Red Velvet Cake Pops

Happy 4th Birthday Charlotte

A sweet treat (one of many) for my daughter, Charlotte's 4th Birthday Party.  I've been wanting to attempt to make cake pops and it was much more difficult than I thought it would be.  I need more practice to make them look prettier but they tasted absolutely delicious!  Here is my first attempt.

Melt a small amount of chocolate to dip each lolipop stick in and insert into cake balls

Let harden in a cool, dry place to set the chocolate before dipping the cake balls in more chocolate.

Coat each cake ball in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles.

                                    

Ingredients:

1 box of red velvet cake mix

1/2 a container of cream cheese frosting

2 bags of pink melting chocolate (or white chocolate chips and red food gel dye)

40 lolipop sticks

1 small container of pearl sprinkles (or any that you like)

1/4 cup of vegetable oil (or one big spoonful of crisco to thin out chocolate for dipping) 

Preparation:

Mix cake according to package directions and bake in a shallow large baking dish or on a baking sheet.  The cake will take less time since you are baking a thin cake.  Check peridically for doneness with a tooth pick or clean sharp knife. (inset a tooth pick in the middle of the cake and when it comes out clean the cake it done).  Cool the cake completely and then break cake up and place in a large mixing bowl.  Crumble the cake into fine crumbs using your hands.  Once crumbled add 1/2 a the container of frosting and mix until completely combined with a fork (or your hands if you prefer).  Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper and roll cake mix into small balls with your hands and place on cookie sheet.  Melt a small amount of the pink chocolate in a microwave bowl.  Dip a lolipop stick in the melted chocolate and then insert immediately into the middle of a cake ball. The sticks should be facing up (see picture above).  Repeat that step until all the cake balls have stick inserted with melted chocolate.  Set cookie sheet aside in a cool spot to harden. (DO NOT put the cake balls in the freezer to harden because the cake will become damp and hard to work wirh once it begins to thaw).  

NOW THIS IS WHERE I NEED TO WORK ON MY TECHNIQUE.  The next step is to dip and coat each cake ball in melted chocolate and decorate.  Getting the right consistency for the chocolate to dip and finding the right technique to coat each cake pop evenly and neatly is not easy.  I think practice makes perfect (or in my case, makes it good enough).

Melt the remaining chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl.  (melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth).  Add vegetable oil or crisco and stir again until combined and smooth.  You want a thin enough consistency so the chocolate can pour off the spoon easily.  Carefully dip each cake ball by holding the lolipop stick and using a spoon to help coat the bottom of the cake pop.  Immediately sprinkle with your decorative sprinkles.  Place each cake pop, lolipop stick side down into a piece of stryofoam covered with plastic wrap to cool and harden.

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