I've always been mesmerized by cake pops, but never had the guts to make them. Then my co-worker (Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence) made them and I was convinced that if she could do it, I could at least give it a shot. They were a huge success! The outcome is well worth any hassle involved in production. Hope you have as much fun making (& devouring) these as I did...
The supplies:
You will need cake mix & ingredients, frosting, wax paper, 13x9 pan, sprinkles (optional), styrofoam blocks, candy melts, and wooden sticks (last 3 can be found at any craft store).
Make a cake. Any flavor you want. Just follow the cake directions & bake as usual. I chose dark chocolate cake because you can NEVER have enough chocolate (just ask my sister!).
Destroy the cake! Grab two forks and crumble it into pieces.
Mash crumbled cake with frosting of your choice. Mix with most or all of the can until it has a texture a little softer than play dough. You may want to use your hands to mash the cake mixture.
Roll 'em up! Roll the cake mixture between your palms to create cake balls that are about 1.5" in diameter. Make sure the ball is packed well so it does not fall apart later. This makes 40-50 cake balls.
Microwave about 5-6 pieces of chocolate until melted. Dip each stick in the chocolate about 1/4" deep, then place in the cake ball. Dipping in the melted chocolate helps the stick...stick.
*Here is where I squeezed in a jog to the park for some pre-indulgence calorie burn...yaaah!*
Get ready... Remove pops from the freezer and set on table. In a tall glass, microwave about 1/2 package of chocolate melts with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Remove and stir every 30 seconds. It should heat for about 60-90 seconds total until melted. If you want to add food coloring, do so now.
Go time... Dip the first cake pop in the glass. Make sure that the entire cake ball gets covered in chocolate for about 5 seconds. Gradually remove the cake pop. After about 5 seconds, tap the stick against the glass 3-4 times to remove excess chocolate. Turn the pop and repeat. Then immediately add sprinkles. Place the cake pop on the styrofoam block to dry, and repeat with the next cake pop. This process is an art, and it gets easier with time. Continue until all of the cake pops are coated in chocolate.
Enjoy!! The cake pops are ready to eat just 10 minutes after coating in chocolate, or they can be stored for later use. For an easy gift idea, place a small amount of styrofoam in mug. Cover with confetti paper. Add cake pops. Voila!