How To: Cake Pops!

Cake pops are considered the 8th wonder of the world. What better to put on a stick than a delectable piece of cake covered in chocolate? Not to mention how absolutely cute these are! It takes a good amount of time to make these suckers, but it doesn't have to be so hard. We'll be going through how to make cake pops. You can do it all in one day or you can make it a little less overwhelming and split it up into a few days. 

There are three basic steps: 

1. Bake.

2. Roll

3. Dip

Of course there is much more to it than that! Let me break it down for you.

1. Bake . . . the cake!

Simply use your favorite boxed or scratch cake recipe. Try to use something that's light and fluffy, not too dense. When you cake is baked, let it cool. Once cool, cut into quarters. You can make about 32 cake pops from an entire cake (based on the average boxed amount). If you don't need that many then know each quarter yields about 8 pops. Need 16 cake pops? Use just two quarters. Got it? Got it. Of course, you'll have to figure out your specific amount if you're using more or less. If you're not using the entire cake, wrap it in plastic wrap then foil and store in the freezer until you need some more cake pops...which will probably be sooner than you think. *stomach grumbles*

2. Roll . . . into balls!

In order to roll the cake into balls, you're going to need a few things: 

- cake

- icing, vanilla should do fine

- cookie sheet with parchment paper

- a small scoop to shape the pops with

It's suggested to cut the outer edges of the cake since those bits might ruin the consistency of your pops. Now you're going to want to crumble the cake into itty bitty pieces, using your hands works great. After that you'll want to add frosting, but just enough to make the cake moist enough to roll into balls. It's best to add little by little. 

When the cake and frosting are mixed nicely (the consistency should be even) use your small scoop to shape the mixture into your cake pops. Roll each ball with your hands until you are satisfied with the roundness of the cake pop. Keep scooping and rolling until you've used all your mixture. Place the pops on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper as you go along. You'll want to chill these in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours, overnight is perfect as well.

3. Dip . . . in chocolate!

After your un-dipped cake pops have cooled it is time to dip them in chocolate. Use any kind you like, classic milk, dark, white, it all works. Prepare the chocolate dip and place the sticks onto the cake pop. Dip it into the melted chocolate and allow the excess to drip off while holding it sideways as well as rotating it slowly. After you do that, hold it upside down to get the last little bit of excess off. For a cleaner look, clean the excess chocolate off the stick too. To hold the pops, a foam block with pre-made holes will work perfectly so place your sweet cake pops there to harden. 

If you're using white chocolate to dip with, you can add food coloring to give your pops...well a pop! Don't forget about sprinkles and such which will make your cake pops super cute.

The final step that I forgot to mention was...Eat . . . the cake pops! You worked hard to create these delicious pieces of heaven. Enjoy them with your friends and family, sneak one (or more) for yourself before the big event even! Happy cake popping!