Sunday, January 27, 2008

Don't lick, bite…

… into these sweet cake pops. I wanted to make cake balls this weekend, and I wanted them to be pink inside, so I tried making a white cake with raspberries. It made the cake pinkish, but it's consistency just wouldn't work, so I decided to stick with the red velvet cake ball recipe and went to the store and bought a chocolate cake mix to substitute. I also used some pink candy melts instead of the chocolate bark. And just to make them even a little cuter, stuck them on lollipop sticks…… Cakesicles anyone?

Chocolate Cake Balls

If you want to make these, too, just follow the instructions for the red velvet cake balls and use lollipop sticks to insert into the balls and then stick in the fridge or freezer for a little while before you dip in the coating. I also used a styrofoam block to stick the pops in to dry.

88 comments:

Jennifer said...

These are so cute I can barely stand it. Great for Valentine's Day!

sharyl said...

im so happy i found your blog! you have the greatest ideas ever! thank you!

anna said...

wow....cute! Do you have any idea what to use if I don't have possibility to get red velvet cake mix? (we don't have that in our country :( )

p.s. Love your blog! Keep up the good work!

Shelley said...

Precious! I think this would be cute for a baby shower, you have the best ideas, your blog is my new favorite thing!

Cakespy said...

Those look so adorable and so delicious!!! I would love to give this one a try. Nice post!!

Katie B. said...

You are absolutely out of control and I love it! Great idea!

cakewardrobe said...

Oh so creative!!!

Evelin said...

what a wonderful idea for valentine's day! I'm still not sure what I will bring to school with me (I just have to make some treats!), but these might just be it...:)

Stef said...

Those are adorable! What a great idea!

Brilynn said...

This is such an awesome idea, I definitely want to give it a try!

Robin Sue said...

I am hoping to make these very soon. Just wondering what the inside texture is like. Creamy or cakey? Nice Blog! Robin

Bakerella said...

jennifer - that's how I feel when I look at your delicious desserts.

Sharyl - thanks and I hope you'll come back.

anna - thanks. I'm sorry you can't get red velvet cake mix, but you can use any flavor cake and icing combo you like for the inside. If you want to try a red velvet cake from scratch - check out some recipes at foodnetwork.com or allrecipes.com

shelley - they would make great treats for a baby shower. And, you can get the candy melts in blue, too… or yellow :)

cakespy - if you try them, let me know what you think.

katie b. - I know. I've been dipping a lot lately. And there's more to come.

cakewardrobe - thank you!

evelin - you could even do the pink coating with the red velvet cake inside. That would be pretty for Vday.

Thanks stef!

brilynn - I hope you do try them, you'll be very happy.

Robin, the inside is a combo of the two. The word luscious comes to mind.

cakebrain said...

wow, what a great idea! i'll have to try making those too!

rpstegman said...

Super, super cute! Hey, I just discovered your blog & I'm hooked. Thanks for sharing all these yummy delights with us. Also, can I ask what lens do you use to take your pics?

THANKS!!!

Kayla said...

this may be a dumb question, since i'm just learning how to bake but where do you get pink candy melts that are used for the coating?

Christy said...

You are very talented with not only baking, but photography. Keep up the good work. I might make these for our Superbowl Party. I wonder how it would look with the "rainbow chip" cake mix? Do you know what I'm talking about? Might be pretty. I would love to see the guys eating these....hehe

sharyl said...

i wanna give these away for Valentines, but want to make it ahead of time... what's the shelf life? and do i store it in the fridge?

Future Envy of the PTA said...

These looks AMAZING!!! I just love your site and I have also been following you on your flickr site. Very creative and inspiring!

Alicia said...

Oh my gosh...these look so yummy! I found this blog on YumSugar! and am so happy to look at all your yummy items :)

theroyalcupcake.blogspot.com

Bakerella said...

cakebrain - hope you make them.

rpstegman - I have a Canon rebel XTi camera and I use a Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 lens and I love it.

kayla - i was pleasantly surprised to find the pink candy melts at a craft store (hobby lobby) in their cake and candy section.

christy - I think a bunch of men eating rainbow cake lollipops is awesome. Take pics for sure.

sharyl - these keep better than you'd think. You can make them a day or two ahead of time and keep in or out of the fridge. No problem.

Thanks future envy of the pta - and flickr rocks.

alicia - I'm glad you found me and cute crafty blog.

