Anyone make cake pops?

[tink_n_pooh]

I am going to attempt to make cake pops for a shower this weekend. I have never made these before but they don't look terribly difficult. I probably should have tried this out in advance but I'm not that prepared

Anyone make cake pops or cake balls? Any tips or tricks or recipes??

 

[JennyDarling]

I love to make cake pops!

My advice is be very careful with how big they are. I failed miserably at my first attempt because the balls were too heavy and kept sliding down the stick. I now use a 1TBSP scoop (Pampered Chef mini scoop) to portion the balls and they work perfectly.

I also recommend thinning your candy or chocolate with shortening. Makes it much easier to get a smooth coating.

HTH!

 

[ChattaAlley]

OMG I made them for Easter and failed. BIG TIME. everyone thought they tasted great but presentation was hidious. I actually cheated and got the cake ball maker from Kohls. It worked perfectly. The bad times started when i tried to put them in the melted chocolate. It looked like a glooby mess not at all like the pictures in the book. I will try again but I have to figure out what I did wrong first.

 

[JennyDarling]

OMG I made them for Easter and failed. BIG TIME. everyone thought they tasted great but presentation was hidious. I actually cheated and got the cake ball maker from Kohls. It worked perfectly. The bad times started when i tried to put them in the melted chocolate. It looked like a glooby mess not at all like the pictures in the book. I will try again but I have to figure out what I did wrong first.

Oooh! What is this cake pop maker you speak of? I love the dipping and decorating but I HATE rolling out the balls. Ugh...

It sounds like your chocolate might have been to thick. Try adding shortening next time. I usually add about a 1/4 cup of crisco for every 2 bags of candy melts. The candy will be so much smoother.

 

[Imzadi]

Yes, I posted several variations of cake pops, cookie pops, cookie cups and cookies from cake mixes on this thread here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=39195263#post39195263

 

[Feralpeg]

I made them recently. The tasted good, but didn't look that great. First problem...I made them too large. It was hard to dip and cover them. Second problem. I sat the dipped pop upside down on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. This caused the chocolate to pool. The lost their round shape and just looked silly. Since then, I've seen pictures where they are stood upright in a piece of styrofoam or they are set upside down on a wire rack so the excess chocolate can drip off.

There is a video available on how to do this on the Wilton website. Sadly, I didn't find it until after my attempt at making them. Better luck next time!

 

[java]

another tip= dip your stick in chocolate before putting it into the ball. It'll help it set.

 

[Zandy595]

OMG I made them for Easter and failed. BIG TIME. everyone thought they tasted great but presentation was hidious. I actually cheated and got the cake ball maker from Kohls. It worked perfectly. The bad times started when i tried to put them in the melted chocolate. It looked like a glooby mess not at all like the pictures in the book. I will try again but I have to figure out what I did wrong first.

I looked at the Cake Pops Maker on Kohls website and I think this is something completely different than what the OP is talking about. If I'm not mistaken, you bake a cake, crumble it up and mix in frosting. Then you form the balls with your hands and dip them in melted chocolate. The maker looks like it just bakes little cakes in the shape of balls, like donut holes.

 

[Mommee]

Our grocery store had cocktail stirrers that worked great for making cake pops. I also found that by dipping the stick, then placing it in the ball, then freezing them before dipping worked best. I dipped the entire ball once and let them dry stuck in a styrofoam block, then dipped just the very tops a second time before decorating the tops.

 

[book_junkie]

I've done cake balls but I've been scared to do the cake pops... The balls are very easy: Bakerella Blog this is the basic recipe that I've been using. I don't have the freezer space so I've been using the fridge- I would think freezing them would be better for pops. I also use chocolate chips melted in a double boiler instead of melting candies (personal preference) so the chocolate might be making things a bit hard on my end as well...

Here's the blog recipe for the pops... the blog recipe for the pops

 

[MrsPete]

I've been playing with these recently and have several comments:

The first time I did it, I added the WHOLE CAN of icing. Mistake. I ended up with cake "globs" that wouldn't hold a shape. Go with 2/3 a can of icing and add a little more if your mixture isn't moist enough.

My girls and I like chocolate cake - chocolate icing - chocolate coating combination best, but my husband thinks it's too much chocolate. We completely fail to understand his viewpoint.

Cake balls are easier than cake POPS. The stick is tricky, and you get so little on the stick.

Consider rolling them in chopped nuts, coconut, crushed Oreos, or Heath topping. Not only does this taste good, it excuses you from the need for perfection in your dipping technique. Or, since you're doing this for a shower, maybe you'd want to use sprinkles.

