How to Make THE Perfect Cake Pop

Many of you...okay three of you...have been requesting this for awhile and since I've got a four hour layover  in Atlanta with nothing to do besides people watch I decided to give the people what they want. Here it is - my long awaited post on the perfect cake pop.

There are a couple different ways you can go about making these babies. Sometimes you get home from work at 8:00 p.m. and you are completely exhausted and literally THE last thing on Earth you want to do is slave away in the kitchen for hours making cake pops for that engagement shower, bridal shower, baby shower. Why God why do I have so many friends doing all of the aforementioned things?!? In these instances, I highly advise using a boxed cake mix and store-bought frosting. My personal fave is Pillsbury Moist Supreme even though I despise that word. Moist. Ick. Feel free to try different brands. Experiment. Knock yourself out.

If you're feeling particularly ambitious, and you want to be showered with compliments then I suggest baking a White Almond Sour Cream cake. If you've never baked with almond extract before then you truly haven't lived my friend. Seriously. It's ah-maze-ing. I've even starting putting a little bit in chocolate chip cookies, but I've digressed. This is my go-to recipe for white cakes, and it has never disappointed. Ever. I'll even fill you in on a little secret - it starts with a boxed cake mix. Obviously you don't need to broadcast this to the universe. Let people think you are awesome. I won't tell if you don't tell. Your secret is safe with me. Note - This makes A LOT of cake so unless you are planning to feed a small army I would advise halving the recipe.

White Almond Sour Cream Cake 

2 boxes white cake mix
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 egg whites
2 2/3 cup water
4 T vegetable oil
2 cups sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Slowly add egg whites, oil, sour cream and extract, being sure to mix well after each addition. Bake at 325 degrees in a greased 9 x 13 pan until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

After baking, let the cake cool for a couple minutes, but not completely. Start breaking up cake and transferring to a large bowl with a spoon. With two forks crumble the cake until you are left with ultra fine crumbs. The finer the better. I start with the center of the cake and slowly work my way outwards. I usually try to avoid using the harder, crispier edges because it creates lumps in your cake balls when you roll them. Also, I find it impossible to bake a cake without eating a little bit so if you don't use the edges it will give you a little something something to snack on throughout the remainder of the process. Prettier cake pops and a full belly - a win win in my opinion.

Next it's time to mix the cake crumbs with about 3/4 jar of frosting to form the "dough". Again, if you are ambitious you can make some from scratch, but if not, store-bought frosting will suffice. I usually use vanilla frosting for white cakes and chocolate for chocolate cake etc. but again you can switch it up here. Get creative. I find it helpful to refrigerate the dough for a little bit before rolling so it doesn't get quite as messy, but that is probably just my OCD anal-ness shining through. I don't like getting dirty.

Once the dough is chilled roll into balls, and insert lollipop sticks about 2/3 of the way through the ball. Then head back to the fridge/freezer (wherever you have space) to chill them until they're firm. This will make the chocolate coating much much easier.

If you want basic vanilla or chocolate cake pops then you can buy Almond Bark at just about any grocery store. If you want to be a little fancier then you can pick up colored candy melts at a baking supply store, Hobby Lobby, or Michael's. I also highly advise picking up some Paramount Crystals (also found at a baking supply store) to thin your chocolate. This will help ensure your chocolate coating goes on evenly. Start with a tablespoon, and you can always add more. Microwave chocolate and crystals for 30 seconds to start. Chocolate can be quite finicky, and there is no way to revive overcooked chocolate so after the first 30 seconds increase in 10-15 second increments. Be sure to stir chocolate each time to avoid overheating since it holds it's shape even when warm.

Remove cake pops from the freezer, and re-roll to remove any imperfections or lumps (if there are any). To coat with chocolate, I usually hold the cake pop in my left hand, and pour chocolate over the cake ball with a spoon in the other. Be sure to gently tap the cake pop against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate before placing on a cookie sheet to solidify completely. Lately I've been absolutely obsessed with edible glitter so I've been sprinkling that on once the cake pops are on the cookie sheet. I love sparkles on everything...even my food. If glitter isn't your thing you could also add sprinkles, or just leave them plain. I promise they'll taste delicious either way.

If your first batch doesn't turn out perfectly don't fret. We can't all be as perfect as me. I kid. I kid. Seriously though, the first time I made these they were ugly blobs.

If anyone has any other helpful pointers feel free to sound off in the comments. I'm always looking for ways to improve this process since I seem to be making them almost weekly. Can people stop getting married and having babies already? K thanks.