Cake pops-how we make them

Here's my "how-to" for cake pops.  I will share with you what worked for us, but I welcome any tips from other "cake pop makers" out there...we don't have this dialed yet, but we are getting there!!

Start by baking a cake.  Any old box cake is great.  I bake it in a 13x9 pan.  Let it cool completely, (we usually bake the cake the day before just to break up the steps,) then crumble it into a bowl.  Really crumble it.  Rub it between your (clean) hands and get those crumbs as small as you can get them!!

Then mix in 2/3 to 3/4 of a can of ready made frosting.  Use enough to make the cake stick together, but too much will make these too sweet to eat.  When mixed well, use a cookie scoop and scoop out same size cake balls.  I make each one to fill just the cookie scoop--I don't mind when one side is flat when I make them as shown.  The flat side actually makes them sit well this way.  If you want, you can shape them into rounder balls after you freeze them (see below)...or shape them into FUN shapes and get really creative!!

So that leads us to... freeze cake balls for 15 to 20 minutes.  Then put in fridge.  (I put mine on black Cash n Carry trays to fit nicely in my freezer and fridge.)  Melt desired candy melt color in microwave.  (We buy colored candy melts at Michaels.)   A pyrex 2 cup measurer works well.  Dip sticks in candy melts then poke into cake balls, re-refrigerate.  Keeping candy melts melted, now dip the whole cake pop in, tapping gently on the side to make sure there isn't too much coating.  Now you can just leave them on the counter.

When dry, you can use another color to add a design, or you can put sprinkles on when they are still wet.  I found when I do the sprinkles, it helped to wait just a minute while I hold the cake pop after dipping before I add sprinkles because sometimes the sprinkles kind of melt into the coating, and I don't love how that looks...

The trickiest part is getting the cake pops cold enough, but not too cold for dipping.  If they are too frozen, the coating will crack.  If they are not cold enough, the cake ball will fall into the coating while you tap the excess off.  Putting the stick in coating, then putting the stick in the cake ball and refrigerating it seems to help as well.

I like to put my finished cake pops on little white liners for display.  I like making them stick up because it is easier than figuring out how to display them later.  As I get more patient, I might have fun getting creative in the display, but this is easy and it works for me!!  If you want them to stand stick down, buy a styrofoam block to poke them in while they dry and for display...

Have fun, and be patient!!  These take time and patience to figure out, but once you get it, they are fun!!