Red Cake Pops



I don't think you need any introuduction to Cake Pops. Everybody knows about it after it was seen in Bakerella.

The moment her book Cake Pops was out I wanted to buy but then she herself had written that these cuties are really sweet, so that put me off buying the book.

But then few months back we were in the book shop and Shyama saw the book and I was looking through it and she told me you know you should buy the book as these Cake Pops are in ( well in a teenage language that means they are in fashion :-) )

I still didn't buy it, but as you can see now I coudn't resist buying the book and making them.

I made them today and when Shyama came home for lunch ( as she is going summer job for a month) she even had one as a dessert so Hans and I joined in.
Ok they are indeed sweet even though I made my own cake and I lessed half the suagr which was given in the recipe.

I did the exact amount of suagr when I made the frosting, but next time I will try to add less sugar to the frosting too.

I am sure if you make then with the amount of sugar in the book they would be over sweet as Bakeralla make the cake from readymade cake mix.
She has indeed give a recipe for home made cake and that is what I did but with lesser sugar.

Over sweet or not one loves it. While I was busy makeing them Hans came to the kitchen and he remarked oh they are so cute :-)

18.25 ounce box cake mix ( I made the cake from scratch with the recipe which was given in the book, you will see the recipe below)

1 by 13 inch cake pan

Large mixing bowl

16 ounce container ready made frosting. ( I made the frosting from scrach with the recipe she gave in the book)

Large metal spoon

Wax paper ( used my silpat)

2 baking sheets

Palstic wrap

48 ounces ( 3 pounds) candy coating

Deep, micriwave safe plastic bowls

48 paper lolipos sticks

Styrofoam blocks.
Bake the cake as directed on the box or make from scrach with the recipe below, using a 9 by 13 inch cake pan.

Let cool completley.
Once the cake is cooled, get organized and set aside plenty of time, to crumble, roll, and dip the cake pops.

Crumble the cooled cake  into a large mixing bowl. You should not see any large pieces of cake.

Add three quaters of the container of frosting or use the full home made frosting. ( you will not need the remaining frosting).
Mix it into the crumble cake, using the back of a large metal spoon,until throughly combined. If you use the entire ready made container , the cake balls will be too moist.

The mixture should be moist enought to roll into  1 1/2 inch balls and still hold a round shape. After rolling the cake balls  by hans, place them on a wax paper ( i used silpat) -covered baing sheet.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours in the refrigerator, or place in the freezer for 15 minutes. You want the balls to be firm by not frozen.

Place the candy coating in a deep MW bowl. These bowl make it easier to cover the cake balls completley with candy coating while holdignt eh bown without burning your fingers. ( I used a small glass after melting the candy melts to dip)

Melt the candy coating, following the instructions on the package. MW on medium heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring with a spoon in between. You can use a doubl boiler. Either way make sure you do not over heat the coating.
Now you are ready to dip.
Take a few cake balls at a time out of the refrigerator or freezer to work with..
If they are in the freezer, transfer the rest of the balls to the fridge at this point, so they stay firm but do not freeze.

One at a time, dip about 1/2 inch of the tip of the lolipop stick into the melted coating and then insert the lollipop stick straight into a cake ball, pushing it no more that half way through.

Holding the lollipop stick with teh cake ball attached, dip the entire cake ball ino the melted candy coating untill it is completley covered, and remove it in one motion.
Make sure the coating meets at the base of the lollipo stick.
This hels to secure the cake ball into the stick when the coating sets.

The thinner the consistency of your coating the easier it will be to coat the cake pops.
If you find the coating too thick, add some shortening or paramount crystals or oil to thin the coating.
Stick the cake into the styrofoam block.

Repeat the remaing cake balls in the same method.

Click the picture to enlarge image.





Yellow Cake Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup butter, at room temperatie
2 cup sugar ( I only added 1 cup as I didn't want the cake balls to be really sweet)

4 eggs at room temperatue

2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9 by -13 inch cake pan.
In a large bowl, whsik together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Crea the butter and sugar with a mixer for 5 minutes, untill light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, to creamed sugar and butter, mixign untill just combined.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix untill combined.

Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, atlternaing with milk in two additions. ( you'll begin and end with the flour mixture)

Spread the batter ( it will be thick) evenly into prpared pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes ( in my oven it was fully baked after 28 minutes) or untill a toothprick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool completley before crumbling for cake balls.



Vanilla Frosting Recipe

3/4 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 to 2 tsp of milk, if needed

Cream the butter and vanilla with a mixer untill combined.

Add the sugar to the creamed mixture in two  or three batched, scraping down thesides of the bowl after each addition.

If needed add the milk to make the frosting creamier.

Tips she had mentioned in her book.

I would personally suggest, if you are serious about making pops more than once, you should buy the book as she has given in details lots of good tips and I am too lazy to write down everything which she has mentioned in her book, but I am writting down few.

Make the cake day before and let it cool overnight .

If you are using ready made mix cake then it is easy to crumble by hand. But if you are using the cake from scratch use a food processor to crumble the cake.
SHe also have given this tip which i used, she had written as 4 dozen  pops are too many???

You can make as few as a dozen that is what I did.

You make the cake and cut into 4 quaters and use 1 quater for 12 pops and freeze the rest of the cake for another time. Just make sue to adjust the amount of the butter cream.

The thinner the consistency of your coating the easier it will be to coat the cake pops.

If you find the coating too thick, add some shortening or paramount crystals or oil to thin the coating.

I do have step by step pictures, I will add them when I download the pictures.