cake pop/cake ball ‘how-to’

I had someone ask me how to make the cake pops and cake balls so here’s a quick how-to:

I made red velvet with cream cheese frosting cake pops and cake balls but this technique will work with any cake/frosting combo. This even works with boxed cakes and store bought frostings.

Cake Pops/Cake Balls

What you’ll need:

**Red Velvet Cake- already baked and cooled (Paula Dean has a wonderful recipe for southern red velvet cake here and here)

Cream Cheese Frosting (my personal recipe)

1 8oz. package  Cream Cheese (room temp/soft)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (room temp)

3-6 cups Confectioners Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Chocolate Coating

1 Pound Milk, White or Dark Chocolate bark-chopped

OR (and I often do this if I’m in a rush)

3-6 packages of Wilton Melting Candy (ANY FLAVOR or COLOR)

Lollipop sticks found at craft stores

To make your frosting, blend the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until well incorporated. Add confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired sweetness. I have a lower tolerance for sweet than many so I tend to about 2-3 cups of sugar total. Blend on a medium high speed until you have a nice fluffy white cream cheese frosting.

In a large bowl, crumble your cake and mix in the frosting with a fork or, if your like me, your hands. You’ll start to notice a “dough” forming. Once your cake and frosting are fully incorporated, cover your bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 3o min-1 hour.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out one ball of dough and roll it in your palms making it as spherical as possible. I use one scoop for cake balls and two scoops for cake pops. Continue making balls/pops until all the dough is gone. Place them on a wax/parchment paper lined baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for another 15-30 minutes to harden.

Melt your chocolate or melting candy in a double boiler adding it in small batches until there is enough for dipping. Note: you may have to melt more chocolate during the entire process to coat all of your pops. Insert lollipop sticks into your cake pops and using a fork or dipping tongs for support, dip and spoon chocolate over your cake until fully coated. Shake off excess chocolate and place your pops back onto the lined baking sheet. Use the same technique for the cake balls. Place baking sheet back into the freezer to let chocolate fully harden another 10-15 minutes. Note: I don’t recommend the refrigerating at this time because condensation will form, BUT if you must, it’s not too big of a deal. Decorate your pops/balls with colored frosting or a different shade of melted chocolate. If you’re using sprinkles or colored sugars to decorate, do that when the chocolate is still soft.

Pop them back in the freezer for one last hardening session (another 10 minutes or so ) and voila, Valentines Cake Pops and Cake Balls!

Good Luck Hannah! Hope this helps.

xo

P