Holiday Cake Pops

I've tried cake pops only a couple of times before, from Starbucks and from a local bakery, and they were DIVINE.  But they're always relatively expensive, and I thought, "There's gotta be a way to make these at home."  Or at least customize them.  So I did a little research, and here's what I came up with.  The pictures here are Halloween cake pops only because I'm making them during October, but obviously they can be made at any time and decorated any way you like.  :)  I will definitely be trying to make these at other times of the year.  Stay tuned.  ;)

So, before I begin, I thought I'd share some of the stuff I learned along the way while making them.  If you've ever worked with either candy and/or colors (such as with fondant or icing), then some of these observations will not be new to you.  But for an amateur/novice like me, these are things I wish I knew ahead of time.

What I learned from this experience:

1. When trying to make the orange color in melted candy, equal parts red + yellow  ≠ orange.  It ends up being more like a reddish-peach-pink.  Emphasis on the pink.  :( My advice would be to start with yellow candies and add red until the desired orange shade is achieved.  That and/or buy yellow candy color to add. Either way, buy way more of yellow than red candies to melt.  ;)
2. Formed cake balls are HEAVY on lollipop sticks.  Do not skip any of the refrigeration steps.  They are your friend.  And don't make them any bigger than golf ball sizes.
3. Using a double-boiler or fondue pot is probably your best bet for keeping the melted candy pliable and in a consistent state.  Yes, the candy is most likely microwaveable, but to do more than a couple of cake pops will require the melted candy to be in a constant melted state, and the cycle of microwaving-cooling-microwaving may alter the consistency of the candy.
4. Do not use a wire rack to place your freshly-dipped pops. Use waxed or parchment paper.  Trust me on this.
5. The nice round pop-shape is difficult to do for first-timers; I recommend doing a caramel apple-type of pop instead until you get the hang of it.

And with that, I bring you Holiday Cake Pops...

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Ingredients:
Cake portion
1 package cake mix
eggs, oil, etc., according to package directions
1 can of frosting (do not use whipped frosting; regular or homestyle is best)

Pops
Candy melts - get at least 1 bag of white, then whatever colors will comprise the shades you'll need for your occasion
Lollipop sticks
Cookie frosting or cake icing (don't use the gel form, solid icings work best)
Candy food coloring (if needed)
Decorator sugar, sprinkles, etc.
1-2 tsp canola oil, as needed

Directions:
Bake cake according to package directions.  It's best if you bake in a 9x13 pan since you'll be working with it later. 

Let cool completely (about 3 hours or more).  Crumble entire cake into a large bowl. 

Add frosting; start with 1/2 the can and add more as needed.  Cake mixture should be moist, not overly frosting-y or greasy.

Cover bowl and chill 15-30 minutes.  After chilling, take scoopfuls of cake mixture and roll into golfball-sized (or smaller) balls. Don't make them any larger or they'll be unwieldy when dipping in melted candy later. Chill.

As I learned later, this is too large. ;)

While cake is chilling again, melt a small amount of candy in a microwave-safe bowl; it's best if it's the same color or close to the finished color you plan to use for the pops.  Or you can always use white.  :)  Take out cake balls from the fridge.  Take lollipop sticks and dip one end into melted candy. Insert all the way into each ball.  Chill again. 

Melt a larger amount of candy (3-4 cups) in a double-boiler according to candy specifications. Consistency should be smooth and not too thick (should be thinner than pudding); if melted candy is too thick, add *drops* of oil a little at a time and stir in. 

Take balls with pop sticks out of the fridge.  Carefully take each ball by the stick and dip/dredge in melted candy to completely coat. Place on waxed or parchment paper.

Don't do what I did here...use waxed paper to rest them on!

Dust with sprinkles, non-pareils, decorator sugar, etc (whatever you decide is best for your occasion). Return to refrigerator.  After another 15 minutes, cake pops are ready for cookie frosting for final touches, or are ready to serve as is.  If not serving immediately, cover in a tall, air-tight container and return to refrigerator.

Ready for transporting & gift-giving!

Makes about 30 pops.

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GBAdams
10/07/2011

Autumn Pumpkin Muffins w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Variation on a theme: pumpkins!  ;)

A few years ago I tweaked my banana bread recipe by incorporating pumpkin instead of bananas.  It took several tries, but I did eventually get it right.  And then this year I had a "eureka!" moment.  What if I tweaked it some more so that I could make muffins out of the recipe.  Aha! So I did. And here is the result.

