The first time I bit into a cake pop I was taken by surprise. It was so…moist (I hate that word). I was immediately intrigued and have always told myself that I should make my own – and I finally did! In true Essie fashion I set the bar super high with this lavender and champagne flavor because you know me, I always do the most. At least it’s not that difficult to make!
What you’ll need:
- Box cake mix – I used Betty crocker white cake mix!
- Lavender essence/flavoring
- Champagne essence/flavoring
- Can of Plain icing
- Candy melts in whichever colors you like
- Cake pop sticks (purchased at Michael’s but you can find them on Amazon). These are really just lollipop sticks.
For the decorating:
- Pink heart sprinkles
- Edible gold leaf
- Make your cake according to package instructions. The only think you will do differently is add about 4 drops of lavender flaring to the batter. When it’s done baking set aside to cool.
TIP: bake in a rectangular cake tray for easier crumbling
- While cake is cooling mix 3 drops of champagne flavoring with 3/4 of the icing.
- Now this right here is the best part – destroying the cake! Once the cake is cooled divide it into four sections. Picking up a quarter piece in each hand, rub the two rectangles together to break apart the cake. Do this until all your cake is crumbled and is in very little pieces. You do not want any chunks at all. I’ve read of people doing this with a food processor but where’s the fun in that?!
- Add the mixed icing to the crumbled cake and mix thoroughly. It will start to feel dough-y and will be a good texture to work with.
TIP: add the icing a little at a time
The consistency you should be going for when you mix the cake with the icing.
- Scoop small amounts of the mix with your hands and begin to roll into small balls. You don’t want the balls to big or your pops will not be bite sized. Arrange onto a tray lined with parchment paper. If the cake feels too dry to form into a ball, add a little of the remaining 1/4 of icing!
- Next, melt your candy melts according to the package instructions. Use a deep bowl for this! You will be using this to coat the cake balls.
- Dip the end of your stick into the melted coating and then into a cake ball, gently pushing until the stick is about half way through the cake ball. Do this for all the balls and Allow the coating to harden for about 15 mins. (5 mins if you put them in the fridge!)
- Now to coat the pops! Holding the end of the sticks, dip each cake pop into the coating till it is completely covered then gently pull out. Tap the excess off using the edge of the bowl. Resist the urge to stir the melted coating with your cake pop as it will fall right off the stock – I learned the hard way. P.S. If you find at this point that your melted coating is too thick you can thin it out using a very small amount of Canola oil at a time till desired consistency is reached.
- If you have a styrofoam stand, poke the cake pops stick into it and allow them to dry/harden upright. Since I didn’t have one I just let them dry upside down because I didn’t mind the “flat” top. If you are going to be decorating your cake pops do this while they are still slightly wet.
As you can see in the pictures I used to colors of candy melts. You could also color white candy melts with oil-based food coloring if you only have that color. I decorated my pops 3 ways: pink with white lines, white with pink heart sprinkles and white with edible gold leaf.
One of the many bites I took before I could even finish shooting.
For the white pops I literally just dipped my slight wet pops into a pile of whatever I was using to decorate. For the pink pops with white lines, I used the rest of my melted white chocolate and a spoon to draw lines onto to mostly dry pop.
I have to say it’s not as intimidating as it looks. If I can do it, then anyone can because as you may know by now…baking is not my favorite thing. Try it out for yourself!
What is your favorite Valentine’s sweet treat?
Can’t get enough Valentine’s Day themed desserts? Check out the how-to for my watercolor sugar cookies!
