Sometimes, you don’t want to bring another boring cake to a party. Cake pops are much more fun!
We recently found ourselves in that situation. So, here at the Bay Area Telegraph test kitchen, we decided to test a homemade vanilla cake pop recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Here’s our process and results. Scroll to the bottom for a link to the recipe!
Baking a Vanilla Cake
The recipe starts with baking an actual cake! I won’t go into all the details here (they’re in the recipe), but you’re basically baking a vanilla cake from scratch.
The recipe calls for a springform pan, but I used a normal metal, circular pan and it worked fine.
Once the cake was baked, I let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. It’s important to let it cool thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.
To be safe, I left it overnight.
The first step in this recipe was a lot of work, honestly!
Preparing the Frosting and Cake Balls:
In the morning, I made the vanilla buttercream frosting. I beat softened unsalted butter until creamy, then added confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. I mixed it until the frosting was smooth and fluffy.
Once the cake was completely cool, I crumbled it into a large bowl, making sure there were no large pieces. I added the frosting to the crumbled cake and mixed until it formed a moist mixture that held together when pressed.
My kids helped here. Smashing a cake was a ton of fun for them!
I scooped out tablespoon-sized portions of the cake mixture and rolled them into balls. Initially, they were a bit sticky and not perfectly round, but I placed them on a lined baking sheet and refrigerated them for about two hours. Chilling is crucial—it makes the cake balls firmer and easier to handle. After chilling, I re-rolled them to smooth out any imperfections.
Coating the Cake Pops
For the coating, I melted Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers in a microwave-safe measuring cup, heating in 20-second increments and stirring in between until smooth. I found that using a deep, narrow container made dipping easier.
Before dipping, I prepared the lollipop sticks. I dipped the tip of each stick about half an inch into the melted chocolate, then inserted it halfway into a cake ball. This step helps secure the stick to the cake ball.
I dipped each cake pop into the melted chocolate, ensuring it was fully coated. I gently tapped the stick against the edge of the cup to remove any excess chocolate. Before the coating set, I sprinkled decorative sprinkles on top. I also tried putting sprinkles onto a plate and rolling the pops in them, but it tended to glom on and stick (see the photo above).
I didn’t have a cake stand so I just gently laid the pops down on parchment paper.
Tips and Things to Pay Attention To:
- Chilling the Cake Balls: Make sure the cake balls are well-chilled before dipping. If they’re too warm, they might fall off the stick or crumble into the melted chocolate.
- Consistency of the Melted Chocolate: If the melted chocolate is too thick, add a small amount of vegetable oil to thin it out. This makes for a smoother coating and easier dipping.
- Working in Batches: Only take a few cake balls out of the refrigerator at a time to keep the rest cold.
- Securing the Stick: Don’t skip dipping the stick in melted chocolate before inserting it into the cake ball. This acts like glue and helps keep the cake pop intact during dipping.
Final Thoughts:
Making these cake pops was a bit time-consuming, but the end result was worth it. They looked professional and tasted delicious—a sweet vanilla treat with a satisfying crunch from the chocolate coating. I’m planning to add photos and some personal notes later, but I hope this walkthrough helps anyone looking to try out the recipe!
The Recipe
Here’s the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Enjoy!
