Chocolate Cake Pops
Recently, my daughter went to Starbucks and bought my almost 2-year-old granddaughter one of their cake pops. As she gave it to her, she told her it was a special treat. Well, kids and elephants have one thing in common—they never forget! The next trip to Starbucks, my granddaughter immediately asked for a “special treat.”
I’d long seen recipes for cake pops but never had any reason to make them. I definitely wasn’t interested in any of the recipes that called for a cake mix and instant frosting—ugh. Now, that my granddaughter considered them special treats, it was time to try my hand at it.
After a little searching, I found this recipe which called for a homemade cake and frosting. It was definitely a culinary home run! Since I’ve never had a cake pop from Starbucks myself, I can’t make a comparison—but what I can tell you is these cake pops are like eating the most decadent fudgy truffle on a stick you’ve ever had. 🙂 It’s a good thing the recipe makes 36 cake pops because my husband would have eaten most of them before my granddaughter visited. And I would have helped him do it!
Now, the cake pops are reasonably easy to make—but, having said that, there are many time-consuming steps involved. It’s definitely a labor of love, but who doesn’t love their grandchildren?
Chocolate Cake Pops
Ingredients for the Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup very hot water (must be steaming hot!)
Ingredients for the Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbl. heavy cream
Assembly
- 15 oz. chocolate or white chocolate melting wafers (I used Wilton’s Candy Melts)
- Sprinkles or Oreo cookie crumbs for decorating optional
Recommended Equipment
- 1½-tbl. cookie scoop
- 3 empty cardboard egg cartons
- Skewer to make holes in egg cartons
- Lollipop sticks
Directions for Cake
Due to copyright laws, you will need to go to the Sugar Spun Run website for the cake pop directions. I’ve posted a few of my photos to help guide you in making them. It’s worth the trip!
Here, I’ve started crumbling the cake into pieces and added it to the frosting in my mixing bowl.
This is what the consistency of the cake pops looks like. You should be able to form a ball easily.
I was able to form 36 cake pop balls.
I used a stainless steel skewer to make holes for the lollipop sticks in the bottom of my egg cartons.
Don’t you just want to grab one? 🙂
I felt like I was eating a chocolate truffle on a stick–so decadently fudgy. Yum!
Source: A recipe from Sugar Spun Run