These chocolate cake pops were perfect to decorate my Cake Pop Cupcakes.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 18cake pops
Calories 120kcal
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
3/4cupsall-purpose flour95 grams, 3.37 oz
1/4cupunsweetened cocoa powder31 grams, 1 oz
3/4teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonfine sea salt
1/4cupunsalted butter room temperature56 grams, 2 oz
1/2cupgranulated sugar100 grams, 3.5 oz
1/4cupbrown sugar50 grams, 1.75 oz
1egg
1teaspoonsvanilla extract
1/3cupmilk
1/3cuphot brewed coffee*read note
To assemble
Candy meltsI ended up using about 12 ounces of blue candy wafers, and just a few ounces of the white one. Use whatever color you prefer.
About 2 tablespoons of frostingI used some of the Swiss Meringue Buttercream from the recipe above
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Butter one 8″ cake pan and place a parchment paper circle in the bottom of pan. Butter parchment. Set aside.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder, if using it. Set aside.
Cream butter at medium-high speed for 1 minute.
Add sugar slowly, cream for another 2 minutes.
Add eggs to the mixture, one at a time, scraping the bowl in between and making sure the first egg is incorporated before adding the second one.
Add vanilla extract and mix.
Slowly add milk, mix to combine.
Pour dry ingredients over wet mixture.
Fold with a spatula slowly, until ingredients are just combined.
If you see big clumps of cocoa powder, you can use the whisk to try to gently smooth the batter out.
Once batter is incorporated, pour hot coffee in the bowl. Whisk until combined.
Pour batter evenly onto baking pan.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-25 min. After the 10 minute mark, keep checking regularly, because you don’t want to burn your cake or overbake it. Rotate cake when necessary. If the cake is starting to get overbaked on the outside but still raw inside, cover it with some foil to finish baking. Remove cake from the oven once a toothpick comes our clean once inserted in the cake, or better yet, just test it by touching the surface of the cake lightly with your finger. If it springs right back, means your cake is done.
Once you remove it from the oven, wait 10 minutes, flip cake onto a cookie cooling rack and let cake cool.
Once cool, wrap each layer individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble cake pops
This recipe will make about 16 cake pops, depending on the size that you will shape them.
Cut cake into pieces with your hands as you place it in the food processor. Process cakes until crumbled. Add frosting and process until the whole mixture becomes literally a dough.
If mixture hasn’t become a dough yet, add a bit more frosting. But be aware, don’t add too much. Add just the amount necessary. Test by the teaspoon.
Once it comes together, you can use a cookie scoop to form balls, roll them between your hands, and place them in a cookie sheet.
At this point, you can freeze the cake balls, but be aware you will have to thaw them completely and let them come to room temperature before dipping them. This is important because if you dip the frozen pops, they will expand as they come to room temperature and will crack the coating.
Anyway, to procees, you have to melt your candy melts in the microwave, or according to package instructions.
You want its consistency to be almost like paint from a can.
Dip the end of a cake pop stick in the melted coating. Remove excess. Insert it into cake ball.
Do this to all cake balls. Let the coating set.
Once set, you may start dipping the cake pops.
Dip them by simply dunking them at a 90 degree angle, and pulling them up vertically, without swirling or moving the cake pop around in the coating bowl.
Pull the cake pop up and hold it vertically for quite a bit of time to remove excess coating.
Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles, which may also cause cracking in the coating.
Place your pops on a foam board, or cake pop stand. Let them dry.
Once dry, melt the white coating, and place it in a zip log bag. Cut a very tiny hole at the end.
Holding a cake pop on the horizontal, start piping some white coating moving your hand forward and backward as you rotate the cake pop to form the lines on the cake pop.
Storage
Cake pops will keep well in an air-tight container, at room temperature (granted you haven't used any frosting that requires refrigeration to make your cake pops) for 7-10 days.
Notes
*You can skip the coffee and use hot water instead if that’s your preference. Sometimes I also add some espresso powder to the batter on top of the coffee, about 1/2 teaspoon.