Sarah said...

What a great idea! I was going to make some red velvet cake this week from scratch...I want to make them into balls now!

sachi said...

i saw a link to this on yumsugar and i must say i am madly in love with your ideas!!! now i REALLY wanna do some major baking!

THANKS!

Bacon Heather said...

great site!

Bakerella said...

Thanks, Sarah, Sachi and bacon heather!

krissy said...

Oh wow. My sister found a link to your blog, and she sent it on to me. I really must thank her. I'm in the kinda middle planning stages of my wedding, right around where I need to start worrying about the food! I've found some great ideas on here that I can't wait to try. Do the cake balls freeze well? being able to get a good majority of the baking done ahead of time would be great.

Thanks so much! I'll definitely be adding your blog to my daily online to do list. *grins*

Bakerella said...

Hi krissy - I haven't tried freezing them yet, because they're good for several days. If you have time before your wedding, make some to leave out and eat and save some to freeze for a test run. Happy Planning!

hovea said...

That's the way... aha... I like it. Can't wait to make these for the kidlets. Great site, thanks a bunch.

Nanette said...

These are fabulous. I may try making the Red Velvet Balls on sticks for a baby shower this weekend. :)

csquad said...

Hi, i love your blog and your cupcake ideas! However, i was wondering if you were aware of this cupcake business in Austin using your photo of the snowmen? http://www.tootsweetcupcakes.com/contact.php
I wasn't sure if they had permission or not but I thought I would give you a heads up.

Bakerella said...

thanks hovea and nanette!

And csquad, thanks so much for the heads up. I gave that business a call today and they removed it. I don't mind blogs/newsy sites using pics if they link and credit me, but that was too much. Thanks again:)

Twango said...

What an adorable idea

rpstegman said...

THANKS so much for the lens info. I ordered the same lens & got it in the mail today. YAY -- I'm glad I got the right lens! Love your food & your photos. Thanks again for sharing.

Bakerella said...

Twango - thank you.

rpstegman - you'll love the lens.

rpstegman said...

I already love, love, love the lens, Bakerella. Hey, by any chance, are you able to share your photo properties via Flickr? (Is it just a click of a button or is it more complicated than that? If so, then nevermind.) I'm learning to take photos myself so knowing the ISO, aperture, etc. would be helpful!

Thanks again!!!

Bakerella said...

Hi rpstegman - sure, my properties are pretty simple. I keep it on auto and no flash. And I try to have natural light around when I take the pics. I haven't taken the time to learn about all the manual settings.

rpstegman said...

auto eh? gosh, you have really good light in your place. hmmm...do you use the macro fxn at all? THANK YOU so much!!!

Bakerella said...

I know, it's kind of a pain. I only have a small window of opportunity to take pics by because of the way the light comes in.

On the macro, I am borrowing some macro rings that fit on the camera from a friend of mine. I'll eventually want to get my own.

monicafreisem said...

i made these for my work friends. they came out really well, except the vanilla mixture was so wet, that i had to essentially turn them into cake balls with sticks in them (had to dry them on a surface as opposed to in styrofoam. the chocolate ones, in contrast were AMAZING. they have a better taste as well. the vanilla is just too sweet. i'm thinking using less icing next time, any tips?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fryzemphotography/2250052259/

Eva said...

Hi Bakerella,

Love your blog! Your decorating skills are amazing, and your ideas so clever and inspiring. I love these cake pops so much I featured them on the Evite blog (I'm the editor):
http://blog.evite.com/evite/2008/02/how-many-licks.html

Can't wait to see what you come up with next. :)

maltese parakeet said...

wow!!! thanks for sharing this fabulous idea!

Bakerella said...

monicafreisem - I like the chocolate, too. What kind of white chocolate did you use?

Eva - I just checked it out. I can't believe it. Thanks a lot. What a compliment. And I love your writing, too.

maltese parakeet - you're welcome.

Lademu said...

Bakerella, you are fabulous and I love your blog! Do you have any tips and tricks for dipping? I made these this weekend and they were delicious but came out so much sloppier-looking than yours! I couldn't get the styrofoam trick to work so I let them dry upside-down...

Bakerella said...

