Today’s post is a guest post from Bron of Bronnie Bakes, who unlike me can whip up fantastic looking cake pops! Bron is kindly sharing tips on the easy way to make cake pops for beginners. Now I am back from holidays, I am going to try her method and will let you know how I go!
Bron’s blog is a fantastic baking resource with tutorials and videos on making and decorating cakes. Bron is also the clever mind behind Discovery Trunk which I have featured here on the blog. Discovery Trunks are a theme-based box designed to challenge the mind, spark curiosity and be fun for kids.
And she is the President of our preschool committee that I am also a member of – she is a busy lady!
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How To Make Cake Pops For Beginners
1. Mix
I find it easiest to use TimTams or Oreo biscuits rather than leftover cake (does this even exist? Not in my house!) Simply throw a packet of timtams and 80g of cream cheese into a food processor and pulse until mixed.
2. Shape
Roll your mixture into balls, or use a cutter/hands to achieve the desired shape. Place onto a baking tray lined with paper.
3. Poke
Using a lollipop stick, make a hole halfway into the cake ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4.Stick
Melt a small amount of chocolate (half a block should be plenty) and then dip the lollipop stick in the chocolate and stick it inside the cake ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Dip
Melt your coloured candy melts, or white/dark chocolate in a jug or cup instead of a bowl. This will give you the depth you need to dip your cake pops in.
The number 1 rule for dipping your cake pops is to dip straight up and down. If you move the cake pop around in a circle, it is likely that the cake pop will come off its stick.
Once you have dipped, hold your cake pop over the cup and gently roll around to let the excess chocolate drip off.
Your melted chocolate/candy melts need to be at the consistency of custard and you may need to add some shortening into the candy melts, or alternatively, you may need to re-melt your chocolate/candy melts halfway through dipping the cake pops.
6. Stand
If you are making shaped cake pops or icecream cake pops then you will need to find something to use so that they can dry upright. Florist’s foam, Styrofoam and an upside down colander all work well.
Otherwise, place your cake pop upside down on your baking tray.
7. Decorate
Give your cake pops 2-3 minutes for the chocolate to semi-harden before adding decorations such as sprinkles and cachous balls.
If completely covering the cake pop with sprinkles/balls, add these to a deep cup and simply dip the cake pop the entire way in.
Wait until the chocolate is completely hard before using an edible marker to add decorations.
Cake Pops Troubleshooting
1. My cake pop keeps falling off the stick
This is prevented by completing step 4 above and dipping straight up and down. If not, check that your cake pop isn’t too big – they should never be bigger than a golf ball. The smaller, the easier!
2. My cake pop keeps cracking
This usually happens if your cake pops are too cold and the chocolate too hot. I find this is avoided by refrigerating your cake pops instead of placing them in the freezer which is recommended by others.
3. My cake pop looks lumpy
You can avoid this by making sure your initial mixture has been blitzed long enough to remove all biscuit pieces. If you are still not happy with the cake pop, you can dip it in the chocolate a second time to improve the texture.
When in doubt, cover your cake pop entirely in sprinkles – it covers a multitude of sins! Alternatively, drizzle some chocolate over the top in a contrasting colour using a toothpick.
Some cake pop tutorials I have on the blog:
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Bron has some amazing tutorials on her blog and they aren’t just cake pops!
Stained glass star cookies
How have you attempted to make cake pops?