Christmas Season Chocolate Cake Pops

After being introduced to cake pops at Starbucks a few years ago, I've been intrigued with them. The perfect opportunity aroused when Azlin suggested a Christmas exchange with another food enthusiast on Google Foodies +. I watched three videos on You Tube and read several recipes and this is my version of the cake pops I created. It's not quite as easy as the You Tube videos indicate but I think the next time I make them it will be a bit less time consuming and more fun. Don't get me wrong, they are totally fun to make and really great to eat! Hope our Christmas buddy likes them as much as Tom and I did. Here's the recipe:

MAKES:               25 pops (44 grams each...yes, I weighed each one. Made it easier for me.)
PREP TIME;         About an hour (preps are done in stages) + 1 1/2 hours to decorate
COOKING TIME:     30 minutes

INGREDIENTS: 
1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix (I used Trader Joe's peppermint chocolate) Actually, any flavor of cake mix will do but you'd want to match the frosting to the cake mix.
1 can frosting (use about 90% of the frosting)
1 ounce of semi sweet chocolate
1 bag of white Candy Melts
1 ounce of green Candy Melts
1 bag of 6" lollipop sticks
1 bag of lollipop bags (optional, only if you want to wrap them)
1 container of mixed sprinkles (I used the one with Christmas colors)
12" round styrofoam

PREPARATION:
1. Bake the cake in a loaf pan. For a 21 ounce cake mix, I used a 9 x 9 pan. Let cake cool completely.
2. When cake has cooled, crumble it. I did this by hand, others have used their mixers.
3. When the cake has been crumbled, add about 90% of the frosting and thoroughly mix together.
4. Coat your hands in a cooking oil to prevent mixture from sticking to them. Using a kitchen scale, scoop out 44 grams of mixture and form it into a ball. It's best to squeeze it in your hand to warm it up and let it get a bit gooey before forming it into a ball. (This is a tip that makes it easier) Place balls on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper or parchment paper. When 25 balls are formed place in refrigerator for about 2 hours. Do not put them in the freezer to speed up the process!
5. Before removing the pops melt about 1 ounce of chocolate chips in the microwave according to instructions until chocolate is just soft but not runny. Take pops out of the fridge and dip one end of each lollipop stick into the chocolate about 1/2" and insert into a pop to make the lollipop. The sticks should be inserted to almost the top of the cake ball. This serves as a glue to hold the stick in the pop. Now they go back in the fridge for another hour or two. Do not put them in the freezer to speed up the process!

6. For the decorative coating, I chose white Candy Melts. Candy Melts come in a lot of colors so you have choices. You can also melt chocolate and cover the pops with chocolate. I experimented with white chocolate but it didn't melt smoothly and was too thick. Candy Melts are easy to use, they don't get hard quickly so you have plenty of time to dip your cake pops and not stress about timing. Dip each pop into the Candy Melt mixture and set each one into a piece of styrofoam for coating to set. If you plan to use sprinkles, do it immediately while the coating is still soft. If you are going to decorate using a different color on top of the white, wait until Candy Melt has firmed up. Sprinkles will only adhere to a soft texture. I used green Candy Melts to make Christmas trees and poinsettias then added the sprinkles while the Candy Melt was still soft. Stick each pop into the styrofoam so they will not touch each other.

NOTE: You can really have fun with these and use your imagination for decorating. As I was doing this project I thought of many other ideas. Next time I make them I'll be doing more creative designs. It was a daunting project but lots of fun. Be sure to set aside enough time. I made them over a two day period and they stayed very moist and extremely tasty! Tom and I thought they were delicious!

Here's the package all ready to go. Jim will probably notice that we left out the two chocolate pops. Tom and I had to do a taste test before we sent them off to make sure they were fabulous. Besides, the chocolate didn't go with the bright, shiny reds, greens and white. Lol.






Bon appetit,
Anita and Tom