I finally decided to try my hand at cake pops! I've been admiring them from a far for some time now and after having one at Starbucks not too long ago, I thought I could give it a go. * side note: The one from Starbucks was not good - the cake was super oily and yuck *
So... I grabbed a box of white cake mix and pre-made french vanilla frosting for the cake and then tapped into my chocolate collection for the shell. I melted 4 oz of Scharffenberger 99% and 6 oz 62% with a tiny little bit of edible wax for the shell (should have made 12 oz total, was two pops short). And then sprinkled with Swedish sugar. The only thing I was missing is some kind of holder to keep the upright. They are super tasty and not overly rich because I kept the cake to frosting ratio more in favor of cake. Overall I'd give myself a B. They taste good, but the cake balls are all different sizes and not perfectly round and I feel like I need to add some kind of flavoring to amp them up a bit - maybe a little orange or lemon or coconut. And next time I might make my own cake and frosting to see how a meringue type might work.
recipe:
1 box cake mix
1 can pre-made frosting
12 oz dark chocolate
1 tiny square of edible wax
decorative toppings
tools:
candy sticks
cake pans
silicone baking mats
baking sheets
upright mixer (optional)
Bake cake according to directions on box. Let cake cool completely. Cut into small sections and break apart (either by hand or in stand mixer). Mix in frosting till mixture forms dough like texture. It should easily form a ball when rolled by hand. Roll balls to about 1-1 1/2" and place on baking sheet with silicone mat. Place entire sheet into freezer or refrigerator till balls are cool (not frozen). Melt chocolate and wax in double boiler, remove from heat as soon as it's all melted. Let the chocolate cool just a bit while stirring. Make sure the chocolate is in a bowl deep enough to fully submerge the cake ball. If you need to transfer bowls, make sure to wipe all water from the bottom of the bowl you used in the double boiler - water will ruin the mix. Once the chocolate is cooled a bit remove the cake balls from the fridge/freezer - dip the end of the candy stick into the chocolate and insert into the cake ball about half way. Put the tray into the fridge to let the chocolate set - only a few minutes. Then fully submerge cake pop into chocolate and let excess drip off while tapping the stick gently. Be patient - you don't want the chocolate dripping (or pooling). Sprinkle with decorative toppings (optional) and let set at room temperature. Now you have delicious cake pops!!