Vanilla Cake Pops
These delicious little bites are made from fresh sponge cake blended with a cream cheese frosting. Popped on a stick and dipped in a velvety white chocolate coating, these mini treats not only taste wonderful but look impressive.
Vanilla cake
- 120g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 free range eggs, at room temperature
- 180g self-raising flour
- 4 tbsp milk, at room temperature
Vanilla cream cheese frosting
- 80g unsalted butter, softened
- 40g cream cheese, softened
- 200g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
You will also need
- 400 g (1 bag) of white candy melts or white chocolate
- Vegetable oil
- Lollipop sticks
Method
To make the vanilla sponge
- Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
- Lightly grease and line a 25cm round cake tin or a 20cm square cake tin.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla extract.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure they are incorporated each time.
- Gently fold in the flour and milk until fully combined.
- Pour the cake batter in to the tin, and bake for 25-35 minutes or until springy to the touch and a cocktail stick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
To make the cream cheese frosting
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
- Add the icing sugar a little at a time, until fully incorporated.
- Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Place icing the fridge for at least 30 minutes before proceeding.
To assemble the cake pops
- Crumble the cake as finely as possible in to a large bowl. You want the sponge to resemble grains of sand.
- Add the cream cheese frosting to the bowl one tablespoon at a time, bringing the sponge together to create a fudge-like texture. You may not need all the frosting, but keep adding it until the mixture can be squeezed in your palm without crumbling. If the mixture is too dry it will not form balls, but if it is overly wet and it will be too heavy for the lolly stick.
- Wrap the finished mixture in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- When you are ready to make the cake pops, remove the mixture from the fridge. Scoop off a small piece of the dough, about the size of a ping-pong ball, and roll in to a ball.
- Place the balls on a tray lined with baking paper and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up once again.
- Next, melt the candy melts in the microwave for 1 minute on medium power. Stir thoroughly, and if not fully melted return to the microwave for 30 seconds increments, stirring the bowl each time.
- Candy melts do not always achieve the same smooth consistency as melted chocolate. You can create a smoother dip by beating in 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil thoroughly.
- Take a lollipop stick and dip one end into the melted candy by about 2cm. While it is still wet, push this end of the stick in to a cake ball, until just over halfway through. This will help fix the ball to stick. Place on a tray to set, which should take just a couple of minutes.
- When set, dip the cake pop in to the candy melts, twisting it very gently or using a spoon to cover the entire ball. Gently tap the stick on the side of the bowl to remove any excess candy and to create a smooth surface.
- While the coating is still wet you can decorate the pop with sprinkles. Place the pop either cake-down on a tray lined with baking parchment, or to ensure a fully round finish, insert the lolly stick in to a polystyrene block to dry the cake pop upright.
[ Image provided by Mud Cake ]
