Cake Pop Tutorial!

I know you have seen cake pops all over the place! Here's how to make them yourself!

You will need:
From the grocery store:
• 1 cake mix (I used a box mix)
• 1 can frosting (or a few cups if you are making your own)
• wax paper
From your local craft-store:
• Wilton cookie sticks
• styrofoam
• 3 bags of candy melts

FYI - Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake mix will stain your hands red. - I learned this the hard way!

Step one:
Start off by baking your cake, according to the directions on the box, and let this cool completely. (I let my cake sit about 5 hours before I began making the pops)

Step two:
You can do this with your hands, but I prefer to use my mixer. It's quick and easy. Break large pieces of your cake off, and toss them into your mixer. Put your mixer on it's lowest setting. (I added a few pieces, turned on the mixer, and added a few more) I prefer a chunky consistency, with bigger clumps of cake, for fluffier cake pops.

This was just a regular yellow cake, made from a boxed cake mix.

Step three:
Once your cake is broken up to your liking, add some frosting. I have found that most recipes use WAY too much frosting. Start with 1/4 of the can of frosting, and mix it together. (again, I did this in my mixer, but you could do this with your hands, or a spatula. Whatever is easiest for you)

The amount of frosting you need varies on how moist your cake is. You want this cake "dough" to be able to hold together and ball, without being too sticky.

This is the consistency I like, where the cake is just barely holding together. Anything stickier can be a pain to ball up.

Step four:
Using a tablespoon, scoop a heaping spoonful of the cake "dough" and ball it with your hands. (I use a circular motion with the dough in my palms to make nearly perfect circles) You can get about 35-45 balls from one cake.

You don't want them too large, or they will be too big to eat.

Lay the balls on a wax paper covered cookie sheet (or parchment paper works) and REFRIGERATE. Don't skip this step!! You will have problems later on if you do! Refrigerate at least 10 minutes.

Step five:
While your balls of cake are chilling, it's time to melt some chocolate. You don't need all of it at this point, so put about one bag of your melts into a microwave safe bowl, and microwave on half power, until melted. (to avoid burning the chocolate, I stir EVERY 30 seconds) The old method of using a double-boiler works just as well.

Step six:
Grab your lollipop sticks, and dip about the bottom 1/2 inch into the chocolate, and stick into your cake balls. (this acts as a glue, which will help hold the cake ball to the stick) If your chocolate starts to harden before you finish, just put it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Put the cake balls, with the sticks in them back into the refrigerator again. (don't skip this step!! Sometimes I leave mine over night, to break up the work. I would recommend at least 30 minutes to harden the chocolate)

Step seven:
Melt the remaining chocolate. (you can remelt the any leftovers you have too) Dip the cake balls into the melted chocolate. I found a quick spin of the cake ball helped for even coverage. I tapped the stick on the edge of the bowl gently, to shake off any excess chocolate.

Add your decorations or sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet. Then set the cake pops in styrofoam. If you couldn't find styrofoam, a coffee mug works well too!

Step eight:
I let my cake pops sit on the counter until I finished all of them, and then put them into the fridge to help harden then chocolate and set the pops. You will want to chill these a minimum of 2 hours before serving. I usually leave mine in the fridge for 1-2 days before serving.
Enjoy!
Have left-over chocolate? How about marshmallow pops? (tutorial coming soon!!)