Cake Pop Machine Vs Handmade

Yesterday I set out to attempt a baking CRAFT that I have been wanting to try for awhile now – CAKE POPS.

Cake Pops (term and assembly method credited mainly to Bakerella) have taken the country by storm.  And what’s not to love?  Cake – icing – toppings – chocolate… all on a STICK.  I bought a set of 2 silicone cake pop molds and spent a few minutes on Google trying to find tips on how to use them.  I didn’t find much.

Instead, I found a post from Love from the Oven – all about making cake pops by hand.  Hmm.  I hadn’t even considered doing that.  I had always figured it was too much work.  But her post convinced me that it was worth a try because they were a little bigger, looked a bit tastier and gave me so many more flavor possibilities.

Easy Eggless Homemade Cake Pops

So let’s start with the silicone mold because I made the pops both ways.  Making the batter was simple – I used Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix because it’s what I had on hand.  I prepared it according to the directions on the box, but I added one extra egg and instead of 1 cup of water, I used 1/2 cup of milk.  (That was a suggestion that came with the silicone mold directions.)

The directions did not say whether or not I should grease the molds, so I did just in case (using non-stick cooking spray).  I filled each of the two bottom molds almost completely.  Then I placed the top molds over the bottom, securing them into place.  (I put the cake pop molds on a baking tray to keep everything a little more sturdy.)

I baked these guys for 16 minutes at 350 degrees.  After they came out of the oven they sat (in the molds) on a cooling rack for a half hour or so before I popped them out and onto a plate.

Easy Homemade Cake Pops Recipe

I had some batter left over from the molds…  that’s what gave me the inspiration to try making cake pops “by hand” as well.  I dumped the rest of the batter into a baking dish and when the molds came out of the oven, this dish went in for about 20 minutes.

After cooling for at least an hour, I was ready to get down and dirty with the cake.  I scored the cake into squares to break it up a bit.

Then I scooped each piece out of the dish, two or three at a time.  I crumbled them by hand into a bowl.  (You could use a food processor to crumble the cake, but honestly, it went so quickly by hand – a food processor might not be worth the hassle.)

Cake Pop Recipe (better Than Starbucks!)

Add 1/2 to 3/4 can of frosting to your cake crumbles.  I used cream cheese frosting – again, because it’s what I had on hand.  Next time I try this I want to make the cake and frosting from scratch!

Now you need to chill your mixture.  You can do this by placing the bowl in the refrigerator for a few hours or in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.  By the time I got around to crumbling and mixing, it was later at night, so I left my bowl in the fridge overnight.

I pulled the silicone mold cake pops out of their container and placed them next to each other.  The difference is pretty obvious – not just the size (because I could have hand rolled mine to be smaller) but the cake pops from the molds will be straight up cake.  They are lighter and fluffier and well, more cake-like.  The pops that I hand rolled are dense, moist and pre-mixed with frosting.

Cake Ball Recipe (step By Step Tutorial)

Helpful tip – sometimes the candy stick has trouble staying in the cake pop – especially when you are dipping it into the thick melted chocolate.  What worked best for me, was to poke a hole into each cake pop with the stick  Then I dipped the stick into the melted chocolate and put the stick back into the cake pop.  I let the pop sit for a few minutes before attempting to dip in the chocolate – letting the stick set a bit.

I held the cake pops over a small bowl and shook various sprinkles over the entire pop.  I placed them standing up in small holes covering the top of a cardboard box.  (A piece of styrofoam would work great for this.)

Now, there were definitely a few OOPS moments along the way – several pops collapsed because I accidentally shoved the sticks in too far.

How To Make Cake Pops At Home

Several pops that threatened to join the carnage pile were saved because I placed them top down on wax paper before they could fall apart.

With the smaller (silicone molded) pops, I tried something else – I left the stick off and just covered them in chocolate.  Then I placed them on wax paper and sprinkled.

I have to say – first attempt – I’m totally pleased.  I am glad that I got over my intimidation and just made them.  I can’t wait to make more!!

Amazon.com: Homemade Cake Pop And Donut Hole Maker Red: Home & Kitchen

And how did I like the molds vs. the by-hand method?  If I was pressed for time, the molds would be AWESOME – they are a total time saver and SO simple to use!  I enjoyed the taste of the hand-made pops way more than the cake that popped out of the molds – so if flavor was my goal, I would go the more labor-intensive route.