Cake Pops

I’m a busy woman. I mean, who isn’t right?

Sometimes I’m so busy I don’t even have time to sit down long enough to fit in one cake a day.

I KNOW. Sob.

So that’s why when I first saw Cake Pops I was over the moon!

Cake on a STICK!

Now I can shop and eat at the same time. Genius!

Don’t let these mini’s fool you though, they can be tricky little blighters to make letmetellya.

There has been some SERIOUS trial and error perfecting these.

Some baking fails included a disaster scene such as this:

And lets just take a moment to remember those cake balls lost to the dark dreadful dipping abyss:

May they rest in peace.

Anyhoo, hopefully I experienced those crumbling monstrosities so you don’t have to. By following my step-by-step guide you will be baking your way to Cake Pop perfection in no time.

I know, I’m a good ‘un.

Firstly, we need to make the balls themselves.

There are three ways:

1. Rescue a baking disaster

Cake too dry? Burned edges? Scraps left over from carving?

Do not fear!

Take the crumbling mess and…er…crumble it into a bowl.

You can use any type of cake (even box mix, shh!) about 350g makes 20 Cake Pops.

Mix in 175g of buttercream and bring it all together.

Roll into balls using slightly damp hands, approx the same size and place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

2. Use a Cake Pop Mould

You can pick one up at your local baking supply store or online for about £4-£8.

Spoon in your cake mix to the bottom half of the tray (ensuring you grease it first with non-stick spray) and within 10 minutes out pop perfectly formed spherical stunners.

3. Purchase a Cake Pop Machine

If you want to turn Pop-Pro, you might want to invest in one of these, although having a machine solely dedicated to the production of miniature balls of cake is a heavy commitment.

Lakeland do one for £24.99 which turns out 12 pops in 4 minutes. Impressive, no? Failing that, you can also make yourself some Mini Donuts in it too. Yum.

Whichever method you choose, by this point your cake balls should be ready to go. Ish.

With Cake Pops, slow and steady wins the race. So chill. Literally.

Pop them in the fridge for 20 mins before heading to your next step, attaching them to the stick.

You can buy specific Cake Pop sticks for about £2 but if you don’t have some handy, you can use lolly sticks or even cuter-than-cute paper straws!

Now for the glue.

Again, the choices are endless.

You can use melted chocolate:

But if you are looking for a more professional finish, Wilton’s make these colourful Candy Melts perfect for all your popping needs:

They come in all different colours, melt in the microwave in seconds and dry hard and fast honey.

Take your stick and dip it in your chocolate/Candy Melt glue, then poke it abut 3/4 of the way into the cake ball.

Repeat until all the pops have sticks in them and then pop back in the fridge for them to set.

This may seem like a faff, but trust me you will thank me later when your cake ball isn’t dropping off and splitting in half. That leads to Cake Pop Rage, which as my boyfriend can attest to, ain’t pretty.

Now for the important bit.

Put your melted covering in a deep, tall mug/bowl. Take the Cake Pop and dunk it gently at a 45 degree angle into the mix. If the chocolate is too thick, the pop will fall off, so thin it out with some vegetable oil.

Tilt the pop from side to side to cover. DO NOT SWIRL IT AROUND. IT WILL FALL OFF. YOU WILL GET RAGE.

Tap them gently on the side of the bowl to let any excess drip off and then place in a holder/on a baking tray/in the holes of a colander to dry.

Then…GO WILD!

You can cover them in sprinkles…

Dress ’em up all fancy and use them instead of a Wedding cake…

Paint faces on them for a cute Baby Shower favour…

Make them into Birthday Cakes…

Or Hot Air Balloons…

You can even make Mini Minions!

How cute!

For gifts, you can wrap them in clear plastic and tie ’em up with a bow…

They may be tricky, but get it right and everyone will be so impressed you will forget the pain of labouring these beauties.

Failing that, you can always cheat by sticking some Chocolate-covered Marshmallows on the sticks instead!

You gotta fake it to bake it baby!

BB x

Easter

Forget Christmas. Easter is my favourite holiday.

Who wouldn’t prefer a celebration based solely around chocolate?

Well, and Jesus and stuff. But mainly Chocolate.

http://www.vanillabeanbaker.com/easter-bird-nest-cake/

Eating healthy around this time proves quite difficult. But I like to stick to a clean eating way of life.

Phew! Glad that’s sorted.

There are so many amazing things to bake with in shops at the moment I couldn’t go with just one. Here are a few of my favourites:

 

Mini Eggs

Hands down, my ultimate Easter chocolate. The crispy, sugary shell. The crack as you bite into the chocolate. The milky, crispy, melty gooeyness….

Sorry. Got a bit egg-cited there.

Anyhoo, there is an endless list of culinary creations you can conjure up with these babies.

•  Mini Egg Cake

 Or of course, good old Cornflake Cakes! I like to use melted left over Easter Egg. Yum.

Creme Eggs

Okay, I’m not the biggest fan. But a list of ultimate Easter chocolate would not be complete without them.

You could make my Creme Egg Cupcakes…

Or if you’re feeling fancy, you could make your own!

Careful with that one though. You might get addicted and you don’t want to keep shelling out on more ingredients.

Only yoking.

For more eggcellent ideas, try this great list from Buzzfeed Food.

And if you’re feeling extra fancy, you could make these amazing Egg Cakes in REAL egg shells.

It sounds tricky, but it’s surprisingly easy and your family will LOVE the surprise.

Or of course a traditional Simmel Cake

Or even these cuter-than-cute Chick Cakepops

If you’re feeling a little bit lazy and you just want to buy your Easter treats (no judgement here), this year there are lots of alternative egg-citing choices.

Hotel Chocolat 

I bought the Rocky Road to Caramel (£27) for the boy.

It is the thickest egg I have ever seen and is stuffed with Salted Caramel chocolates.

If that is a little out of your budget try the quirky White Egg Sandwich for just £10.

The Chocolate Society Egg Inside an Egg, £24.95

Aint it beau-ti-ful?

Chokablok, £5 from Tesco

Hunky, chunky eggs with delicious classic flavours like Rocky Road and Billionaires Shortbread.

Waitrose Caramel Fudge Chocolate Egg, £7

Winning awards all over the shop as this years top supermarket choice.

Marks and Spencer Percy Pig Egg, £6

Who doesn’t love Perce?

Thorntons Magnificent 1kg Egg, £25

Bought this monster last year and the boy loved it so much he put a seatbelt around it for the drive home!

Easter is a perfect time to get baking with the family, so get creative and come up with some cracking ideas of your own!

BB x

P.S. I’m sorry it’s a little late this week, I’ve been working on an exciting project with BBC Good Food Magazine. Can’t say too much, but watch this space for details coming soon!