Sunday, December 11, 2011

Red Velvet Cake Pops



Update: Second attempt at cake pops was much more successful and pretty!




The cupcake trend is over, at least in New York, which is really what counts.   I would venture to say the whole cupcake trend really got started back in 2000ish when Carrie and Miranda enjoyed Magnolia cupcakes on Sex and the City.  Once Magnolia hit it big, cupcake shops were popping up everywhere.  They’ve had a good run.  And, don’t get me wrong, I still love a good cupcake and will continue to bake them from time to time; however, I am glad to throw some different celebratory treats into the rotation.

On that note, a coworker recently mentioned making cake pops.  The only time I’ve had cake pops was in the form of insane deliciousness at Townhouse.  Those are cheesecake and the presentation is something to talk about in and of itself.  

Mine weren’t as divine as David Burkes, but then again this is an amateur venture. 

The recipes I found when googling “cake pops” basically involved crumbling cake mix, adding canned frosting to form balls, and then covering them with some sort of candy coating.  While I may not be David Burke, I also refuse to be Sandra Lee so I wasn’t about to use a cake mix and canned frosting.    Because the pops would be for Emily’s birthday (she turned 29 again, as I will in a few months!) I went with her favorite cake combination and combined red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate candy coating.  I have to say, these were rather party-perfect in their miniature size. 

The best part is these can be done in any combination of cake and frosting flavors you can imagine - vanilla/vanilla, chocolate/chocolate, lemon/vanilla, red velvet/cream cheese, cheesecake, chocolate/mocha, chocolate/peanut butter.  Coat in candy shell (better than chocolate because it hardens at room temperature and doesn’t melt) and decorate as desired.  Trust me you will impress people, and as I continue to say, that is really what it’s all about.

Happy Popping! 


Recipe:
Here is a recipe for red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting.  

Directions:
  • Once the cake is baked and cooled, crumble it into a large bowl. 


  • Mix in frosting with fingers (embrace the messy).  You can store this mixture in the fridge for a day or two if you want to get a head start on this long process.
  • Roll the mixture into small balls.  If you want to get very uniform shapes they sell cake pop molds – or use a melon baller.  You should get about 40-50 pops out the mixture. 


  • Chill the formed pops in the freezer for a few hours.
  • Melt the candy coating by following the directions on the package.  I recommend heating in a double boiler.
  • Dip the end of the popsicle stick into the candy melts and insert into the cake ball.  Allow to harden in the fridge for about ten minutes.  (I did not read this great tip until after I had made my pops.  It helps the cake to stay on the stick.  Sadly, a few of mine did not make it… This extra dip also would have covered the spot that did not get coated with white chocolate on many of the pops... an added bonus!  Let me know how it goes for you!)
  • Dip in chocolate and lay on wax paper until they are firm.  You can also display up-side-down in a block of Styrofoam should you want to get fancy.

Even though I just finished saying how I'm over cupcakes, I did make one for the birthday girl.  She loves red velvet and I couldn't fit a candle in a cake pop.  This candle was too awesome not to get used.


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