Cake Pops!

(Just a note to my regular readers....some of the candies used or shown aren't gluten AND dairy free.  Be careful and read the labels.  I created these for a workshop at a ladies retreat so not everything had to be gluten free.  Often those of us who are gluten free have to go without "fun" treats so I thought this would be a fun way to create our own.  I hope this blog post will inspire you to create your own by showing you how easy it is to make cake pops that are super cute.  We can have fun, cute, and yummy treats too!!)

You will need:
1 cake mix
Ingredients to make cake
1/3-1/2 cup of pre-made frosting
Lollipop sticks
Almond bark or candy melts
Sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts, or any other toppings of choice

Bake cake according to package directions.  It doesn't matter what size cake you make but I would recommend doing it in a 9 x 13" pan just so there are fewer "crust" portions on the cake (as opposed to two 8-inch rounds or cupcakes).  Any size cake will work though so don't fret.  Allow cake to cool completely

Cut the cake into chunks (how big or small doesn't really matter--you are just cutting it into pieces so that it is easier to work with).  Here you have two options.  The first is to just crumble the cake up by hand until you have small crumbs.  The second is to put the cake chunks into a stand mixer and let the mixer do all the work for you.  This is my preferred method.  :o)  Either way, mix the cake chunks until they are crumbly and mix in 1/3-1/2 cup of pre-made frosting.  The mixture should come together and make a dough-like consistency.  It should look something like this when it is ready:

Next, break off portions of the "dough" and roll them into balls.  You can just do random sizes or use a melon baller or cookie scoop to do this.  Roll them until they are nice and round.  Continue until all "dough" is used up.

Now it is time for the fun!  Place chopped almond bark (you can use white or chocolate) in a glass or microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave at about 30% power for 3 minute increments.  Stir and return for another 3 minutes at 30% power until thoroughly melted.  DO NOT OVERHEAT!  Overheating chocolate or almond bark will cause it to get thick and hard to work with or worse yet will just cause it to burn.  You should be able to take the bowl out of the microwave without hot pads.  If it is so hot that you can't touch the bowl or the chocolate then you over-heated it.  If you are using candy melts the same melting process applies.  Almond bark is available at your local grocery store (or even Wal-Mart) and Candy Melts are available at a lot of craft-type stores such as JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, or Michaels.  These same craft stores carry the lollipop sticks as well.

Once your chocolate is melted check the consistency.  You may need to add a little bit of oil (canola or vegetable oil) to the chocolate to thin it out a little bit.  Don't go crazy here but you don't want the chocolate too thick either--if it doesn't seem to be dipping well add more oil.

Dip your lollipop stick just slightly into the chocolate.  Put the lollipop stick into your cake balls--pushing it almost all the way down into the whole ball.  Allow the chocolate on the stick in the cake ball to set slightly before dipping--this helps the cake ball stay on the stick when you dip it into the chocolate.  Once the chocolate is set slightly, dip the cake ball completely into the melted chocolate in your bowl.  Place the cake pop into sprinkles if desired or place on parchment paper to set.  Or, you can set the stick in a piece of styrofoam or a cardboard box to create a perfectly round cake pop.