Bakerella's moist cakeThursday, August 26, 2010
CAKE POPS
These pops are essentially cake truffles on a stick and are very simple to prepare: Bake a cake, mush it up with frosting, roll it into balls, insert a stick, and dip it in chocolate! These things really are a hit with kids because they are so fun, but adults seem to enjoy the delicious truffle-like confections equally well..
Want to make some? Here are step-by-step instructions, complete with videos.
Want to make some? Here are step-by-step instructions, complete with videos.
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Bake the cake mix according to package directions. Once it’s cool, crumble the cake into a large bowl. I prefer to process mine in the food processor to fine crumbs. Place in a large bowl and stir in about 3/4 of the frosting container or 1/2 cup of your homemade frosting. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined and thick like a truffle center. Mix in additional frosting if necessary.
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Roll mixture into 1″ balls and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. I usually do this step the day before and then dip them the following day. Do not freeze them before dipping or it may cause the chocolate to crack after they are dipped.
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Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the flat end of the cake balls. (Bakerella says to insert a little less than halfway, but I go more than halfway b/c I imagine they stay put a little better when dipping.)
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The cake balls will have a flat bottom from resting on the cookie sheet. Insert the stick into this end so the top will be round.
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Carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered, remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too. Immediately cover with sprinkles before the chocolate has a chance to set, then insert in a styrofoam block to harden.
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You want the chocolate to come over the platform you created when inserting the chocolate-dipped stick, but you don't have to cover it all the way to the stick.
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Tap off the excess chocolate.
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Add sprinkles before the chocolate has a chance to set.
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I wrap my styrofoam board in plastic wrap to keep it clean so I can reuse it.
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This video illustrates the dipping process. Forgive my PJ’s–I made these first thing in the morning. OK, it was afternoon. I’m lazy on Saturdays. And every other day.
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Once the chocolate has set, put a cello bag over the top and tie the neck with some curling string and tie into a bow or curl.
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This is the original Bakerella recipe and instructions on Martha Stewart:
CREAM CHEESE ICING
Cream Cheese Icing
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Do not consider skipping the sifting of the powdered sugar or you will have unattractive white lumps in your icing.
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2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar Remaining coconut
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In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in as much of the remaining sugar as needed to reach a comfortable spreading consistency.
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Spread each cooled cupcake with the cream cheese icing and then top with the remaining coconut. An easy way to do this is to turn each iced cupcake upside-down and press gently into the coconut to make it adhere.
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Do not consider skipping the sifting of the powdered sugar or you will have unattractive white lumps in your icing.
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2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar Remaining coconut
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In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in as much of the remaining sugar as needed to reach a comfortable spreading consistency.
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Spread each cooled cupcake with the cream cheese icing and then top with the remaining coconut. An easy way to do this is to turn each iced cupcake upside-down and press gently into the coconut to make it adhere.
COCONUT CUPCAKES
Coconut Cupcakes
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This super recipe comes from Ina Garten's "The Barefoot Contessa" cookbook, which features recipes from her hugely successful New York take-out store, also named The Barefoot Contessa. Garten notes that these cupcakes have been customer favorites for more than 20 years. Parents will like the fact that the coconut topping keeps the icing from sticking to the plastic wrap in lunchboxes.
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 7-ounce package flaked sweetened coconut, divided Cream cheese icing
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Line 16 muffin cups with paper baking cups, and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and set oven racks at top and lower middle levels.
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In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer speed to low, and add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again briefly.
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Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in only 1 1/3 cups of the coconut.
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Fill each muffin cup almost full with batter. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 11 to 14 minutes on the top and lower-middle racks of oven, then reverse the positions of the two cupcake pans (putting the one from the top on the lower middle rack and vice versa), and bake another 11 to 14 minutes or until the cupcake tops are golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
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Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, and then top them with cream cheese icing. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. If you want to freeze these, store them unfrosted in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
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To serve unfrosted cupcakes that have been frozen, allow to thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving, then ice and serve them. Makes about 16 cupcakes.
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This super recipe comes from Ina Garten's "The Barefoot Contessa" cookbook, which features recipes from her hugely successful New York take-out store, also named The Barefoot Contessa. Garten notes that these cupcakes have been customer favorites for more than 20 years. Parents will like the fact that the coconut topping keeps the icing from sticking to the plastic wrap in lunchboxes.
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 7-ounce package flaked sweetened coconut, divided Cream cheese icing
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Line 16 muffin cups with paper baking cups, and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and set oven racks at top and lower middle levels.
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In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer speed to low, and add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again briefly.
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Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in only 1 1/3 cups of the coconut.
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Fill each muffin cup almost full with batter. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 11 to 14 minutes on the top and lower-middle racks of oven, then reverse the positions of the two cupcake pans (putting the one from the top on the lower middle rack and vice versa), and bake another 11 to 14 minutes or until the cupcake tops are golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
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Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, and then top them with cream cheese icing. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. If you want to freeze these, store them unfrosted in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
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To serve unfrosted cupcakes that have been frozen, allow to thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving, then ice and serve them. Makes about 16 cupcakes.
CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM CUPCAKES
Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes Yield:12 servings3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream1/2 cup water
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1. Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cupcake cups with paper liners. Place chocolate in heatproof bowl or top of double boiler and place over (but not touching) saucepan of barely simmering water (or bottom of double boiler). Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from water and set aside to cool slightly.
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2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
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3.In large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until smoothly blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape sides with rubber spatula. On slow speed, mix in melted chocolate. On medium speed, add eggs 1 at a time, mixing until each is blended into batter. Add vanilla and beat until mixture is creamy, about 1 minute. Mix in sour cream until no white streaks remain. On low speed, add half of flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in water. Mix in remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and batter looks smooth.
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4.Fill each paper-lined cup with about 1/3 cup batter, to just below top of liner. Make just until tops feel firm and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes 10 minutes in pan on wire rack.
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5.Use small knife to loosen any tops that might have stuck to tops of pan. Carefully place wire rack on top of cupcakes in pan. Protecting hands with potholders and holding pan and rack together, invert them to release cupcakes onto wire rack. Turn cupcakes top side up to cool completely.
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Source: Adapted from “Cupcakes!” by Elinor Klivans (Chronicle, $16.95) Billy's Vanilla
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Buttercream Frosting
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency. You can save this frosting for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.2. At this point you can separate out a portion of the frosting to make some mint or whatever flavor appeals to you!
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Hope you enjoy getting stuffed!
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