Cake Pops...that Pop...okay, more like Fizzle...

If you've wandered into Starbucks lately, you've probably noticed the tempting so-called "cake balls/pops" in that beautiful display case. Cake balls/pops (feel free to giggle every time you read that term...we won't judge) are all the rage in the party world these days. So...I thought I'd give it a try. I thought I could show you the tutorial & see if they would fit the Parties for Pennies standard of cheap.

The first few ingredients are pretty simple - 

You can go with whatever type of cake mix your creativity takes you. And then pair with a complimentary icing. BTW...the icing that I made from the Trader Joe's mix was deeelish....US! It really tastes like buttercream homemade frosting. 

And also pick up some white chocolate candy melts or any type of chocolate you prefer (depending on your cake/icing combo). 

STEP 1: Bake the cake according to the box instructions. 

STEP 2: Once you bake the cake & it cools, take pieces of the cake & pulse in a food processor until it is crumbly. 

STEP 3: Once you have crumbled the entire cake, take your icing (I used all of mine but I think that was too much, so mix a little at a time to determine the amount you prefer) & mix it into the crumbs until it becomes doughy. 

STEP 4: Mix batter into round balls.

(Okay...so mine may be a little clumpy...even dough has cellulite! :p I would recommend not putting quite as much icing in it as I did. Kinda like real life - More Icing = Clumpier thighs :p) 

BONUS ROUND 

I added pop rocks to part of the batch! I was going for the whole Memorial Day theme with fireworks & such. The only problemo is that the pop rocks starting doin their little Boom Boom Pow thing in the dough. Oh well...it still tasted great & I felt a little fizzle in my mouth when all was said & done. 

STEP 5: Add the lollipop sticks. I got mine at Michaels, where I also got the Pop Rocks. Yep, Michaels sells pop rocks. Reason #576 to love that place. 

STEP 6: Put your pops in the refrigerator or freezer. I put mine in the fridge & wished I had stuck them in the freezer. They're probably a lot easier to dip in the chocolate when they're frozen. Those suckers have a little weight on them & I almost lost a couple in the depths of the white chocolate. 

STEP 7: Take your candy melts/whatever chocolate you've chosen & melt them in the micro. Then dip the pops into the chocolate so they're coated. 

STEP 8: Place the pops in a glass or container so they can stand upright & allow to harden.  

I did have a casualty. Kinda. It went into my mouth...and onto my thighs. :p This is where I think the frozen cake balls would've survived hanging upright in the glass. 

Step 9: Put the cake pops in the refrigerator/freezer until time to serve or you can decorate the tops with sprinkles, icing, chocolate drizzle, etc. I attempted to do a red & blue chocolate drizzle on the top of mine but the food coloring I have didn't mix well at all with the white chocolate. I think you have to have a certain type of food coloring to do that? So...all I had was sugar. I dyed the sugar blue & red & sprinkled that on top. I wasn't exactly happy with that part. 

NOW...How do you display these suckers? Well...I'm glad you asked. Here's what I did...but after going through the process, I think it would be easier & more efficient to use floral foam or styrofoam. 

* Take an old shoe box...

* Decorate it however you'd like but I found this really cool foam with an adhesive backing. The sparkles sucked me in. You could easily do something just as beautiful with scrapbook paper. 

* Cover the box with your paper...

I love the sparkles! :p 

* Cut holes in the top where you want to place the pops. I used an X-acto knife but you could probably use a nail or the end of a pair of scissors. I made an "X" with my knife & slip the pops into the hole. 

* Add any extras to make your cake pop stand sparkle. :p I really wanted sparklers on mine but I couldn't find the ones I thought I had & wouldn't you know...most places don't have them out yet. I went with "sparkler candles" from Party City but they could drop the "sparkler" part in the name b/c they basically were just plain ole candles. 

Well, they didn't exactly turn out the way I had imagined but the consensus across the board...they tasted out of this world. Here are a few tips & overall things I learned - 

1) Be careful how much icing you add

2) Freeze the pops before dipping into the chocolate coating

3) Pop rocks don't pop so much after they hit a moist surface

4) Use styrofoam or floral foam to stand them up...they tended to want to sway to one side or the other in the box b/c of their weight. 

5) They take a good amount of time & aren't exactly the more economical route but you can make them ahead which is a plus. 

And finally - Cake pops taste delicious no matter how you decorate them or display them...so enjoy! 

Have you tried making cake pops? How did it turn out? Any good suggestions?