MAKE CAKE POPS
There’s no denying the novel appeal of cake pops; after all, everyone loves food on a stick, and if it’s dessert, even better.
Making a simple homemade yellow cake was easy enough and far superior to anything from a box; baking it in an 8-inch square pan gave us just enough cake for about three dozen pops.
But while traditional frosting worked as a binder, tasters found the pops overwhelmingly sweet. Moistening the crumbs with milk worked well instead and a couple of tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar provided just enough sweetness.
Briefly freezing the cookie dough like cake balls made them firm enough to stay put on sticks, and also helped set the coating of melted chocolate chips (chips worked better than bar chocolate because their stabilizers created a smooth, snappy coating).
Use a 2-cup liquid measuring cup to melt the chocolate; its tall, narrow sides allow for easier coating of the cake balls. You’ll need a floral foam block to stand the cake pops upright as the coating sets.
Or stand the dipped cake pops upside down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (this will give the tops a flat appearance). To tint the coating, add drops of food colouring to the melted white chocolate chips.
Party Cake Pops
Makes 36 cake pops
1 1⁄2 cups (7 1⁄2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 tsp salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup sour cream
1 large egg plus 2 large yolks, room temperature
1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup milk
2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar 2 1⁄2 cups (15 ounces) white chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips Lollipop sticks Multicoloured nonpareil sprinkles
Start to finish: four hours Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pan.
Whisk flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt together in bowl of stand mixer. Fit stand mixer with paddle; add butter, sour cream, egg and yolks, and vanilla; and beat on medium speed until smooth and satiny,
about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula and stir by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Bake until light golden and toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about two hours. (Cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 24
hours.)
In clean, dry bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle, break cake into rough 1-inch pieces. Add milk and confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium-low speed until broken into fine, evenly moistened crumbs and cohesive dough begins to form, about one minute, scraping down bowl as needed.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Working with one packed tablespoon cake mixture at a time, roll into balls and place in single layer on prepared sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm but still pliable, 45 minutes to one hour.
Microwave 2 cups chocolate chips in 2-cup liquid measuring cup at 50 per cent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, one to two minutes. Working with one cake ball at a time, insert lollipop stick into cake ball, stopping at centre. Dip entire cake ball into melted chocolate and turn until completely coated (tipping measuring cup to the side as needed). Lift up from chocolate (do not turn upright) and gently shake side to side to allow excess coating to drip off evenly. Turn cake pop upright, gently twist back and forth to even out coating, and insert stick into foam block. Sprinkle with nonpareils. Stir and rewarm chocolate in microwave as needed to stay fluid; add remaining ½ cup chocolate chips and melt when chocolate level becomes too low to dip easily. (If cake balls become too soft, refreeze until firm.)
Let cake pops sit at room temperature until coating is set, about 30 minutes. Serve. (Cake pops can be kept at room temperature for up to four hours or refrigerated for up to three days; bring to room temperature before serving.)
Per cake pop: 132 calories (62 calories, or 47 per cent from fat); 7 grams fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 27 milligrams cholesterol; 35 mg sodium; 16 g carbohydrate; 0 g fibre; 12 g sugar; 2 g protein.