sounds like it.
My problems arouse from not reading directions properly. (Oops).
Like, for instance, I did not realize I needed to mix in frosting with the crumbled cake. So I had to whip some up quickly. Some of the pops cracked off the stick when immersed into the chocolate. Creating a crumby mess.
I do not own a piece of crafty foam and I figured I could make some kind of makeshift stand to dry the finished project {WRONG!}. I ended up drying them the way you would make a candy apple. Which they turned out cute nonetheless.
Next time, {ha! listen to me....will there actually be a next time? The world may never know.} I may just buy a bag of white chocolate chips with a few drops of food coloring. {Did I mention I ran out of chocolate? So I have 5 naked Cake Pops}. And I'll be sure to have a foam block for drying.
I lost my cool a few times in the process. Baking is NOT therapeutic, at least with these. I rushed for some information and found a GREAT tutorial website that momentarily calmed me down with the easy flow of her workings:
Check out Cakeb0t her site is lovely and helpful or you can watch her demo on YouTube:
Good luck and happy eating!!
♥
