My First Attempt at Cake Pops :)

It’s Memorial Day.  I have extra down time and I start thinking about cake pops– they are all the rage these days…I look up some info by googling “What are Cake Pops?” and get literally hundreds of recipes for these little treats.  Cake + Frosting= balls of happiness.  Add a stick and cover them in chocolate–CAKE POPS!  So I decided to give them a try…..

INGREDIENTS:

(we went with only things I already had in the house, but these flavors were really yummy!)

• 1 box of yellow cake mix (and water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
• 1/2 tub of Wiltons decorating frosting
• 1 bag of Wilton Dark Candy Cocoa Melts
• Small amounts of Wilton colored candy melts to decorate with
• 24 Lollipop sticks

DIRECTIONS:

• Make cake according to directions and cool.
• Cut cake into small pieces and scoop into a large mixing bowl.
• Using a hand mixer, blend cake into crumbs.

Crumbs!!!

• Add frosting and mix with mixer until combined.
• Using hands, knead cake and frosting into a dough-like consistency
• Use a cookie scoop to measure out scoops of dough.  Roll into balls with hands.

Cake and Frosting balls (and Casper watching for crumbs!)

• Melt dark chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between.
• Dip the end of a sucker stick into the chocolate and press into the top of each ball of dough.  Allow this chocolate to harden.

Pre-dipped sucker sticks.

• Dip entire ball of dough into remaining chocolate- covering completely.  Set upright by putting end of stick in a block of styrofoam (or I used a shoebox that I poked holes into!)

Dipping....

Creative use of a shoe box....

• Melt colored candy melts in the same manner as you melted the dark chocolate ones and drizzle over the top .

Drizzle drizzle....

• Allow chocolate to harden completely and serve!
  
  My thoughts:  What a glorious mess this made. wow.  In almost every answer on “how to make cake pops” I read something along the lines of- these take practice…don’t expect your first batch to be beautiful etc…and I disregarded this thinking that I’ve dipped almost everything I own in chocolate- how hard could this be???  
  The cake part is easy.  Making crumbs- easy. Mixing in frosting and making balls- easy.  Sticks- easy.  Dipping these?   CRAZY messy!   After my 1st five pops were dipped I decided that I was never doing this again.  By pop #15 I was thinking I might do this again- but not for 20 years.  I dropped pop #22 on the ground and had to eat it (well I couldn’t serve it could I??)
  One bite in and  I decide I am making these for EVERYTHING!!!!  I’d never tasted one of these and I am blown away- no wonder everyone is going through the hassle!
  Advice:
  1.  Don’t wear your favorite white shirt while making these. 😦
  2. Eat these over a plate so that when they fall apart you don’t have to wonder how clean the floor is.
  3. These take practice- don’t expect your 1st batch to be beautiful- lol 🙂
  ENJOY!!!!!!!! r-