Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Cake Pop Tutorial

For my sister's bridal shower, I launched myself into the world of cake pop making in a big way! She's really been into cake pops lately, so I wanted to at least attempt them for her. When all was said and done, we had 6 varieties - all equally delicious! I hope you enjoy this little tutorial:

You will need:
A baked cake (or two or three)
Icing
Candy coating (I liked theWilton discs that I found at a craft store best-melt them SLOWLY in the microwave...a few seconds at a time and then stir, stir, stir. If you over-melt them, you won't get a perfectly smooth dipping medium)
Lollipop sticks
First: bake your cake(s) as directed on the box(es)
Next: crumble your cooled cake into a large bowl until crumbs are uniform
Add icing (homemade or store bought) to crumbs little by little. Stir well.
You will eventually achieve the consistency of dough. Don't get it too sticky!
Roll dough into balls and place on waxed cookie sheet. Chill for 10-20 minutes.
Dip sticks into a small amount of melted candy coating, and place into balls.
The candy coating on the stick will harden to become "glue". Back in the fridge
for 10-20 more minutes.
Melt the rest of your candy coating in a small, deep vessel and dip carefully.
Let dry upright stuck in foam, or upside down on wax paper.
These are double dipped, upside-down pops.

Let cool completely, and store either at room temperature or in the fridge. If I were going to do it over again (and it seems I will...my sister already placed an "order" for her wedding in a month!), I'd do the different steps on different days: baking on one day, rolling on another, and dipping on a third. That would keep it from becoming such a tedious task! In case you're wondering about the flavor combos we did, here's a list:
Tuxedo: French Vanilla Cake with Dark Chocolate Coating
Minty Fresh: Devil's Food Cake with Mint Coating (vanilla discs with peppermint extract added)
Double Chocolate 5 Spice: Devil's Food Cake, Dark Chocolate Coating, sprinkled with 5 Spice powder before the coating dried
Berries and Cream: Strawberry Cake, Vanilla Candy Coating
Peanut Butter Delight: French Vanilla Cake, Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Coatings
Cocoa Butter Pecan: Butter Pecan Cake, Dark Chocolate Coating

And here they are, the finished product, displayed at the shower:
If you have any questions, let me know! Have you ever made cake pops? If so, what flavor combos would you recommend to us?

Linking this little tutorial to: Inspired by You, Creative Share Wednesdays, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, We Did It Wednesday