Cake pops are such entertaining little treats. They are fun looking and an absolute treat to eat. But, here comes the tricky part – making them can be a different story. If you have ever attempted to make them for the first time, then you would know how tricky it is to keep those little cake balls on top of a stick. Look they are fast to make, but getting them to stay on the stick is something else.
2 Main ways to make cake pops
There are plenty of ways to make cake pops. But traditionally they are shaped into a small ball. These days however, they take on any shape to suit a theme. The 2 main ways to make pops are with a mould or by rolling them by hand.
With a mould
There are so many different moulds that you can use, but the two most popular ones are Silicone and a traditional pan. Both these baking trays are already shaped. All you have to do is add in cake batter, seal and bake.
The bonus:
They are supper easy to make and not to mention fast. Just remember to grease the pan very well and not to over fill the pan.
The down fall:
They can easily over bake resulting in a dry ball of cake.
Rolling & shaping by hand
This is definitely my preferred way. By doing it this way you are guaranteed to have moist cake pops with just the right amount of cake versus buttercream icing. This is also a great way to use up left over cake.
The bonus:
With the right combination of buttercream and cake your cake pops are moist and delicious. Plus the pops can be shaped into any shape.
The down fall:
They can be quite heavy… And you know what this means, right? They can slide down those little sticks with out any issues.
If you get the cake to buttercream ratio wrong you can be left with a bowl of goo that can not be shaped into anything.
Tips and tricks
If you are Rolling & shaping by hand :
Always use a good quality cake and buttercream. Feel free to use my recipes. They have been tried and tested and simply tastes amazing:
Remember that the buttercream icing is the star of the show. Make the flavor interesting and the frosting fluffy and creamy.
With a mould:
Buttercream icing will not work here. Rather use Candy Melts to cover your pops. Make sure that you have cooled your pops for at least a good hour in the fridge before you start.
Both:
Cake pops looks great standing up, like a lollipop. But why not consider them standing on the ball? They still look pretty awesome but at least you will not stand the embarrassment of them sliding down the stick at your function.
Work with fridge cooled cake pops that’s chilled for at least an hour. This way they firm up and it becomes easier to work with them.
Before you insert the sticks (into your super cold pops) dip the end on the sticks into some melted chocolate. Stick the covered bit into your cake pop and cool for 5 minutes before carrying on. This will help to secure the stick into the pop.
When you are decorating them standing up like a lollipop use an kitchen/pasta strainer. The sticks should fit into the holes of the strainer allowing them to dry nice and round.
Cake pop recipe using cake pop mould
2 eggs
180 ml Sugar
60 ml Sunflower oil
60 ml water, room temperature
250 ml Cake flour
60 ml Cocoa powder
5 ml Vanilla essence
5 ml Baking powder
2.5 ml Bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease the cake pop pan or moulds extremely good.
In a large mixing bowl mix together the eggs, oil, sugar and water and set aside.
In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and salt. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Mix well ensure that there are no clumps.
Place the cake pan/mould with out the holes onto a baking tray. Now fill the holes ¾ with batter. Secure the top half of the mould to the bottom pan and bake for about 10-12 min. They bake fast, so check them after 8-10 minutes.
Once baked, allow them to cool in the pan before removing them. It helps putting them in the fridge for around half an hour. The cooler they are the easier they will coat.
Before you insert the sticks (into your super cold pops) dip the end of the stick into some melted chocolate. Stick the covered bit into your cake pop and cool, in the fridge for 5 minutes, before continuing. This will help secure the stick into the pop.
Now you can melt your candy melts. Dip your cake pops into the candy melts and set aside to dry.
Time to decorate!! Decorate them however you wish. Keep it simple or glitter them up while the chocolate is still firming up. The possibilities are endless.
