Cake Pops

I've been wanting to try my hand at cake balls for quite a while now. Have you ever had a cake ball? They are so stinkin' good! They just melt in your mouth! And -- Surprise! Surprise! -- they can be made MSPI-friendly. So I finally got around to making them earlier this week, as I mentioned on my Facebook page.

But instead of just making cake balls, I decided to make cake pops. Cake bites. Covered in chocolate. On a stick. Doesn't get much better than that! They make great Valentine's Day treats.

So the queen of cake pops is Bakerella, and I followed her method and Paula Deen's. Check out Bakerella's website for lots of cute photos of cake pops.

So here are a few tips from my experience. If you can't find cake mix and frosting that's safe for you to eat, make it from scratch. (Wacky Cake, anyone?) The freezer and refrigerator are your friends. Use them. A lot. And keep everything cold. This recipe takes lots of time to make, but it isn't difficult. Just hang in there; you can do it!

You can use this same recipe to make plain ol' cake balls, but I loved using the lollipop sticks. They made dipping the cake bites so much easier.

Most importantly ... have fun! You can make lots of different combinations. I made strawberry cake with vanilla frosting for the innards. Super yummy with the chocolate coating. And sprinkles make everything fun!

Cake Pops
Source: Bakerella and Paula Deen

1 package MSPI-friendly cake mix, including ingredients needed to prepare it
1 container MSPI-friendly prepared frosting
1 package MSPI-friendly chocolate chips
1/4 cup shortening
lollipop sticks
MSPI-friendly sprinkles, optional
large piece of Styrofoam

Prepare the cake mix, according to package directions in a 9x13 pan. Once removed from the oven, allow the cake to cool 30 minutes. Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Add the frosting to the cake and mix with a hand mixer until well combined. Cover and refrigerate three hours.

Line a baking tray with wax paper. Use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop to form balls with the cake mixture. Roll the balls between your hands to make them nice and smooth. Place the balls on the tray. Once all the balls are formed, place the tray in the freezer for one hour.

Melt the chocolate and shortening in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring every 5-10 seconds until it is nice and smooth. Remove one ball from the freezer and spear it with a lollipop stick. Dip the cake ball in the chocolate, covering it completely. Sprinkle the cake pop with sprinkles. Stick the cake pop into the Styrofoam, until the chocolate sets up completely. Repeat steps with remaining cake balls. Store cake pops in refrigerator.