Sure, first roll the balls compactly by hand, insert the lollipop stick and then, make sure you freeze them for a little while or either put them in the fridge for a few hours. Work with a few out of the fridge at a time. That way the others will stay cold. If you melt some chocolate bark a little at a time in a small bowl, (more tall than shallow), you can place the ball in and then spoon some of the chocolate over the top of it to cover. Then remove it from the chocolate and make sure the chocolate coats and surrounds the stick at the base. I think I had to hold and rotate it upside down for a few seconds until it started to set so when I turned it right side up, it wouldn't drip.
Also, poke the styrofoam before you start, so the holes are already made. Hope that makes some kind of sense. I think next time I make these, I'll support with more pics.

Lademu said...

thanks so much, i can't wait to make them again! you're an inspiration!

mel said...

You mentioned using "pink candy melts" to get the pink frosting. If I were looking for them in the store, what would I look for? Also, any ideas for light blue (for a baby shower)?

I just found your blog--I love it. Thanks for sharing your ideas and beautiful photos!

sara said...

I used regular white candy melts when I did this and put pink food coloring in mine and they turned out beautifully. I actually was testing the recipe for a baby shower that I am having for a friend and her little boy. I have pics of it on my page so you can see the food coloring turned out fine.

erika said...

So fantastic!!! I love them!

Plummie said...

Would royal icing work instead of the candy melts?

suzigiff said...

I have just gained 20 lbs reading your site. Thanks to Not Martha, I am hooked. I'm going to make the red velvet balls for a party on Saturday. I can't wait to see what people think.

Bakerella said...

lademu - you're welcome.

mel - The pink candy melts I found are a brand called candymaker that I found in the cake/candy decorating section of Hobby Lobby (a craft store). And, they have light blue too.

Sara - Yay! A success story. Can you add your site, I'd love to see.

Erika - thank you

plummie - I really don't know. But I would probably stick with the bark.

suzigiff - Hey, it's just virtual weight. Not Martha's site is great, I'm glad you like mine, too.

emerzim said...

A friend sent me a link to these and I made them for Valentine's Day. Not as pretty as yours, but still a success in my book. Here's a picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emerzim/2262308010/

Thanks!

moorefaith said...

Hmmm... wonder if it's possible to take these and rest them in a rose candy mold...

moorefaith said...

Hey, Bakerella! I wanted to give you & your readers a couple of tips.

First, my stepmother used to be very big into candymaking and still does it from time to time for holidays. When painting her candy molds, she'd have several soup-size mugs full of the colored candy chips warmed up at the same time. She did this by using an electric skillet about a third full of water. I think the setting would be on low or medium. This keeps the chocolate warmed up and ready to use, plus you can have several colors at your fingertips.

Just two important things to remember:
Do NOT get any water in the chocolate.
Rinse the the bowl/mug out while the chocolate is warm when you're done (it's a pain otherwise). This means that you start with a small amount of choc to begin with - you can always add more!

Craft stores like Hobby Lobby & Michael's are good for finding the colored chocolate. I know my stepmom gets her supplies at a local store that specializes in cake decorating supplies.

Great blog & thanks for the fun ideas!

Future Envy of the PTA said...

Sure! Try this one, it's the link to my blog about the cake-pops: http://futureenvyofthepta.blogspot.com/2008/02/someones-got-case-of-mondays.html

Anonymous said...

Your site is unbelievable. I found it from the evite link and am so happy I did! I have a quick question about the chocolate "bars" you suggest using. We don't have a Kroger's in town, but I did find a "Decorating Gourmet Baking Bar." Think this will work the same? Also, how long do you think they stay in an airtight container? Two, three days? Thanks so much!!

Bakerella said...

emerzim - great job!

moorefaith - I haven't worked with molds yet. And thanks for the tips and skillet idea. Sounds like a good method.

Future envy - I think they look great!

anonymous - If it sounds like it's used for candy coating, I think it will work fine. If it's more for baking, it may not harden the same way. Check your grocery store for chocolate bark/candy coating or a craft store if you have one nearby. I did make some truffles once, with Baker's semi-sweet baking bars and it worked, but it just melted a little where my fingers were holding the truffle… but still tasted good. Baker's brand also sells a dipping chocolate, but I haven't tried that yet.

The Mad Baker said...

I have been looking for something original, these look delicious :-P

Thank you for posting this

Amy said...

these look fabulous (as do all the other treats you make!), and i'm just sad i didn't read about them earlier so i could've made some for valentine's day. guess my officemates will just have to suffer through more goodies next weeek!

Tina said...

