Cake balls, cake pops, cakesicles — have you tried them? They swept the internet like a tidal wave over the last year, thanks in part to the delightful and amazing creations of Bakerella and other creative cooks. We finally decided to try them, and while ours don't achieve the heights of more talented confectionery artists, they tasted pretty darn good!
How To Make Cake Pops
Home Hacks
Cake pops are basically little smushed balls of cake and frosting (kind of like when you used to smash your birthday cake all in pieces, maybe with ice cream, and eat it as goop). You bake up a cake, let it cool, tear it into fine crumbs, stir in something to hold it all together, and roll it in balls. Easy!
They're terribly cute, and they're also a great way to use up leftover cake. I had quite a bit of leftover cake and frosting from my recent foray into LEGO cake building, so cake balls seemed a natural way to use them all up.
These are incredibly delicious, over the top little morsels. The chocolate shell gives way with a little snap to a moist and soft inside, like a brownie that melts in your mouth. They're not as rich as chocolate truffles, but they are still quite sweet. Special occasion treats only, but oh how people love them!
Here's how to do it yourself, and do it from scratch, too. Most recipes call for a boxed cake mix and canned frosting, but why not go with homemade, as long as you're going to all the trouble of making cute little balls already?
Cake Ball Mix
What you need
1 batch Dark Chocolate Cake
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk (or more, as necessary)
Bake the cake and let it cool completely on a rack. This is a very moist cake, which is ideal for this recipe. It's best to let it cool overnight at least. When it is completely cool, break the cake into a large bowl. Crumble it with forks or your fingers until it is in fine crumbs.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and milk together until smooth. Pour into the cake crumbs and mix with a spoon. Then continue mixing with your fingers, kneading and mixing until fully incorporated into the cake. Check to see if it will roll into a ball. It should: this makes a very malleable, easy-to-handle cake mixture. But if it needs a little extra moisture, add milk a spoonful at a time.
When the mix is completely done, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. You can leave the mix refrigerated for several days at this point. I left mine in the fridge for about three days before making the balls. You could probably also freeze this.
Making Cake Pops
What you need
Lollipop sticks (found at Michael's, JoAnn's, or other craft stores)
12 ounces chocolate chips
12 ounces white chocolate bark
Edible wax, optional
Colored sugars, candies, and other decorative sprinkles
How to make the balls
Prepare two large baking sheets by covering with wax paper or parchment. Take a bit of the cake mixture and roll it into a smooth ball. If you want to use the lollipop sticks, stick one into the end of each ball, pointing upward, as you put the ball back down on the sheet. [Note: I cut the long lollipop sticks in half; they seemed a little long for the size of the balls.] Repeat until you've used up all the mixture. As each sheet fills up, put it in the freezer so that the balls harden.
How to decorate the cake pops
Melt chocolate or white chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. If you want to make the coating a little more resistant to melting, add a small square of wax to the pot and let it melt too. Stir well. Dip each ball into the chocolate until covered.
Dip in sugar, coconut, sprinkles, or anything else you'd like to decorate with. Put it back on the sheet to harden.
Don't refrigerate these; it will cause the coating to weep or melt. They can be frozen, however.
With thanks to:
• The Pioneer Woman: Cake Balls Halloween Style
• Cake Pops at Bakerella
Related:
• Recipe Recommendation: Oreo Truffles
• How To Make an Oreo Cake
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Republished article originally posted March 11, 2009.
(Images: Faith Durand)
Comments (34)
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yes, i did make cake balls, after seeing them on Bakerella (and mentioned here at the Kitchn)...they were a big hit!</a href>
view amber77's profile
Yeah, Bakerella and the Pioneer Women are posting something on this very topic this week...
view inkstainedwriter's profile
who has "leftover cake?"
view ebbrooklyn's profile
Yup, and they were fabulous! Made strawberry and a vanilla.
view ashleym (aka autzve on fl's profile
Fun! My friend Jill O'Connor had cheesecake pops in her last book. They were amazingly yummy!
http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/daring-bakers-challenge-cheesecake-lollies/
view Dana McCauley's profile
OH! I MUST make these for the office Hens - they will hate me all the more :)
view VeryDelishVeg's profile
This is so timely- I literally just got back from Michaels where I bought most of my supplies to make these for a birthday party next weekend! (I can't wait for the PW/Bakerella post.)
view sarahlani's profile
"who has "leftover cake?""
Seriously. What leftover cake?
