By Nichelle Stephens
Cupcakes Exper, about.com
What are cake pops? Cake pops are basically bite-sized pieces of cake dipped in frosting or sprinkles on a stick.
When did cake pops become a thing? I would guess around 2010 Bakerella,
who is a wonderfully creative baker, is the first person I saw online
making cake pops. She first started with posted photos of cupcakes and
then she began making cake pops.
How are cake pops related to
cupcakes? Cake pops are like the "Cousin Oliver" of cupcakes. It's
that thing when a cute adorable thing has been around for a while, and
we want a new adorable thing. Cake pops won't replace cupcakes. Cake pops
are a mash-up of a fun science experiment, a craft project, and baking.
Cake pops are so popular that now there's a convention for Cake Pop
makers, Cake Pop Con.
The
first step is baking the right cake for the cake pops. The best cakes
to make are dense and actually drier than a regular cake. It needs to be
denser and drier so that it can crumble.
Any cake you bake for a cake pop should have whole
eggs in them. An egg-white based cake like angel food would not have
the right consistency for cake pops.
It is a good idea to bake the
cake the night before so that the cake has cooled completely. The lower
the moisture content, the better. This also makes the cake easier to
mold into balls.
The second step is using the right binder for the cake pops. You can use frosting, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter or jam.
Next,
you have to crumble the cake. Using the paddle attachment of your stand
mixer. Keep the mixer on low and allow the cake to fully crumble. Then
add the binder of your choice which is typically frosting. The cake pop
dough is ready once it holds its shape when rolled.
Use a cookie
scoop to create the balls for one-ounce portion. Once you have completed
rolling all the balls, chill them slightly in the fridge if needed.
Next
melt the chocolate in the microwave for thirty seconds and stir. When
the chocolate is ready and fully melted, dip the tips of the lollipop
sticks into the chocolate and insert them halfway into the cake pops
which allow to set before dipping.
Here's some additional do's and don'ts from Craftsy:
Do use a cookie scoop to make uniform portions. Use a mini cookie scoop.
Don’t make
the portions too large if you’re not using a cookie scoop, as they can
get really heavy and fall apart during the dipping process.
Do get
into the habit of scooping only a few portions at a time and forming
them. Repeat this process until all the dough has been used and formed.
