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Friday, March 29, 2024

The Starving Gator: Cake Pops The Lazy Way

<p>"<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ayca13/8730389515/in/photolist-mjNQ2A-8DFDdf-4XFMNh-7BFHqT-8A9PNZ-axM98W-8Zd2KZ-gLTT54-mjMyeV-eitwDa-eizggL-eizg13-eizgdJ-eizfTJ-8yqoYB-dTqW7G-dTkhNg-dTqW9f-mjNQc5-eQZERy-mjMyt2-mjLQkr-mjMCg2-mjMyNv-8DFDi1-7vJ74r-dtUYuS-dxeQd1-dxeQ3b-dtRwfX-dxeQbs-dxeQ8w-iwYaoA-dx9na4-dxeQ5y-dTkhLF-8ytvnA-dLyk2v-8yu5Ju-7vJ74z-7vJ74x-einK9e-eituoq-aG1Dwt-einHgT-aG1BuB-aG1G84-dTEFqK-dx9mYZ-dx9n2H" target="_blank">Cake pops for Tola's birthday 23 Feb '12</a>" by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ayca13/" target="_blank">Ayca Wilson</a>, used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY 2.0</a></p>

"Cake pops for Tola's birthday 23 Feb '12" by Ayca Wilson, used under CC BY 2.0

The two main things that keep me from cooking every night have to be 1) lack of time and 2) lack of energy.  Since I’m all about anything and everything that can make my life easier, I’m starting a new series called “(insert food item here) the lazy way”. This basically means I’m going to give you a bunch of little tips and tricks that make seemingly difficult foods much easier.  Sounds fun, right?  This week I decided that I’m going to start with everyone’s new favorite treat, cake pops. Cake pops are adorable and delicious, but look like they take a lot of effort. Truthfully, if you follow any old recipe on the Internet, you really are in for a daylong ordeal. Fear not though, because I have a few tips to make your cake pop experience ever sweeter.  

Here are my tips:

  1. Use a box cake mix/frosting. In case you didn’t know, you get cake pops by mashing up cake and frosting together. You then form the mixture into little balls and dip in chocolate. You could go the old fashioned way and make a homemade cake and frosting separately, or you could save yourself multiple steps grab a good old Betty Crocker mix. I promise you won’t even taste the difference.  
  2. Get your hands dirty. When mixing the cake and frosting together, it’s super important that you really combine them well. Using a spoon might seem easier (and more sanitary) but your hands really are the best tools. Combining the mix well now will keep your cake pops from falling apart later. 
  3. Have Patience. Once you’ve scooped out the mixture (try a small ice cream scoop!) place the balls in the freezer for a couple hours. I also recommend freezing them again, after they’ve been dipped in the chocolate. I know, I know, you’re dying to eat them! But I promise, your patience will be rewarded. 
  4. Use a deep & narrow cup for dipping. When attempting to cover your cake pops in chocolate, trying to roll them around in a shallow bowl of chocolate is going to cause more stress than necessary. Melt the chocolate in a  tall cup or mug, so you can dip once and then you’re done! 
  5. Styrofoam. You finally have a use for those random pieces of Styrofoam you got in that Amazon box. Stick the pops in the Styrofoam after dipping so they maintain their nice round shape! You’ll look like a pro and everyone will be super impressed.  

See how easy that can be? Just a few simple tips and you’re on the way to making amazing cake pops. If you’re interesting in some decorating tips, I found an amazing Pinterest board that has hundreds of cute decorating ideas. 

Happy Baking!

"Cake pops for Tola's birthday 23 Feb '12" by Ayca Wilson, used under CC BY 2.0

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