Doughnut cake pops

Children adore these lollipop-style treats. Let them help crumble the cake, roll the cake balls and decorate them. Make sure they are well chilled at each stage or they may crumble or come off the sticks.

INGREDIENTS

12 – 15 lollipop sticks 300g vanilla sponge or madeira cake (home-made or bought)

20 - 45g buttercream

For the topping:

400g white chocolate

1 – 2 tsp vegetable oil One pack of 100’s and 1000’s or tiny stars

METHOD:

Crumble the cake with your hands or use a food processor.

Add 2 tablespoons of buttercream to the crumbs and mix them together by hand or in the food processor until fully combined. The cake should clump together so you can form it into balls. If it still crumbles add a little more buttercream. Add gradually — if you add too much it can become heavy.

Roll the cake crumbs into evenly sized balls. You can either measure them in a tablespoon measure or weigh each one — approximately 25g each. Press each one into a doughnut shape.

Place on a tray or plate lined with baking parchment and freeze for at least 15 minutes. It will make it easier to insert the stick.

Melt the chocolate for the coating by microwaving in 30 second bursts, stirring gently with a spatula in between. Don’t overheat. Once smooth, dip a lollipop stick a couple of centimetres into the chocolate, then gently push halfway into a cake ball

Freeze the cake pops for at least 15 minutes — it helps ensure they don’t come off the stick when you dip them.

Pour the melted chocolate into a glass or mug (it needs to be deep) and stir in the oil to loosen it to coat the pops.

Take a cake pop from the freezer and dip in chocolate until completely covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off and then decorate with 100’s and 1000’s or tiny stars. Place onto a styrofoam block, cake pop stand or upturned colander and leave to dry fully. If the chocolate cools and gets thick, warm it in the microwave for a few seconds.