I haven't made cake bites in a few years, but I'm always tempted because I often have leftover bits and pieces of cake and find it hard to throw anything away. Mixing up the crumbled cake and frosting is easy, but the dipping... man! It is not a skill I have mastered yet. With leftover red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting, I had to try again. We're going to a fundraiser this weekend, and I'm making cheesecake bites, but I thought some cake pops would be a great, festive addition.
I'll admit, they're awfully cute.
How can you not like sprinkles?
And they definitely taste good.
But dipping remains a pain in the patootie, and I'm just happy I only had to do 3 dozen. Makes me seriously admire Bakerella and all the other cake pop makers who not only make these regularly, they decorate them in the most adorable, creative ways.
Here are a few notes on making these:
- I used cake scraps, so it wasn't as exact as baking a cake for the sole purpose of cake pops. Pretty much any flavor combo of cake and frosting can work
- Crumble the cake into fine crumbs in a large bowl. You can do this by hand or use a fork to help
- Mix in frosting. I have no idea how much I used, though for a single 9x13" layer, I'm guessing about 1 1/2 to 2 cups. The mixture should be fairly damp
- Scoop into balls. You can make them pretty small. First, they're pretty rich. Second, by the time you finish dipping them, they will grow a bit in size
- Place balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze them until you're ready to dip them - at least an hour or so
- When you're ready to dip them, you can move the tray to the fridge
- If you're making cake pops, melt a little dipping chocolate, dip a lollipop stick in about 1/2", and stick it firmly into the ball - but no more than halfway or the cake will break apart
- I melted the chocolate in the microwave, which works fine, but it doesn't stay warm very well. I think melting it in a double boiler, then removing the double boiler from the heat but leaving the chocolate bowl over the hot water, would keep the temperature more consistent
- A small, deep bowl works pretty well. You want the chocolate to be deep enough that you can dip the pop in and submerge it fully. You have to work fast or the cake will fall off the stick. Also, as they warm up, traces of cake can get left in the chocolate, which isn't so good
- Dip the pop in the chocolate, making sure it covers evenly and completely. Shake off the excess, and quickly apply sprinkles. This time, I rolled the top half of the pops in a small bowl of sprinkles, but in the past, I've sprinkled them straight on
- Stand the pops in a thick piece of styrofoam until they dry. They actually harden within a few minutes. They keep well in the fridge for several days, though I don't recommend freezing the dipped pops
I'll admit, they're awfully cute.
How can you not like sprinkles?
And they definitely taste good.
But dipping remains a pain in the patootie, and I'm just happy I only had to do 3 dozen. Makes me seriously admire Bakerella and all the other cake pop makers who not only make these regularly, they decorate them in the most adorable, creative ways.
Here are a few notes on making these:
- I used cake scraps, so it wasn't as exact as baking a cake for the sole purpose of cake pops. Pretty much any flavor combo of cake and frosting can work
- Crumble the cake into fine crumbs in a large bowl. You can do this by hand or use a fork to help
- Mix in frosting. I have no idea how much I used, though for a single 9x13" layer, I'm guessing about 1 1/2 to 2 cups. The mixture should be fairly damp
- Scoop into balls. You can make them pretty small. First, they're pretty rich. Second, by the time you finish dipping them, they will grow a bit in size
- Place balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze them until you're ready to dip them - at least an hour or so
- When you're ready to dip them, you can move the tray to the fridge
- If you're making cake pops, melt a little dipping chocolate, dip a lollipop stick in about 1/2", and stick it firmly into the ball - but no more than halfway or the cake will break apart
- I melted the chocolate in the microwave, which works fine, but it doesn't stay warm very well. I think melting it in a double boiler, then removing the double boiler from the heat but leaving the chocolate bowl over the hot water, would keep the temperature more consistent
- A small, deep bowl works pretty well. You want the chocolate to be deep enough that you can dip the pop in and submerge it fully. You have to work fast or the cake will fall off the stick. Also, as they warm up, traces of cake can get left in the chocolate, which isn't so good
- Dip the pop in the chocolate, making sure it covers evenly and completely. Shake off the excess, and quickly apply sprinkles. This time, I rolled the top half of the pops in a small bowl of sprinkles, but in the past, I've sprinkled them straight on
- Stand the pops in a thick piece of styrofoam until they dry. They actually harden within a few minutes. They keep well in the fridge for several days, though I don't recommend freezing the dipped pops
Comments
I'll stick with the basics :-} My skill set and pay grade aren't as high as yours!!
But I'm really impressed you did that with white chocolate--it's a pain in the butt!