Cake Pops!

My best friend is a Wizz in the kichen.  She always has been, even before the Thermomix.  She is the most creative and imaginative person with food that I know.  She loves all of the processes and she loves the event.  So, it was only fitting that the 1st birthday party for her little princess Georgiana, would involve something cool. 

When I found out on Friday night that she was going to be attempting Cake Pops for the 1st Birthday cake, I promptly invited myself to her house at 9am the next morning, to document the adventure.  Luckily, we only live 5 houses away, so at 9am there I was on the doorstep, with my notebook and my camera, ready to go!  So, here it is – Amanda’s Cake Pops!

There are a few steps to this one.  We first need to have a cake of some sort.  You could make the EDC sponge, chocolate cake or even buy one if you wanted.  You then need to make the binding agent for the cake, and then later coat and decorate.  It may look daunting, but is really is quite simple, and I will try to put it into easy to understand terms.

What you will need:

Cookie Sticks (available in cake shops and event spotlight)

60g soft butter

160g cream cheese

480g icing sugar

600g sponge cake (or cake of your choice)

2 x 395gm pack Wiltons Candy Melts or similar

150g white chocolate buttons

decoration for your pops – Cachous, sprinkles….etc

Foam block or floristry block to place the pops in that has been decorated to your theme

Instructions:

Cake

1. In 2 batches, break up the cake and place into the TMX bowl.
2. Set the Thermomix to Closed Lid and Pulse on Turbo 4 times– The consistency should be that of breadcrumbs.
3. Place cake crumbs into bowl and repeat process with remaining cake and set aside in a mixing bowl

Frosting/Binding for Cake Crumbs

1. Place softened butter and cream cheese into TMX bowl and mix on Speed 4 for 1 minute
2. Scrape down bowl and repeat on Speed 4 for 1 minute
3. Scrape down bowl, and turn back on to Speed 3 and graually add the icing sugar
4. Mix for a further 1 minute on Speed 3
5. When the frosting/binding is mixed, add it to the cake crumbs and mix together by hand.
6. At this point, check the consitency.  Depending on the cake you used, you may need to add more crumbs to make it a little firmer.  It must hold together in a ball.  If its too wet, it will slide of your sticks.

Constructing the Pops

1. Using your hands, roll the mix into balls approximately 30g in weight each, and resting them on a flat tray with baking paper
2. Repeat for all of the mixture – you should get about 30-35 balls
3. Now, pick up a ball, and using a Candy stick, gently press the stick into the ball (not all the way through), remove the stick and place hole side down on the tray.  You place it this way, so that the flat edge will be underneath the cake pop – not at the top when you decorate
4. Place the tray into the fridge and refridgerate for 1 hour
5. After 1 hour, place the white chocolate buttons into the microwave and melt them (you could melt it in the TMX, but it is such a small amount and will take longer to clean the bowl out), then put the chocolate into a piping bag with a small/fine tip
6. Take the cake balls out of the fridge and work quickly. 
7. Pipe a small amout of chocolate into the cake ball hole, and quickly push a stick in, then push the cake pop into the foam or floristry block.  The white chocolate with harden around the stick and hold the cake ball in place
8. Repeat for all of the balls and refridgerate the block with the sticks in it again for 20 mins
9. In the TMX bowl, melt the Wiltons Candy Melts on Speed 4 at 50 degrees for 5 mins, then place in a deep container so that the Cake Pop can be submerged (dont get too much chocolate on the stick).
10. Remove the block from the fridge and again, work quickly.  Dip the cake pops into the melted chocolate.  The Candy melts dont run like normal chocolate, so you will need to tap the excess off the ball, on the side of the bowl 
11. If you are using Cachous (the little shiny balls that are used in cake decorating), decorate each pop straight after it is dipped, so that it sticks to the chocolate.
12. If the Candy Melt chocolate starts to harden, heat it up again (this is the joy of Candy Melts – you can melt it over and over again!)
13. Repeat for all pops

Hints & Tips

• You can make smaller pops – just get the smaller sticks and make the balls about 20g each
• Amanda strongly suggests using the Candy Melts.  It can be reheated and doesn’t drip as much as normal chocolate
• Make sure you fridgerate the balls.  The cold balls will ensure the Warm Chocolate (candy melts) set quickly.  If the balls are not cold enough, then the weight of the candy melts as it dries may pull the ball off the stick
• Decorate your foam before you start the whole process
• These things are sweet.  You have to remember that you have a small amount of cake and large amount of chocolate!  But lets face it – they look fabulous!