I’ve made my first batch of cake pops and I’m very excited! I won’t go into the step-by-step details because other people have already taken the time to do this and their instructions are fantastic (Check out http://www.bakerella.com/ and/or http://littlemissmomma.blogspot.com/2010/07/cake-pop-recipe.html).
My very first two ended up looking like this, hahahaha!!!
but after a couple of tweaks, they ended up looking more like this
Making the cake balls
So, I used the Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake baked in a 20cm square tin at 160 degrees for about 35 minutes. I added about half the can of Betty Crocker Creamy Deluxe Vanilla Frosting. You can tell when there is enough frosting added as the mix will hold together quite nicely and you can roll some test balls to see if they’re smooth enough.
I used gloves while doing the cake mixing part to save putting my hands all through it; and hands really do work the best for mixing the icing into the cake crumbs.
I used a level tablespoon of mixture to form each ball and this made about 45 balls in total (minus one or two that the two-year old ate!).
You can make them up to the ball stage and then put them in the fridge in an air-tight container until you have the time and/or patience to decorate them. Plus it will help to set the stick in place if they’re a bit cold too.
Although the packet cake and frosting gave great results, I still think they tend to have that “packety” taste, so I will definitely make the next batch from scratch.
Someone suggested cutting off the sides of the cake, so you’re using only the moist centre parts, I can see the theory behind this and will test it out next time. I don’t think the top and bottom of the cake will be a drama, just the very outside edges.
Coating the cake balls
The brand of Candy Melts I used were CK Products (just because that’s what I bought at the time) and it took about 280g to do the single coating on my 45-ish pops. You would possibly say about 300g of melts per batch and that way you’ll be safe.
The reason my first ones were so terrible is that the melts were too thick and I’d forgotten to buy the vegetable shortening to thin the mix down. I used a small amount of Copha. I guess, about a teaspoon or one and a half teaspoons added to the total amount of melts.
Also, if you happen to live in a cool climate, like Orange
Some instructions say to dip the whole ball into the melts to coat them. I used a spoon to pour the melts over the ball while I was turning and tapping it at the same time. I could just see me ending up with entire cake pops off the sticks and in the melts otherwise!
I found the coating set quite quickly once on the pop. I will have to test this out again when I make something a little more elaborate.
I have to say my biggest drama for my first batch was finding some styrofoam to put the pops in once decorated so they could set. Who would have thought that a chunk of styrofoam would have been so hard to find?? I will have to order some off the net before my next attempt. Although the timber block that my hubby drilled tiny holes in for me worked exceptionally well.
And here is the cake I made for my birthday.
It’s the Donna Hay Rainbow Layer Cake and I don’t think I did too bad with my layers (especially since the bottom cake was cooked in a slightly larger tin and I didn't level the tops!)
