A Step by Step Basic Cake Pop
Instructions
All Cake Pops are made in the exact same way no matter what shape or theme the cake ball will take, this is the one and only way in which I make them. It all begins with either a boxed cake mix being prepared as instructed, or your very own favourite recipe. The only thing that will differ is the amount of binder, (also known as frosting) needed to get that play-dough consistency necessary to creating the perfect sphere. Boxed cake will use less binder as home made cakes will be denser and will need more to get the right consistency.
Whatever you choose to make, just remember to adjust the amount of binder added. You can use canned frosting, home made frosting, or just plain old cream cheese or my favourite, Nutella.
Below I have put together an easy to follow step by step guide in order to help you make these fabulous little creations! Good Luck!!
What You Will Need!
A Boxed Cake Mix or Your own Cake Recipe
Ingredients to make your cake with, such as eggs, oil, water etc.
6 or 8 inch lollipop sticks & Celo wrappers – Ribbon or twist ties
Styrofoam block or cake pop stand
Chocolate Wafers or Candy Melts
1/3 cup canned frosting (Binder) for boxed cake - or ½ cup frosting for own cake recipe
Sprinkles to decorate
Bake your cake in a 9x13 cake pan and allow your cake to cool for approximately 1 hour.
While the cake is cooling use this time to prepare your Candy Melts and all the sprinkles you would like to decorate your cake pops with. We use little dishes and put our sanding sugars in them ahead of time. Being organized before you dip is key to great cake pops.
Once the cake has cooled, cut it into squares and place in into your Kitchen Aid Mixer or use your hands to crumble it up. If you are using your hands to crumble the cake, cut off any hardened bits before you crumble. This step is not necessary if you are using a mix-master. Once the cake is all crumbs, add 1/3 cup of binder to the crumbs and mix until you have a play-dough like consistency. Place the dough into a large Ziploc bag and place it into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Pull out your dough and begin scooping ping pong ball sized portions out. We use a cookie dough scoop, but you can use whatever is available. You will get between 33-35 cake balls per boxed cake mix and a bit more with your own recipes. Roll the cake into smooth little spheres and place the cake balls on wax paper on a cookie sheet as you will chill these for another 5 minutes after rolling them to ensure they are chilled NOT FROZEN!
While the cake balls are chilling begin melting your chocolate wafers or candy melts. We use a glass measuring cup in the microwave, so whatever your method for melting, be wary not to overheat and scorch your chocolate. We melt ours at 15-25 second increments until we have a very smooth satin chocolate.
Pull out your cake balls and dip the end of your lolli-sticks into the chocolate inserting the stick directly into the centre of your cake ball. Do not push it in too far as it will come out the other side. Place the ball and stick back onto the tray in order for the chocolate to set inside the cake. Once all the sticks are inserted, place the tray into the refrigerator and only pull out 2-3 at a time to dip. This will ensure your cake does not heat up and begin to fall off of your stick.
While the sticks are setting we heat our chocolate a few more seconds and add vegetable oil or paramount crystals if it is too thick. You want a smooth runny chocolate to dip your cake balls into.
Pull out 2-3 chilled cake pops and dip the cake unto your chocolate. Ensure you have melted enough to cover the cake ball and then some. You can always melt more candy melts if necessary. Try not to get chocolate on the stick when dipping, also ensure you have a clean rim as you will be tapping the excess chocolate off using the rim to do this on. Very lightly tap your stick while spinning your cake pop. Once you notice the excess has begun to ease, use your finger or a butter knife to cut off the flow.
You will want to sprinkle your cake pops with candy while the chocolate is wet, so you may have to work fast. If your cake pop dries too quickly, just re-dip the area and sprinkle again. Place the cake pop onto the Styrofoam block to dry, and begin dipping all the rest of your cake pops!
This step by step process is the one I have used since I began making cake-pops. Like anything in life, these things take practice, but don’t give up, half the fun is in trying!
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