CHRISTMAS BAUBLE CAKE POPS

The great thing about these

is that they last a good while, as the buttercream keeps the cake very moist,

all sealed in with a thin layer of chocolate. You will need cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks for these.

Makes 12-16 INGREDIENTS

For the cake

100g butter, plus extra for

greasing 100g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 medium eggs

¼ tsp almond extract

Zest of 1 orange 130g self-raising flour

2 tbsp whole milk

For the buttercream

70g butter

140g icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1-2 tbsp whole milk

For the coating

250g white chocolate or candy melts (available from

Hobbycraft)

For the icing

100g icing sugar, or as needed 20g egg white (about ½ an egg

white), or as needed

To decorate

Tiny amount of vegetable oil Edible glitter in festive colours

50g white fondant

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/Gas 5. Grease an 18cm round

cake tin. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla bean paste. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, and then gradually add them to the butter and sugar mixture, whisking well after each addition. Add the almond extract and orange zest and

whisk again. Add the self-raising flour,

and stir until just combined. Add the milk and whisk to loosen

the batter. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, and bake for 15-20

minutes until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out on to a wire rack, remove the baking paper, and leave

to fully cool. Meanwhile, make the

buttercream. Cream together the butter and icing sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and milk (adding it gradually – you might not need it all), and whisk again until smooth and silky. When the cake is cool, remove any thick crusts, and then use your hands to crumble the cake until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the buttercream to this, and then stir until well combined. Use the palms of your hands to shape balls of the mixture (about 35-45g each) – try to make sure they are as smooth and round as possible. Place on a tray in the fridge for about two hours or until very firm. Next, melt the white chocolate or candy melts. You can melt this in the microwave in short bursts, stirring well in between, or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Dip the end of a stick into the chocolate (about 1cm), then carefully stick this into the base of a cake ball. Repeat with the rest of the sticks and balls and leave to set in the fridge for 10 minutes. Reheat the chocolate if necessary, then dip each cake pop into the chocolate, covering the whole surface of the cake. Let the excess drip off, then place upright (sticking the sticks into styrofoam, or similar, works) and leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the royal icing. Whisk together the icing sugar and egg white until smooth, then adjust with more sugar or more egg to get a stiff piping consistency. Transfer to a piping bag and snip a small tip. Set aside for now. Once the chocolate coating is set, you can easily pull the sticks out, and then start decorating the cake pops to turn them into miniature Christmas baubles. To do this, rub a tiny amount of vegetable oil over the chocolate coating, then use a brush to dab edible glitter over each bauble to completely cover the chocolate coating. Finally, mould a piece of fondant by hand so that it is shaped like the metal hook that sits on top of a bauble. Coat this in a tiny amount of oil and cover with edible glitter again. Use the royal icing to stick this on top of the bauble and then pipe royal icing in decorative patterns over the baubles.

Allow to set.