By the way, you can buy white chocolate dipping chocolate and use food coloring to get pretty much any color you could want.
Also, you can use semisweet chocolate chips, if you cannot find coating chocolate, and add just a little bit of shortenin to get the right dipping consistency.
And last, but not least, you could easily coat these with fondant (not so much royal icing). Fondant is the icing you use for petit fours, or black and white cookies...it won't give you as hard or thick a coating, but it would work. If you don't want to make fondant, you could easily just melt some canned vanilla icing and use that. You might need to dip them several times to get the opaqueness you wish.

project felt said...

Love love your blog!
I've just given you a 'You Make My Day Award'. See my blog for detail

Sandra said...

Thank you SO, SO much for the great recipe!! I made some for Valentines Day to hand out to family and friends. They were such a HUGE hit!! Everyone was asking for more. Easy to make and Easy on the wallet, this is definitely something I will be making again!! Thanks ;)

Bakerella said...

the mad baker - glad to inspire

amy - These are cute anytime.

tina - thanks for the tips.

projectfelt - thanks for the award. I'll check it out.

sandra - Yay! Glad you liked!

Shephalli said...

Quick question - how would you serve these? Do you tie up a few cake pops with a ribbon and put them in a platter?

Bakerella said...

Sure, you can cover them in plastic and tie a ribbon around them.
You could stand them up in a dish filled with sugar or sprinkles - just something to keep the sticks standing. You could poke some holes in a styrofoam block that's covered with decorative paper and have them standing up. Or if you're serving right away, don't even cover them. Just start eating.

Jenn R said...

I just made these today--they are awesome! They were my first "advanced" baking endeavor (besides buying a box of cake mix and baking per package directions) and although dipping took a bit of practice, I found them really easy. Hot dipping chocolate and cold cake balls are key... I did my best plucking them from the fridge one at a time. I also had worlds more ease after I switched from dipping into a bowl to dipping into a coffee mug, and holding the lollipops horizontal for a minute before standing them up in the styrofoam kept them from sliding down the sticks. Maybe that'll be helpful to other first-timers! Thanks for the recipe, I'm giving these out for holidays from now on!

Adrienne said...

I just found your blog and LOVE LOVE IT! I'm going to try the oreo kisses this week! Your photography is amazing too. I saw your response below on your camera, do you do any photoshop focus work, or is the camera/lens/photographer(you) just that good? Talent I tell ya, either way it is beautiful! I've been seeing all these blogs, yours included, with amazing photography and am now considering breaking the bank myself any thoughts?

Bakerella said...

Jenn r - Yay! I'm so glad you had success. The chocolate can be tricky, but sounds like you've got it down.

adrienne - the out of focus looks comes from the lens I use. It's a 50mm fixed lens. And that's exactly why I bought it. I love it. I didn't want to spend the money at first, but I am so glad I did.

Life Info Zone said...

Excellent post!!Those r simply fabulous....woow gr8 idea buddy.Thanks a lot for sharing with us.
keep up the gud work.
www.lifeinfozone.com/category/activities-fun/cake-decorating/

K said...

I made these last night with white cake and cherry icing. Tastes like a chocolate covered cherry!

While they were fabulous - I do have one question. The inside was a little mushy - does that mean I need to cook a little longer? Any suggestions?! Thanks!

Bakerella said...

Thanks Life Info Zone!

k - the inside should be very moist. But if it was mushy before you added the frosting, like when you started crumbling the cake apart, your cake may have needed to bake a little longer. Oh and I like the sound of your cherry flavor. YUM!

amnah said...

Ummmm... WOW! These are amazing. My sister sent me the link to your blog just 2 days before a "sweet exchange" party that I had planned. I immediately rushed out to get the ingredients because I HAD to have these made for the party.

Unfortunately I couldn't find red velvet cake mix so I just used devil's food cake mix with the cream cheese frosting.

These were actually pretty easy to make, but very time consuming. Everyone LOVED them. I now want to make them for an upcoming bridal shower I'm attending.

Some tips that would be helpful for others that want to try this recipe:

Do not poke the sticks all the way through the balls.

Freezing the balls made them much easier to dip in chocolate. The ones from the fridge would shift around after I dipped them in the chocolate and then tapped them to remove the excess.

As another person stated, using the electric skillet and water bath to heat the chocolate worked really well.

Micheal's has a lot of different colored melting chocolates in their baking section.

These really were amazing and worth the work. I will always make these for special occasions now.