Listen to all the other posters who say "roll small balls". Go slightly smaller than you want the finished product to be; the coating'll add a bit of size.

Refrigerate your cake balls for a while. I like to put mine on a big cookie sheet, but I put them on four small pieces of wax paper; this allows me to pull out 1/4 of the balls at a time -- leaving the others good and chilled 'til I'm ready for them.

You're going to need more coating than you think. If you're using Wilton melts, 1.5 bags will cover one crumbled cake. I do not particularly care for the taste of the Wilton melts; I find their vanilla flavoring/smell a bit overpowering. I do intend to give them one more try with a French vanilla cake inside. I suspect my complaint may be that the vanilla flavoring didn't go well with my inside flavor. They are super-easy to work with, easier than chocolate.

Marble cake makes a poor inside flavor. The yellow-cake /chocolate accent blend together to make the color of meatballs, which doesn't appeal in a dessert-type way.

If you're at the craft store buying Wilton melts anyway, pick up a set of those Wilton chocolate dippers (set of three plastic "forks"). They work way better than your silverware.

They seem to taste better on the second day after the icing's sort of "melded" with the cake.

 

[cassiez76]

i made them for christmas!

i used 1 box of strawberry cake mix.

then i bashed oreo's and crumbled those in with the cake crumbles. next dumped a jar of the buttercream icing and formed my balls.

they were small and i froze them before i dipped them.

i used the almond bark but i didn't like the way it came out. idk what it was, but as a chocolate lover, i was not in love with that chocolate.

oh and for a small family of 4....we had cake balls FOREVER!

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Thank you all for the great info

I am going to pick up everything I need tomorrow night and start making the cake on Thursday night. I've read that many people freeze the pops before dipping them in chocolate, they should be fine if I roll them on Thursday and freeze them until Saturday, dip on Saturday and serve on Sunday??

How many cake mixes do you think I may need for about 50 balls? I'm thinking I may make 2 batches of cake just in case

 

[lizabu]

Our grocery store had cocktail stirrers that worked great for making cake pops. I also found that by dipping the stick, then placing it in the ball, then freezing them before dipping worked best. I dipped the entire ball once and let them dry stuck in a styrofoam block, then dipped just the very tops a second time before decorating the tops.

This was exactly what I was going to say. Seriously, dip the sticks and freeze the pops before trying to coat them in chocolate

 

[lizabu]

Thank you all for the great info

I am going to pick up everything I need tomorrow night and start making the cake on Thursday night. I've read that many people freeze the pops before dipping them in chocolate, they should be fine if I roll them on Thursday and freeze them until Saturday, dip on Saturday and serve on Sunday??

How many cake mixes do you think I may need for about 50 balls? I'm thinking I may make 2 batches of cake just in case

2 batches is way too much for only 50. 1 batch will be more than enough

 

[book_junkie]

When I made them (1 cake plus 2/3 can of icing), I ended up with between 45-48 balls per cake, using a small cookie scoop to help with the shaping. YMMV...

Be careful freezing overnight as you want it to be relatively thawed in order to put the sticks in....

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I was thinking I would put the sticks in before I froze them, is that not a good idea?

 

[ChattaAlley]

I looked at the Cake Pops Maker on Kohls website and I think this is something completely different than what the OP is talking about. If I'm not mistaken, you bake a cake, crumble it up and mix in frosting. Then you form the balls with your hands and dip them in melted chocolate. The maker looks like it just bakes little cakes in the shape of balls, like donut holes.

Its actually the same, I mean you get the same result. It is just the lazy way .

I am going to give it another try, if it doesn't work the cake ball maker will be another yard sale treasure.

 

[book_junkie]

I was thinking I would put the sticks in before I froze them, is that not a good idea?

I think (note I have not graduated myself to pops) you have to dunk the sticks in chocolate, then stick them in the balls, let that cool a little so that they're glued together, then dunk the "pop" in chocolate. If you don't have that glue, the sticks won't stay. I do know from experience that the balls have to be pretty chilled to hold their shape in the chocolate- otherwise they start falling apart.

I've had no problems with keeping them in the fridge for hours and doing them in batches, but after about 20 minutes of sitting out on the counter they needed to be put back in the fridge. Then again, it could be our lack of counter space combined with my using a double boiler for the chocolate...

 

[disneyquestions]

Yes, I posted several variations of cake pops, cookie pops, cookie cups and cookies from cake mixes on this thread here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=39195263#post39195263

Seriously, I could smack you for posting that link!!!!! I'm trying to be good today, trying not to eat bad stuff, and you go and post that. Thanks a lot!!!!!