Triple-Chocolate Cake Pops

  If you've been following my blog for long, you know I found encountered an obsession last year. That obsession is with cake pops. I have experimented with lot's of flavor combinations over the last several months and have only not posted them here because they never quite last long enough for a photo session, or I'm headed out the door to an event with them, or my camera is broken (the excuses go on and on). I made an excuse to make them last week and was diligent in taking photos, so I am finally posting again about cake pops!

  Here's a secret to making cake pops-when you bake a layer cake and have to cut the tops of in order to have a flat cake, place the cake tops in a gallon-size ziploc bag and place it in the freezer. As you accumulate cake tops of similar flavors keep adding them to the bag. When you're ready to make cake pops simply whip up a batch of your favorite frosting (or buy the pre-made stuff at the supermarket) and go to town! 

  Another secret to making cake pops-homemade frosting is worth the effort! Store-bought frosting tends to give the cake pop a really dense, soggy consistency. Homemade frosting leaves the interior sort of a cake-truffle consistency. Very delicious, and well worth the time.

  Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Add just enough frosting for the cake to hold together without crumbling. Too much frosting and your centers with be a gooey mess.

  Refrigerate 30 minutes.

  Line a baking sheet with foil or use a Silpat. Using a cookie scoop, scoop mounds onto the baking sheet. Roll the mounds into round balls. 

  When all the cake balls have been formed, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours or over-night.

  Dip sucker sticks in a small amount of melted chocolate (I buy dipping chocolate, but you can use chocolate chips and add shortening to it to thin it enough to use for dipping-about 1 Tbsp. shortening/2 cups chips). Push the stick about 2/3 of the way into the cake ball. Dip cake balls in chocolate and immediately into toppings (if using). Note: You can buy nifty little cake pop holders that hold them upright while they set, or you can go the cheap route and cover styro-foam blocks with foil (to catch the drips).

  My most recent attempt at cake pops last week led to chocolate cake with homemade chocolate fudge frosting. I dipped 1/3 of the pops in crushed Oreos (in honor of Oreos 100th b-day), 1/3 the pops in crushed Girl's Scout Thin Mint cookies and the last third in Heath pieces. YUM!!!


  Completely assembled cake pops store great in the freezer. Simply bag each pop (you can buy sucker bags at Walmart and most craft stores) and place the bagged pops in a gallon-size freezer bag.