Thanks Bakerella!!

amnah said...

Oh, and I also chilled the dough a bit before shaping. Plus I used the larger side of a melon baller instead of an ice cream scoop.

Sorry for the previous long post!

Bakerella said...

amnah - I'm glad you liked them. Thanks for letting me know.

Lulu Lemon said...

Thank YOu so much for sharing...you are very creative.

Kim said...

Love this recipe! A girlfriend forwarded to me as a good idea for a bridal shower. I made them from scratch using the following recipes for red velvet cake and frosting:

Red Velvet Cake

2.5 C cake flour
3 T cocoa powder (not dutch process)
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 C buttermilk
2 T red food coloring
1 t vanilla extract
1 t distilled white vinegar
8 T (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1.5 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 with rack in center. Butter two 9-inch layer pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment, then dust with flour and tap out excess (I just did a 9x13 pan since the cake would be crumbled after baking anyway).

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together. Mix buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar in glass bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with hand held mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time. On low speed, add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until smooth, scraping sides of bowl often with a rubber spatula. Spread evenly in pan(s).

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto racks and remove parchment. Cool completely.


Grandma’s Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese
16oz powdered sugar
½ C butter

Mix ingredients well until combined.

Bakerella said...

Lulu - thank you!

kim - big thanks for the recipe. I'll have to try it.

wanda said...

love your recipes and pictures. could you please pass along your source for the cupcake papers you use?

Dee Ann said...

Your cake balls are fantastic. We liked them so much that we are going to use them at our daughter's wedding. A quick dipping question. We are planning to make them without the sticks, do you have any suggestions for dipping them so they come out evenly coated and pretty? So far mine are yummy but not so attractive.
Thanks.

www.shoestringsend.blogspot.com

Bakerella said...

Hi wanda - which post are you referring to for the cupcake papers? I've bought different ones at different places.

deeann - I melt the chocolate in a cereal-size bowl (not too shallow). I kind of swirl a hole in the chocolate I drop the ball in the bowl, use a small spoon to cover top with chocolate. Then I scoop up the ball with the spoon and tap off the extra on the side of my bowl. (I tap it a few times, and let the excess fall off the sides of the spoon while it's still over the bowl.) Then I move it over to the wax paper and let it slide off the tip of the spoon onto the paper. If I get pooling at the bottom, then I just break that part off.

Also make sure your balls are rolled compact and kind of smooth. Also chilling them helps to keep their shape before dipping.

You can also pour the leftover melted chocolate in a ziploc bac, snip a tiny bit off one corner and use to add drizzle marks across the top.

Hope they're a hit at the wedding.

Lara said...

Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I made pink and brown cupcake bites for a pink and brown polka dot themed baby shower and they were a hit!

Thanks!
Lara

Kathy said...

So a couple of months ago my daughter, who is turning four, said she wanted to have a lollipop birthday party. I said great! Now how am I going to make the cake for THAT one. And then OH MY GOD! I found your blog! I can't believe it! This just gave me the ideas I needed to make her special lollipop cake. Thank you!

ilovelollys said...

How long do you think these would last? So cute, I love them!
I made them and had a problem with the stick not staying when I dipped them. So I dipped them in some of the candy first, stuck them in the freezer and seemed to work really well.

Bakerella said...

ilovelollys - That's good to know. I'm glad you made them work!

DoughGirl said...

How cute are these? I have a recipe for rum balls that is very similar that I have been making for years, crumbled chocolate cake mix, chocolate frosting and dark rum, I roll them in balls and dip into chocolate...they are a huge hit everywhere I take them. I never thought of doing anything else with the mixture!

Lady Diane said...

My daughter and I thought out of all the cupcakes on Martha Stewart's cupcake week, yours was the best. You were so cute on the show, we think you need your own show! Regards, Diane and Yvette

Ana said...

I tried these this weekend and they were a huge hit. Thanks for the idea. I love the spirit of you site - very welcoming and informative.

Bakerella said...

DoughGirl - sounds like I need to go to the liquor store for a new twist.

Lady Diane & Yvette - thank you so much for saying so. That's truly a big compliment!!!

Ana - thanks. I'm glad you like it.

BrineS said...

These are FABULOUS and they look so SCRUMPTIOUS! I cannot wait to try them for me and my loving hubs! I shared these at The Chocolistas!

thechocolistas.blogspot.com