Patriotic Pops

For a long while, I hated the idea of the "cake pop". It seemed gross to me. If you want some cake, have a piece of cake already.

I have since changed my mind. Its a cute idea and concept, and in the right setting makes more sense then a piece of cake with a plate and a fork and the whole thing.. And it's pretty yummy if made with love. 

Would I serve a cake pop in the dead of winter, probably not. But as a fun, summery treat, you betcha!

I really wanted to make them after trying a not so good one the other day. Julia and I went for our first mommy/daughter pedicure and I was afraid she wouldn't have the patience of sitting nicely for an hour so I used the 'if all else fails" method of, a SNACK! I won't say where we got it from but lets say it was a place that served $6 cups of coffee and likes the color green.

Anywho. Julia loved it because, well, its cake, its sweet and its on a stick. I took a taste and I actually said "eww" out loud. It was wet in the middle and way to sweet and tasted very "processed". I said to myself "I can totallllly make a better one" and I did.

I started with a basic vanilla cake recipe that I have in my arsenal of go-to's but because I knew it would be served in the heat, I adjusted the recipe to make it more summer friendly and better for holding a shape. I.E a round ball on a stick.

The preparation of the cake pop is pretty gross. Like a meatball, it requires lots of hand contact, if I was making this for a party, or non- family members I would've worn gloves, but because its just family and I don't have cooties, no gloves this time around. 

After getting them all into perfect little 2 inch circles you have to let them set in the fridge, at least for a few hours and better if overnight. I did try the freezing method as well because that seems to be popular in most blogs and recipes I found and truthfully, it may be faster but the taste is different and the dipping part is harder. 

When I made the cake Julia had gone to bed already so I was afraid to turn on the Kitchenaid. I whisked everything by hand. Here's the pic to prove it!

These little guys are labor intensive but they are very economical, one batch feeds around 40 and it looks super duper cute on a dessert table. But if you aren't prepared for a project, skip it and do something else, or call me and I'll do it for you :)

These were vanilla and cherry flavored. Vanilla cake, cherry icing and vanilla flavored coating. I also made red ones with white crystals but those were eaten up before I remembered to take a picture.

                                    

Remember my tips from above, because although simple in theory these little guys can be tricky. I recommend "cookie sticks" over lolly sticks because the width makes the cake pop feel much more sturdy while dipping.

Last but not least. SPRINKLES and remember to have fun this summer!