Pop up art of the sweet, baked kind

For those craving the cake and dreading the calories, the bite-sized Cake Pops are a delicious option. Easy to make, they are liked by young and old alike.
Pop up art of the sweet, baked kind

A little bored of cupcakes are you? Been there done that? Then these should catch your attention.

One look at a Cake Pop and you know why they are so popular. Small and oh so cute, they are beautifully decorated and eye catching. These little fancy decked-up balls on a stick, have a really nice hard candy-like outer coating, yet inside it’s cake and frosting mixed together, and it’s wonderfully sweet, soft and moist. Unlike a cupcake which can be a little heavy on the frosting, and a larger portion to consume, these pops are smaller, can take any shape you want it to, and the options to decorate it are innumerable.

There are two ways of doing it. One would be by baking your regular sponge cake and breaking it into crumbs. Then mixing it with frosting and rolling them into rounds or any shape that you desire. The other and easier one is using a ready silicon mould, which is easily available these days at your baking store. Here you simply pour the cake batter in the mould and cover and bake. When ready all you have to do is cover them with a delightfully crisp outer shell of colourful candy coating, making for a very sweet confection. What I love about Cake Pops is how creative you can be. The cake itself can vary from vanilla to chocolate to red velvet or anything really. Once dipped, you can cover them with candy sprinkles, sanding or sparkling sugar, edible pearls or glitter, chocolate sprinkles, finely chopped nuts, crushed cookies, dried coconut, or even your favorite crushed candy. To present them, cover them in individual plastic bags and tie little ribbon bows around them. You’ll need a piece of thermocol/styrofoam to stick the pops in, so they can stand out or simply place them in a basket or platter. Kids love them as do adults, and for a party they make a unique centerpiece or a nice party favour.

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INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE POPS

■ Crumbled cake (use any of your favourite cake recipe)

■ Frosting (see recipe) candy melt or white and/or chocolate bar

■ Cookie sticks or pop sticks

■ Sprinkles to decorate

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

■ 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

■ 3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar

■ 1/4 tsp table salt

■ 1 tbsp vanilla extract

■ 4 tablespoons of milk

Instructions

1. Beat butter for a few minutes on medium speed

2. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Beat until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter

3. Add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

PROCEDURE TO MAKE CAKE POPS

There is no exact portioning of cake & frosting. It will depend on kind of cake you are going to use

■ Once cake is cool, break it up in a large bowl

■ Stir frosting into the crumbled cake. Mix well. (Consistency should be a thick, crumbly dough)

■ Using your hands, grab a little bit of the dough and roll into 1-2 inch balls. As you are rolling, press the dough together to make sure its compacted tightly. If it’s falling apart it means you need a little more frosting

■ Place balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

■ Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the balls are cool and hard

■ Melt the chocolate bar or candy melt

■ Once chocolate is melted and cooled to room temperature, stick the cookie or

pop stick into each cake pop, and dip the balls in chocolate until completely coated and smooth

■ Coat the tops with a few sprinkles right after dipping the cake pops

■ Wrap them or serve just as it is

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