My mom loves “infomercials” and is always bringing home the newest gadget that catches her eye during her shopping excursions. Prior to her surgery, she brought home a pan set called Bake Pops because I had been talking about making cake pops, but never got around to doing it. I know that there is a way to make the popular cake pops organically by baking a full cake and forming them into balls by breaking the cake up and using cream cheese to bind the cake pieces (like this recipe on Little Miss Momma). Knowing most of my friends make them that way, I felt a little bad about making them with the Bake Pops because I felt a little like I was cheating.
My very first batch was a bit of a disaster. I just used the recipe as instructed on the cake mix box and used a glaze over them rather than frosting or candy coating, which made them more like donut holes than cake pops (and not as moist). After another trial and error batch, the cake pops I made finally looked and tasted just like the ones I’ve bought or that were made by my friends. All in all, I think this is a fairly easy way to make these popular cake pops if you use the tips I provided below. Enjoy!
1. Use the alternate recipe that they provide in Bake Pops instruction booklet: Replace milk for water, add an extra egg and add a packet of pudding mix. This will make your cake more dense and incredibly moist. I used the Pillsbury Moist Supreme strawberry cake mix and added a small packet of vanilla pudding. My kitchen smelled heavenly.
2. The cake pops actually come out a bit egg-shaped after they come out of the oven, and they are not as round as they appear in the commercials (my husband says they look like acorns). This is due to the slight separation between the top and bottom pans, in addition to the holes in the top pan (which allow for rising). To get them to more of a “ball” shape, just scrape the middle and tops of the cake pops. I put the lollipop stick in the part of the cake pop where they rose out of the hole, so that the rounded portion is on top. Also, the candy coating can hide most anything if you don’t wish to scrape the imperfections away.
3. Place your cake pops in the freezer to cool prior to coating them. My niece came over to help make them, and we bypassed the cooling part and it took longer for the coating to set. For my second batch, I placed them in the freezer prior to decorating them, and the coating set beautifully (note: strawberry cake & light coco candy coating makes for tasty cake pops).
(Note: This is simply a review of the product, conducted solely at my discretion. I did not receive any compensation, product or discounts when I purchased the product.)