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Ingredients:
Dry
2 C Flour (all-purpose)
1 C white sugar
¾ C dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Liquid
2 whole eggs, slightly beaten
½ C melted butter (1 stick) or canola oil
1 C milk (can be substituted with soy milk)
15 oz. (1 can) plain mashed pumpkin
4 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1 block of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1½ C powdered sugar (3/4 lb powdered sugar)
2 tsp vanilla

Prep:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Line 10-12 large muffin baking pans with paper liners. Set aside.

Directions:
Mix together flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Add eggs, butter and milk.  Stir until everything is moistened, then add the mashed pumpkin; combine well.  Mix in the vanilla.  Divide batter evenly and pour into prepared muffin cups.  Bake for 50 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, prepare frosting: in a bowl, beat together softened butter and cream cheese with a mixer at medium-high speed.  Once fully incorporated together, add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating slowly.  (Or else you’ll kick up the powder and will end up wearing it. LOL)  Once all the sugar has been added and initially mixed in, add vanilla.  Beat mixture on medium-high to high speed until fully creamed and smooth, about 4-5 minutes.  It’s a good idea to stop after about 2 minutes and scrape the sides of the bowl (especially if you have a stand mixer) to make sure that all of the butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla are fully mixed in. Chill mixture in refrigerator to help it set up; take out 15 minutes prior to frosting muffins so it can warm up a little and be more pliable. You definitely don’t want either the muffins or the frosting to be warm when you apply it to the tops; if the muffin is still warm, the frosting will melt and/or slide right off the top.

Once muffins are fully cooled, frost with cream cheese mixture.  Can be piped on and decorated or spread with a rounded knife.

Makes about 10-12 muffins.

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GBAdams
10/11/2011

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

This recipe is based on my regular Nana Bread, but instead of one big loaf, it's parsed out into individual servings known as muffins.  ;)  Adding chocolate chips to the banana bread, while it seems to be a current foodie trend, is something of a novelty in my house.  My husband likes it, but still thinks it's a strange combination. 


My first attempt at this modified recipe was using "stand-alone" paper muffin cups.  What that's supposed to mean is that you shouldn't need any kind of muffin cup support.  But as you can see in the image at left, I would beg to differ with the manufacturer.  ;)  I think eventually I'll have to buy muffin molds just to give the banana bread batter some structure before it has firmed up through the heat of the oven. Otherwise you get muffin-creep like I had with this batch.  It was thisclose to Muffins Overboard.   ;)

Enjoy!  :)

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Ingredients:
Dry
2 C Flour (unbleached, all-purpose)
1 C Sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 oz (about ½ a regular 12-oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Liquid
2 whole eggs, slightly beaten
½ C melted butter (1 stick) or canola oil
⅓ C milk (can be substituted with soy milk)
3-4 (up to 5, depending on size) very ripe bananas (spotty ones are best)
4 tsp vanilla extract

Prep:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Set up paper muffin cups, standalone (LOL) or place cups inside cupcake/muffin molds.  12, if using large paper cups, or 15-16 if using smaller ones.

Directions:
Mix together sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  Mash the bananas as well as possible, ensuring there are no large lumps left.  Consistency should be relatively smooth. 

To the dry mix, add the eggs, butter and milk.  Stir until everything is moistened, then add the mashed bananas; combine well.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Add chocolate chips and again, mix well.  Use a ladle or other large spoon to take scoops of batter and pour into individual muffin cups.  If using stand-alone muffin cups, place them on a flat cookie sheet.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until inserted toothpicks come out clean. 

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GBAdams
10/11/2011

Harvest Pumpkin Pancakes

So a friend of mine recently gave me an idea on a new breakfast idea, just in time for autumn.  If you use pancake mix and canned pumpkin, this is a very simple and easy recipe to make.  You can, of course, always use your favorite from-scratch pancake recipe and/or homemade mashed pumpkin, but this was infinitely easier and faster to make, especially if you're as busy as most people I know with kids. 

Hope you enjoy it! :)

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Ingredients:
10 oz pancake mix (such as Shake N Pour)
2 C cool water
7 oz mashed pumpkin (about ½ a can)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
butter or cooking spray for the griddle



Directions:
Combine pancake mix and water; mix well.  Whisk in mashed pumpkin and pie spice. 

The mix should not be the consistency of cake batter, it should be about the same or slightly thinner than regular pancake batter.  So if mix is too thick, thin with water or milk until desired consistency is achieved.  Pour batter onto greased griddle (you can use butter or cooking spray on the griddle) that's been preheated on medium to medium-high; be careful not to pour too much at once so pancakes don't run into one another. 

When the pancakes start to lift on the edges and the batter has large bubbles throughout, flip.  Cook for another 7-10 minutes, or until other side is golden brown.  Serve with butter or margarine and syrup. 

Makes about 15 medium-sized pancakes.

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GBAdams
10/09/2011