Tuesday 5 March 2013

recipe: chocolate cake pops



I've been meaning to post this recipe for at least 2 weeks now but my spare time has been limited and my internet at home has reached a whole new level of temperamentality. Anyone with Telkom ADSL may find themselves agreeing with me... HUFF!

The first time I made cake pops I used a silicone cake pop baking tray from Yuppiechef. Whilst this specialized tray may work for some, it definitely didn't work for me. My first attempt went down like a lead balloon. I wasn't ready to give up yet though, so I started over, making up my own recipe and method - instead of the using the tray, I baked a normal slab cake and rolled the cake into individual balls then dipped them into white chocolate. These were far more successful, but as they say, different strokes for different folks!

So, first up, you gotta bake a chocolate cake. Here goes.

CHOCOLATE CAKE POPS

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
275 ml castor sugar
250ml boiling water
75ml sunflower oil
75ml cocoa
5ml vanilla essence
410ml cake flour
15ml baking powder
pinch salt

2 tablespoons of cream cheese (to bind the cake mixture)

1x slab white chocolate (or white chocolate melts)
sprinkles (I used mint green and turquoise coloured sprinkles)
lollypop sticks
a block of polystyrene or oasis

Directions:

Stage 1: Baking the cake

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line cake tin with foil and grease.
2. Whisk eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Blend in remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Stage 2: Making the cake balls

4. Break cake into small pieces and transfer into the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. You can choose to add cream cheese or even a dash of hot water in order to bind the crumbled cake together. 

5. Roll tablespoonfuls of cake mixture into individual balls and transfer onto a lined baking tray. Once you have completed this, place the tray in the fridge for about 20 minutes or until cake pops are firm.

Stage 3: Coating the cake pops

6. Place the white chocolate melts in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until chocolate melts. 

7. Place the sprinkles in a small bowl.

8. Dip the end of 1 lollypop stick in the white chocolate then insert into a cake ball. Return to the tray. Repeat with the remaining cake balls.

9. Dip 1 cake ball into the melted chocolate, turning to coat. Roll the cake ball in sprinkles to coat. 

10. Insert the cake pop into the polystyrene block to stand upright. Repeat with remaining cake balls, chocolate and sprinkles. 

11. Set aside for 30 minutes or until chocolate is completely set.

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