I love to cook, but there is a point at which something is too much work for the additional payoff. I will just eat the cake.
view mandarinmarie's profile
oh dear lord these are cute. Saved for my daughter's 2nd birthday party. I am sure they are going to be a huge hit!
view millcitymodern's profile
i've been dying to make these with rum cake and a rum nut glaze. DYING!
but now, with st. patty's day nearing, i'm thinking guinness cake and bailey's frosting!!
if it actually happens i'll post results here: http://www.oureats.tumblr.com
view nenasadije's profile
I just discovered these on Bakerella's blog and my daughter fell in love with the hello Kitty version. This will definitely be an idea we use at her next birthday party.
view sar3j's profile
these made me go from 215 to 459 lbs. I need help with the bathroom now.
view GasyPete's profile
Does anyone know how long they will keep in the freezer?
view kaitlin's profile
These are wonderful! I linked to these pops today for my "sweet stuff on sticks" post for my edible crafts column at craftgossip.com. (Post at ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com)
thanks for the tutorial! Meaghan
view chic cookies's profile
Yummmm...I loved seeing the step by step tutorial. Thank you!
view Cakespy's profile
These are very similar to another recipe I have that uses crushed Oreos instead of the smushed cake. And let me tell you - those are sinful. Can't wait to try it with cake!
view MarthaAndMe's profile
Like the others, I have made them often since seeing them on Bakerella. Once I made these, I began thinking of other ways to create pops...its fun! And, now when I level a cake, I don't feel wasteful because I have a use for the cut-off cake.
I use a styrofoam cake dummy to stick the pops in after dipping and that helps to keep a round ball.
view MeleCotte's profile
Here's a crazy question:
does anyone think this would fly for a wedding? If they got dressed up a little, they could be pretty fun.
I'm trying to think of some fun and creative things for my own wedding reception that's coming up in August. It's going to be more of a cocktail affair with passed heavy apps rather than a sit down banquet. I think these would be pretty fun. I just wonder if other people might think I'm crazy though.
view redbeard's profile
I think that would be a great idea for wedding favors!!
view plumeria's profile
I also love the idea for cake pops at a wedding! They could actually be really easy to decorate, too, since you could do them all in white. White cake, white chocolate, and white modern dots piped all over.
Would make great wedding favors, too, if you wanted a more traditional cake.
view Faith Durand's profile
how adorable!
view foodhoe's profile
http://browniepops.com/ makes something similar to these and they have a "wedding" version. I'm sure you could use this recipe and make your own "wedding" pops.
view heather lauren's profile
YUUUUUMMMMMM!!!!!!! I might have to add some rum, though.
view julzappa's profile
Very very cute! I'll try making some myself next time! :D
view albertaleong's profile
Loved them! And used candy canes as sticks.
http://ladybakes.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-bake-off-part-four.html
Merry Christmas!
view ladybutcher's profile
Only way these could kill me any faster: DEEP-FRIED.
(quick, somebody cover Paula Deen's ears)
The cake pops I had weren't technically pops, just... cake balls, which made them even easier to shove in my mouth. My coworker made about two hundred of them, left them in a gaily decorated pan on the front desk, and nearly slew us all-- nobody could stop eating them until they were gone.
view elise_the_great's profile
These were great at Halloween (I made ghost ones too with chocolate cake and white outsides): http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2008/09/something-differentpumpkin-spice-cake.html
Also, for the wedding idea, I think if you did something like these in the picture, but cake instead of marshmallows obviously, to color coordinate with your wedding, they would be simple and lovely: http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/09/diy-marshmallow-treat-pops/
view Si's profile
I guess I'm the odd man out that thinks "enough with the cake balls already". They are cute but they don't sound appetizing to me.
view alexis's profile
For Valentine's the last two years, I've made red velvet cake pop 'kisses', complete with 'eat me' tag and aluminum foil wrapper. Stole the idea from here.
view Kakugori's profile
cake pops are always a good idea - but for some really creative examples check out these: http://www.kathyphantastic.com/tag/cakepops
view chris59511's profile
OMG! these are sooooo good! thanks faith! i made these instead of a cake for my son and people that claimed didn't like chocolate couldn't keep their hands away from them. only thing is that the chocolate seemed a bit too thick so things got a bit messy when i tried to take some chocolate out. i might try the candy melts next time. yummy!
view ymarlow's profile
Had a birthday this month and converted most of a 1/4 sheet grocery cake into quickbon-bons using Dolci frutta hard chocolate shell.
view thecorky's profile
Had a birthday this month and converted most of a 1/4 sheet grocery cake into quick bon-bons using Dolci frutta hard chocolate shell.
view thecorky's profile
Is there a vegan cake recipe that would work for these?
view kp540's profile