Sweet

Couture House
Cake Pop 101
1 -Purchase or bake a 13x9-inch cake to make your cake pops. Do not frost the cake and allow it to
cool completely before moving on.

2 -Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Gradually add frosting, mixing it into the cake crumbs.
Remember a little at a time. Think Playdough

3 -Form the mixture into balls the size of your choice and place onto a wax paper-covered baking
sheet.

4 -Cover the tray of cake pops and place them inside the fridge for about a half-hour so that they can
firm up.

5 -Place white chocolate discs inside a small bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave and melt the
discs. Check the candy coating often, stirring the discs to help them melt evenly. Remove them from
the microwave when they have melted and are smooth.

6 –Dip the end of a candy stick into candy coating and then push into cake ball halfway. Allow
candy to set and dry (few minutes).

7 -Dip the cake pop into the candy coating, covering it completely. Let the excess drip off of the
end. Tap your hand, not the stick

8 -Roll the cake pop in the sprinkles. You can cover the entire cake pop in sprinkles, or only the top.

9 -Place the end of the lollipop stick inside a piece of polystyrene foam so the candy coating can
harden without damage.
 Tips
Problem: Your cake pops are cracking?

Cause: The chocolate is too hot or your cake balls are too cold when you dip the cake pop. Another
reason this happens is because rolling the balls to tight can cause cracks sometimes.

Solution: You have two options - 1. Pipe some melted chocolate over the crack, making sure to cover it.
Get rid of excess chocolate by wearing gloves for sanitary reason and to avoid leaving finger print. 2. Double
dip your cake pops to hide the cracks.

The temperature difference between the frozen cake ball and the melted chocolate can cause cracks coating.
Make sure you very gently heat your chocolate–you never want it to get hot, but just barely warm enough to
melt.

Problem: Your melted chocolate is too thick to dip the cake pop into it.

Cause: You most likely overheated your chocolate. Chocolate is temperamental and needs to be heated very
gently.

Solution: You have 2 options - 1. You must be careful when microwaving the chocolate/candy melts. You
should microwave it for 30 seconds, take it out and stir it. Then, place it back into the microwave for an
additional 10 seconds each time if needed. Remember, you must take it out and stir every time you stop the
microwave. 2. - Stir in some Grisco (=paramount crystal) or until it is thinned to your desired consistency.
These options are better than adding vegetable oil.

Hint: I don’t recommend adding canola oil because it will add flavor to your mixture, which you do
not want. Do not add Grisco or Paramount crystal too much because it takes a long time to dry and it cause
the chocolate to leak from your cake balls. It will also cause your cake ball not to be nice and round.

Problem: Cake balls falling off the sticks.

Cause: This could be due to many things. Most likely, you added too much icing. Start with less and add
more, as needed. It also depends on the moistness of the cake you are using.

Solution: You have four solutions – 1. Start adding a couple table spoons of icing. If your dough become like
play dough, you don’t need to add anymore. 2. Make sure the cake balls are cold/hard before you start
dipping, but not too cold because it will cause cracking to the chocolate coating. If cake balls are getting
warm/soft , they start to slide off the sticks. You need to put them back in the freezer for couple minutes or
more, as needed. 3. - Make sure you dip the sticks in chocolate before inserting them into the cake balls. This
will ensure the cake balls stay on the sticks 4. - Make sure your chocolate is not too thick and heavy.
Problem: Why are my lollipop sticks getting yellow after I put them on the stand?

Cause: I have found that there is too much fat in your cake ball mixture, which seeps into the sticks over
time and turns them yellow.

Solution: First, wash your hands with soap after you roll cake balls to make sure they are clean. The oil from
your hands will also make the sticks yellow. Second, try using less icing when you mix the cake pop mixture.
Hint: You should never touch sticks with oily or dirty hands.

Problem: Some of the finished cake pops leak oil once the chocolate is set. Why is this happening?

Cause: This happens because air bubbles have formed when you dipped the cake pop. Air bubbles create a
weak point that can’t contain the pressure of the filling, so that it eventually starts to squirt out.

Solution: If there is any spot not covered, the oil will separate from the cake mixture and start to leak out, so
make sure you cover the entire cake pop when you dip it. Also, make sure you poke any air bubbles you see
before the chocolate hardens so that the chocolate will fill in the space before it sets. I usually use toothpick
to poke air bubbles.

Question: Do you have to use a food processor to crumble the cake?

Answer: No, you can crumble the cake with your hands. But, it’s good to use food processor when
the corner of your cake is hard or if you a large amount of cake you need to crumble. I recommend cutting off
the hard part/edges of the cake when you crumble/mix it with icing by hand.

Question: What is the best brand of chocolate or candy melt to use?

Answer: I prefer Merckens chocolate over all the ones that I have used. I find this has a great
quality, the firmness is better and it has a great shine. It is more expense, but is definitely worth the
additional costs. Wilton also works, but it is very thick and hard to control.

Question: How can I color my white candy coating?

Answer: Use a toothpick to add an oil base food coloring into your chocolate. You cannot use a
water base coloring because oil and water doesn’t mix, as everyone knows!