The Basics: Cake Pops

          Cake pops are a fun path to take for creative nummies. You only need a few ingredients to make the pops themselves and then melting chocolates and whatever you'd like to decorate them with. There are so many possibilities!

Note: There are cake pop makers available, such as the Babycakes cake pop maker. For this method you simply whip up the cake batter, pour it into the round molds in the device and let it bake. No making a cake and then breaking it up and then adding other ingredients to make it stick it all together! After the little balls of cake are baked you can decorate the pops as usual.

Cake Pops

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Ingredients:
1 Cake, baked & cooled
1 Container Frosting
OR
1 Cake, baked & cooled
1/2 pkg. (or 4 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
AND
Bag of Lollipop Sticks (25 or so)
Melting Chocolate or Candy Melts (2 bags worth should do it)
Shortening or Canola Oil
Edible Decorations of your choice
Block of styrofoam (optional)

Directions:
1. Using your hands or a blender, break the baked & cooled cake into fine crumbs. Put the crumbs into a large bowl. IF using frosting, spoon a couple of large spoonfuls into the bowl with the cake crumbs & combine with your hands until the mixture is a consistency that can be shaped into balls. IF using cream cheese, simply add the 1/2 block of cream cheese to your bowl of cake crumbs & combine it with your hands until it's the right texture to roll.
2. Roll the cake mixture into small balls or ovals & place them on a foil (greased) or wax paper/parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

3. Melt a tiny amount of chocolate at thirty second intervals in the microwave & then dip the tips of the popsicle sticks into it. Insert the sticks, chocolate dipped side, into the cake balls & then put the cake ball tray into the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare your large batch of melting chocolate.

4. Using a Little Dipper, a fondue pot, a microwaveable bowl, or a microwavable cup heat your melting chocolate or candy melts until it is completely melted, stirring occasionally as it is heating (if using the microwave, heat & stir in 30 second intervals). Once the chocolate is completely melted, stir in a large spoonful of shortening or a bit of oil to make the chocolate thinner & more...dippable.
5. Take a few of the cake pops out of the freezer at a time & quickly dip them in the chocolate. While holding the pop over the chocolate pot, gently tap the wrist of the hand holding the pop so that the excess chocolate will fall back into the pot. If rolling the pop in decorations like sprinkles, nuts, or colored sugar, wait about 30 seconds & then roll it in the decorations.
Tip: If your cake pops are too frozen from the freezer the chocolate will sweat & possibly crack. Let the pops warm up a little bit if they've been in the freezer too long.
6. Stand the cake pop upright in the styrofoam block to cool. You can also lay the cake pop on its side or with the stick up in the air on a wax paper lined cookie sheet depending on your pop design. Continue to take a few of the plain pops out of the freezer at a time to decorate. The pops can be eaten right away or stored with little gift baggies over the cake part or in a cardboard dessert box (to keep them clean & safe).