Jun 04
Cake Pops for Dad
With Father’s Day around the corner, we thought we would craft a few cake pops inspired by our Dads.
The first batch was too wet and didn’t form balls properly, so we discarded it – what a waste of good cake and icing. The second batch was delicious but messy and had tempers flaring in frustration. Then, we had our experienced friend Yolandi Heyneke of Love Life Cupcakes (a cake pop baking whizz) show us how to make cake pops the fool-proof way. Yolandi made some awesome suit & tie cake pops, moustache shaped cake pops and original chocolate cake pops dipped in white or milk chocolate.
Yolandi’s top tips:
- Use any type of cake (even shop bought sponge) and cream cheese instead of frosting. It makes them smoother!
- Crumble the cake with a grater or food processor.
- The amount of cream cheese to add is not an exact science, Yolandi knows it’s right when the consistency is the same as play dough.
- For the professional touch – weigh the balls of mixture to make perfectly sized pops (perfect size is 25 – 27g).
- The balls are then cooled (not frozen) – just pop them in the freezer (for 15min) or fridge (for 1 – 2 hrs) to firm up. If they are frozen, the dipped chocolate will crack once they start defrosting.
- When melting the chocolate in the microwave keep the microwave on low/defrost (or melt chocolate in a double-boiler to prevent burning). Stir the chocolate frequently to prevent overheating. The chocolate should be melted but not hot. Add a few pieces of extra un-melted chocolate if it’s too hot in order to cool it down.
- When the balls are firm and you have your chocolate ready, dip the tip of the Cake Pop Stick in the chocolate and insert it into the balls.
- Dip the balls in chocolate; they should be completely covered, and then roll the stick around in your hand to let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. You will note when it starts to firm up and you can then push the stick into a polystyrene block or empty egg box to dry completely.
- When using sprinkles, let the excess chocolate drip off and just before putting them in the polystyrene block, sprinkle the balls. (Don’t let any sprinkles fall into your choc dipping bowl). We used our Blue and Green Nicoletta Cake Crystals as well as Nicoletta Pearl Drops and Blue & White Ready to Roll Fondant to make the shirts and ties.
Once you get the hang of doing the balls, you can also make different shapes by using cookie cutters or moulds. These moustache cake pops are fun, not fuzzy!
Cake Pops require patience and practice. Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. Your dad will appreciate the taste more than the look anyway!