Chocolate that’s too thick. Chocolate that’s too runny. Chocolate challenges. Why is my chocolate so thick? How do I think out my chocolate? Why isn’t my chocolate setting up? These are very common questions.
I am NOT an expert and do not claim to be, but since this seems to be a challenge that so many people share, I thought I would address it and at least share what I have learned in my baking. My disclaimer is that these are my opinions and experiences, and may not hold true for everyone.
The first thing that comes to mind is what kind of chocolate I do not use, and that would be chocolate chips.
Cake Balls Recipe
Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate chips and use a lot of them, but not for items I’m dipping in chocolate.
So what chocolate do I use? I use a variety of chocolate coating products. Chocolate coatings, also referred to as candy melts, confectionery coating, almond bark, chocolate melts, candy coating, are similar to “real” chocolate but have slightly different ingredients. Chocolate coatings usually contain vegetable fats, which have a higher melting temperature and allow for easier and more forgiving chocolate melting. They melt fairly easily and harden up nicely. True chocolate is much more fickle when it comes to melting and must be tempered. It certainly tastes better, but can present some challenges which is why it’s not the most common choice for home baking.
I usually buy this chocolate from my local baking supply store, ABC Cake Decorating where they have a variety of colors and flavors.
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My favorite chocolate to pick up at the grocery store is Candiquik. I find that it melts smoothly, quickly and easily, and you can melt it right in the container it comes in, which is great for clean up. I find it’s consistent to work with and has a great taste. If you haven’t, check out Miss Candiquik’s blog -(aka Sarah) where you’ll find lots of great ideas and recipes as well as tips and tricks. Sarah and I have similar dessert tastes, so if you enjoy my recipes, you really should check out her site.
These are probably one of the most readily available chocolate melting products. Michael’s carries them as do most Walmarts. In my opinion it’s one of the thicker chocolates, which can make it a bit harder to work with. Again, that’s just my little opinion.
Well – a lot. The ingredients. The quality. How they melt. The heating times. Personal preferences. Pretty much everything. The time and heat setting you use to melt one chocolate may scorch another chocolate and not begin to melt yet another. The flavors vary. All melting chocolate is not the same. Here are two great links discussing different chocolates…
Cakeball Pops And The Secret To Dipping Anything In Chocolate
Often this is a result of overheating your chocolate. Two words of advice to remember when heating chocolate… low and slow. I almost always heat all of my chocolate, no matter what brand, at 50% power in my microwave and in very short bursts – usually starting with 30 seconds and then going 10-15 seconds at a time after that. Chocolate will often hold it’s shape and appear to not be melted, but if you start to really stir, it melts down. Once you overheat chocolate, which can be done much more quickly than many people realize, it will become very difficult to work with.
There are ways to thin out your chocolate. My go to product is Paramount Crystals. What are Paramount Crystals? Paramount Crystals are made of vegetable oils and are used to help thin out your chocolate.
I always have these on hand, and often add a teaspoon or so to my chocolate – my theory is always start with a tiny bit, as it’s easy to add more, but once you add too much of anything – that’s a whole other problem. If you dip anything in chocolate more than a few times a year, I highly recommend ordering a bag.
Nutella Cake Pops Recipe
Other things can be added to chocolate to help thin it out – I know some people use shortening such as Crisco or even vegetable oil. Again, start with a tiny bit and add as needed.
Yes, you can, but I will say that I personally do not. Given the challenges of chocolates, I really prefer not to throw anything else in to the mix (literally and figuratively). Chocolate melts come in so many colors, check out the Merckens color chart of the colors they have, as well as what you can mix the colors to create…
If I want my chocolate a particular color, I buy that color, but I find that sticking with white chocolate and adding my color through sprinkles is easy and probably more economical. White chocolate can become any color once I cover it in some sanding sugar. That said, if you want to color your chocolate, make sure that you use an oil-based color and not a water based. Water and chocolate do not mix – it’s like a law, and probably illegal in some states.
Chocolate Cake Pops
Flavored chocolate coatings, but if I do want to use them. I buy the chocolate already flavored. ABC has Guittard Chocolate available in flavors such as mint, lemon, strawberry and orange. You can purchase oil based flavors if you would like to flavor your chocolate.
It’s important to have patience when you are dipping items in chocolate. If the chocolate is too hot and runny, then it is likely that your sprinkles will fall off, and take gobs of chocolate with them. If the chocolate sets up too much, the sprinkles won’t stick. There’s sort of a middle ground you have to find, and for me it’s a combination of patience and tapping off excess chocolate. You can see a video of me making chocolate pretzels here, which shows how I tap, tap, tap the excess chocolate off prior to covering my pretzel in sprinkles.
When I make cake pops, I find that I do a lot of twirling of my cake pop prior to putting the sprinkles on. I sort of tap and slowly twirl over my chocolate bowl until the drip drops stop and I can add my sprinkles, at which point I usually still continue to twirl the cake pop a bit. If I immediately put the cake pop down, I will often have some sprinkles slide off, compared to spending an extra minute holding and keeping the cake pop moving, allowing the chocolate to set.
How To Make Cake Pops (with Pictures)
Another factor is the weight of the sprinkles. Great big sprinkles weigh more, and thus are a bit more likely to fall off or slide around on your cake pop. I really prefer sanding and crystal sugars, as they are fairly light, I like the taste and they are easy to work with.
One other bit of advice I find helpful is to chill my cake pops, Peeps, marshmallows, whatever I’m using prior to dipping it in the chocolate. This helps the chocolate set up a bit quicker. You don’t want to freeze anything for too long, or you can experience some cracking when your chocolate dries, and the cake pop expands slightly.
And remember never mix your chocolate and water or you are likely to have the chocolate police show up and take away your chocolate. And microwave. Okay, maybe not, but it won’t be a great chocolate experience.It's hard to imagine anything as kid-friendly as these cake pops—crumbled pieces of cake combined with frosting, rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate.
How To Make Best Cake Pops Recipe For Lazy People
Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 13x9-inch cake, blending dry pudding mix into batter before pouring into prepared pan. Cool completely.
Use pulsing action of food processor to process cake, in batches, until fine crumbs form. Place crumbs in large bowl. Add small amount of frosting; mix well with your hands. Mix in remaining frosting; roll into 40 (1-inch) balls.
Cover baking sheet with parchment. Melt white chocolate in microwave as directed on package. Dip end of 1 lollipop stick into melted chocolate, then insert coated end halfway into 1 cake ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with 19 additional lollipop sticks and 19 of the remaining cake balls. Dip balls, 1 at a time, in remaining melted chocolate; gently shake coated ball over bowl of melted chocolate to remove excess chocolate before returning cake ball to prepared baking sheet.
How To Make Cake Pops At Home
You can also crumble the cake by using your hands. Put chunks of cake into large mixing bowl and use your hands to crumble it into fine crumbs. If you use this method, cut off and discard the hard edges of the baked cake before crumbling into crumbs.
Sprinkle coated cake pops with unsweetened cocoa powder, small candies, crushed cookies or chopped mixed nuts immediately after coating cake balls with the melted chocolate. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to the melted white chocolate before using as directed.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only.
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