Pastry Chef Michelle Born | Cake Pop Recipe

February 9, 2012

< Back to blog

Italian Kitchen’s resident Pastry Chef, Michelle Born, shares with us a Cake Pop recipe—perfect for any occasion! Enjoy.

Chocolate Cake Pops

What You Will Need
Cake mix (or homemade-see recipe below)
Frosting (or homemade-see recipe below)
Lollipop sticks
Candy Melts or Sweetened Chocolate
Sprinkles
Icing Tubes
Styrofoam (to stand lollipops in)

Method

• Either make your favorite from-scratch recipe or follow the instructions on the box.
  Once your cake is cooled – really cooled – crumble it up into a bowl.
• Stir in your jar (or homemade) frosting, a little at a time. Once it reaches a nice consistency that will cling together when you roll it in a ball, you’re there.
• Place the mixture in the fridge. Once it’s nice and cool, you’ll want to start rolling it into balls.
• This is really baker’s choice – how big, what shape and how to make them.
• Roll your cake mash into ball-like pieces. About 1 ¹/₄” in diameter.
• Refrigerate until firm.
• Following the instructions on the package of candy melts,  put them in a bowl in the microwave, on 50% power for 1¹/₂ minutes.
• Stir them and heat them again at 50% for 30 sec.
• Repeat until nice and melted, then repeat once more for superior dipping quality.
• Get the cake balls out of the fridge, get your lollipop sticks ready, and dip them slightly in the melted candy before inserting them half-to-three-quarters way in to each cake ball.
• Place your cake balls in the refrigerator once again to set the chocolate and the stick.
• Dip your newly-sticked cake pops into the candy coating and rotate to ensure even coverage.
• Stand the dipped pops into styrofoam to let drip-dry.
• Add sprinkles while the cake pops are wet.
• You can also decorate with icing tubes.

Chocolate Cake:
4 ounces (120 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (240 ml) boiling water
2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) milk

Chocolate Cake Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray, two – 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) round baking pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment or wax paper.

In a heatproof bowl place the chopped unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and cocoa powder and stir until they have melted. Set aside to cool while you make the batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy (this will take about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture and beat to combine.

Add the flour (in three additions) and milk (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until the ingredients are mixed together. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 35 – 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center just comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then remove the cakes from their pans and cool completely on a greased wire rack before frosting.

Frosting:
5 ounces (140 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
4 cups (1 pound) (454 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (113 grams) softened unsalted butter, diced

Frosting Method: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Then place the melted chocolate, milk, confectioners sugar, salt, and vanilla extract in the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (can use a hand mixer). Add the softened butter and beat on low speed until moistened and you have a smooth mixture (about 2 minutes). Then increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat frosting for about 3-5 minutes or until frosting is of spreading consistency. If necessary, add more milk or sugar.