Recipe: Cake Pops

I love cake. Like, a lot. And, I really got excited over the "let's put everything good on a stick" trend. Pies, cake, brownies; all of it. But, I have to say that one thing I don't like about those fancy cake pop makers is the lack of frosting. Just dry cake with hard chocolate over it is not okay with me. But, I was also the kid at everyone's birthday party scraping the icing off of the whole cake to have for myself. And, maybe even asking other kids if they were going to eat theirs. Maybe. It was a long time ago, so I could be wrong... Anyways, I found this version of cake pops via the A Beautiful Mess blog a while back, and decided to make the treats in time for Valentine's Day. So, here's what you'll need:

9x13 baking dish, store-bought cake mix, some variety of frosting, chocolate chips of your choice, sprinkles,  and cake pop sticks.

Follow the prep/baking directions on your box-mix, and let your cake cool completely. In a mixing bowl, break it up with your fingers and add half of the frosting from the container (8 oz/1 cup). Use your hands to incorporate the frosting into the cake crumbs. It should look like the mixture above.

Line two baking pans with parchment paper, and begin to roll the cake mixture into 1/2 to 1 inch balls.Once you're done with this, add your sticks into the cake balls and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In two microwave-safe bowls, add a cup of your chocolate chips. I used white and milk chocolate for mine. You could also use the colored melting chocolate, but I personally think the real chips taste better. Heat the chocolate on high for one minute, and stir. If the chips aren't completely melted after the first minute, continue to heat in 10-second intervals until it is. This will prevent any scorching. Dip your cake pops into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to cover and spread it evenly. Decorate as desired with sprinkles or the opposite colored chocolate.

Sit your finished cake pops back onto the parchment covered pans, and refrigerate for at least 15-20 minutes to ensure the coating has set.

And, there you have it! Cake pops without any extra machinery or lack of frosting. These things are sooooo good, and they're small so you can have, like, 5 at a time. Right?

Enjoy the sweet treat, readers. If any of you are still needing something else for your valentine, I can guarantee they'll be impressed by these. And, you can just dump them and eat your cake pops all alone if they aren't. 

With love,

Heather