What on earth are cake pops? A cake pop is essentially small balls of cake styled as lollipops. To make cake pops I bake a regular chocolate cake then deconstruct it into crumbs and mix with some rich chocolatey ganache. Then I form them into small spheres pop them onto a skewer (sharp ends removed) before giving them another coating of ganache and dipping them into edible decorations like sprinkles and chopped peanuts. Cake pops can also be a great way of using up leftover cake.
Why I love cake pops is 1. they are different to just baking a regular cake and are great for little people who might otherwise not eat a whole slice of cake and 2. It makes a cake go a lot further (budget friendly). For example you may only get 10 slices out of a regular sized 1 tier cake but with cake pops, although a lot smaller will make 20 portions so more people can get a hit of sweetness.
Also, don’t you agree they look just fabulous? I styled mine an edible bouquet and took them around to a dinner party. They are the perfect cute little edible gift for your friends and family and it’s super fun watching grown adults get excited about a lollipop-shaped cake that has sprinkles!
I bake this cake recipe at 180 degrees for 35 minutes in the oven before turning the oven off, opening the door slightly ajar and letting the cake cool. You’re oven might be quite different so have a super quick peek at the 30 min mark to see if your cake has any wobble on top. If there’s wobble give it a few more minutes but if it looks mostly solid, turn it off. Another thing I like to do with all my baking is to keep an oven thermometer on the shelf next to the cake so I can be sure of the temperature, sometimes oven can do some weird voodoo tricks and try to sabotage your masterpiece but so long as you have a handy oven thermometer you can always be one step ahead and cook with confidence.
This recipe yields enough for approx 20 cake pops each weighed at 25g each.
If you make this recipe, I would love your feedback, Feel free to drop a comment below or comment on my social media channels Or you can even tag me in your creations #theplantritionist I would love to see what you’re all getting up to in your kitchens, so stay in touch
Talitha
x
Set oven to 180 degrees (mine is gas) and line a spring form tin with parchment paper. Don't worry about not being able to flatten the edges of the parchment paper as we are going to deconstruct this cake at the end anyway.
Add all of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Strain off 1/2 cup chickpea brine (aquafaba) and add to the mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients.
using a cake beater, start on low speed and work up to high speed for approximately 1 minute until all ingredients are well incorporated. scrape down the bowl half way through to ensure everything is mixed in well.
Pour the cake batter into your lined cake tin and place in the oven to cook for approximately 35 minutes or until there is no wobble on top. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly to allow the cake to cool down gradually. Note it's ok for this cake to be slightly 'under' you don't want wet wobbly batter but it's OK if it is not firm like a normal cake.
While your cake is cooling, add coconut cream into a small saucepan over medium heat and just as it starts to boil, turn off the heat and add in your dark chocolate. Allow the chocolate to sit in the mixture for a minute or two and then fold through the cream until you're left with a lovely thick ganache. Set aside while you make your cake into cake pops.
break up your chocolate cake into crumbs - a very efficient way and the best way in my opinion is to add the broken pieces of cake to a food processor for about 10 seconds. You'll be left with a lot of cake crumbs.
Roll into balls approx 25g each, about the size of a small golf ball and roll the top half of the cake pop in ganache and then sprinkle your toppings on top - if you try and roll in toppings you might find the ganache sticks to the toppings making it harder to use as you continue so for this reason I recommend sprinkling toppings on top. Insert a popsicle stick or skewer, then place onto some parchment paper. Repeat until all the mixture has been used up. Place in the fridge to set for at least 30 mins before serving.
If you are making these a day or two ahead of time I would recommend storing them in an air tight container so that they will retain the moisture and not end up dry. You could also consider coating the whole ball in ganache to further seal in moisture.
Ingredients
Directions
Set oven to 180 degrees (mine is gas) and line a spring form tin with parchment paper. Don't worry about not being able to flatten the edges of the parchment paper as we are going to deconstruct this cake at the end anyway.
Add all of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Strain off 1/2 cup chickpea brine (aquafaba) and add to the mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients.
using a cake beater, start on low speed and work up to high speed for approximately 1 minute until all ingredients are well incorporated. scrape down the bowl half way through to ensure everything is mixed in well.
Pour the cake batter into your lined cake tin and place in the oven to cook for approximately 35 minutes or until there is no wobble on top. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly to allow the cake to cool down gradually. Note it's ok for this cake to be slightly 'under' you don't want wet wobbly batter but it's OK if it is not firm like a normal cake.
While your cake is cooling, add coconut cream into a small saucepan over medium heat and just as it starts to boil, turn off the heat and add in your dark chocolate. Allow the chocolate to sit in the mixture for a minute or two and then fold through the cream until you're left with a lovely thick ganache. Set aside while you make your cake into cake pops.
break up your chocolate cake into crumbs - a very efficient way and the best way in my opinion is to add the broken pieces of cake to a food processor for about 10 seconds. You'll be left with a lot of cake crumbs.
Roll into balls approx 25g each, about the size of a small golf ball and roll the top half of the cake pop in ganache and then sprinkle your toppings on top - if you try and roll in toppings you might find the ganache sticks to the toppings making it harder to use as you continue so for this reason I recommend sprinkling toppings on top. Insert a popsicle stick or skewer, then place onto some parchment paper. Repeat until all the mixture has been used up. Place in the fridge to set for at least 30 mins before serving.
If you are making these a day or two ahead of time I would recommend storing them in an air tight container so that they will retain the moisture and not end up dry. You could also consider coating the whole ball in ganache to further seal in moisture.
