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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

A Lesson In Patience - Valentines Day Cake Pops


 

 

 

 

I was at Rylees Ace Hardware on Michigan Avenue recently to demonstrate how to make Cake Pops.  You say a hardware store?  Well owner Lori  has an entire kitchen area in her flagship store.  It’s rather lovely, and unique.  I always tell our guests you never know what you’ll find going on at Rylees Ace Hardware!

 

This time it was Cake Pops. Now this is not a particularly difficult process, but it is time consuming.  You have to have patience.  The chocolate or coating has to be just the right consistency, you have to wait for it to dry (unless you want sprinkles, then it has to be “tacky” enough) and you must be organized.

There are lots of ways to go about this and there are hundreds of “how to’s” on out there. 

Let’s cut to the chase.

1.  Bake a cake and cool it completely (I used a normal box cake and got over 3 dozen cake drops/pops). A friend suggested finding a full baked discounted cake and mixing it together, to save a few steps.  Brilliant idea!


2.  Mix in 1 can of prepared frosting


3.  Chill completely

4.  Using a small (I used a #70 truffle scoop) scoop – get them all out, roll them up and place them in the refrigerator to chill – once again

 

5. If making “pops” – get a piece of Styrofoam and cover it with aluminum or clear wrap – so you can  use it over and over again.

 

6.  Melt your coating, following package directions – I used almond candy bark and chocolate couverture, I like the couverture because it gives a high glossy finish.  If you need to “thin” out – use a bit of Crisco.  It will help melt evenly through your coating.

7.  For “pops” swirl a bit of coating around the tip of the stick and place it into your “pop” and once again place in the fridge for firming up.

8.  Now you are ready to coat!  I always use a small amount of coating, this way if it gets gooey, gummy or stuff in it, you’re not wasting a lot of dollars on chocolate!


9.  Once you dip the cake drops/pops make sure that you let the excess coating drip off.

10.  Place in the Styrofoam or on parchment paper, and then wait once again for it to dry.  If you’re using sprinkles, now’s the time, before it gets hard!

11.  Finally – you can enjoy.

 



I placed some cake pops in individual wrappers, in a ball jar, as a gift.  They are easy to make, and fun.

 

 

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