How to prepare cute cake pops

Cake pops, cute little sweets on a stick, are becoming more popular by the day. Their cute exterior makes them really special, and they are loved by children and adults alike. They have a few advantages over other desserts, because you don''t have to cut them, you don''t have to waste time serving them, you don''t have to grease the plates unnecessarily, and you won''t have any problems with leftovers, because there certainly won''t be any leftovers. We''ve prepared a no-mess process for you to make these little cakes on sticks.

Before you start, it''s good to know that making cake pops will take you a while, if you really want them to look perfect.

Recipe for perfect cake pops

The best thing about cake pops is that they can be completely customised to your liking. The sponge used to make the balls can be anything from fruity flavours to chocolate. You can use your favourite muffin recipe and bake it in a flat baking tray instead of muffin tins. So we''ll make chocolate cake pops this time, but you can choose whatever you like instead of chocolate batter. You can also make cake pops without baking. You can find the recipe for no-bake cake pops here.

For the chocolate sponge cake you will need:

• baking powder
• 220 g flour
• 200 ml of milk
• 100 g sugar
• 80 g cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 90 g soft butter

In addition, we will need:

• 250 g mascarpone cheese
• Nutella (optional)
• breadsticks
• white/milk/darkchocolate for the coating

Preparation of the Cake Pops

First, beat the butter and sugar together until foamy. Then add the eggs and milk to the mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients and slowly add them to the mixture. Pour the prepared mixture into a greased square baking tray and bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

When the dough is baked, it should be cut and broken into the smallest possible pieces. The easiest way to do this is to use a multipraktik. Of course, the sponge is too dry to shape into anything, so you need to add mascarpone to make it easier to shape. You can add other extras at this stage, such as various fruits from the compote, etc. We decided to add 2 tablespoons of Nutella (you can also use a healthy chocolate spread without added sugar) to the sponge to make it even more chocolatey. Be careful when adding mascarpone. It is best to add it gradually until the dough is moist enough to form balls. If it is too moist, the balls will not stay on the sticks.

The next step is to shape our cake pops. There are special baking trays abroad that can be used to directly bake the biscuit into the shape of balls, but since this is not yet the case here, we have to do it by hand. We can use an ice-cream scoop or a regular spoon to help us make evenly sized balls. Then, using your hands, shape ball after ball until you have used up all the mixture. Then place them in the fridge for a while to set.

Towards the end of the cooling period, we need to prepare the topping for our cake pops. The topping also depends on your preference. You can use white, dark or milk chocolate. If you want coloured cake pops, the easiest way to do this is to add some food colouring to the white chocolate (WARNING: this must not be water-based!).

Melt your chosen chocolate over a steam bath. Then dip a chopstick about one centimetre into the chocolate and stick it halfway into your ball. Dip the ball on the stick completely into the chocolate and shake it a little to remove any excess chocolate. Be careful not to swirl it around in the chocolate, as this will spread too much.

Then comes the best and most fun part of making the chocolates, and that''s decorating. If you are going to decorate your cake pops with sprinkles such as coconut flour, sprinkles, you need to do it before the chocolate hardens on the balls. However, if you decide to draw on the cake pops, you will have to wait for the chocolate to harden on the cake pops first. Stick the decorated and finished cake pops in styrofoam and refrigerate to set properly. Keep them in a cool place for the rest of the day. The cake pops can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, thanks to the coating around the sponge, which also serves as a protection.

Our little confectionery is ready to serve. You can serve them in a styrofoam container, surrounded with coloured paper, aluminium foil or just place them in a jar on the table. I hope you will enjoy the cake pops as much as we did.

Finally, here are some typical problems you may encounter when making cake pops and tips to help you overcome them.

Problem No. 1: Cake pops fall off the stick

Solution. There are several reasons why this can happen. The first is definitely the size of the bead itself, as the weight of the bead makes it fall down due to its excessive size. Therefore, try to make your cake pops with a spoon so that they do not get too big. Another problem may be that the icing is applied too thickly, as this also pulls the bead down.

Problem No. 2: The balls of the cake pops are not smooth

Solution. Firstly, make sure that the dough is not over-baked and at the same time knead the dough well with the mascarpone to make it moist enough to shape. Also, when shaping the balls, make sure to shape each one patiently with the help of your hands.

Problem No 3: Cracks in the cake pops

Solution: Cracks in the cake pops are caused by too great a temperature difference between the topping and the ball itself. Taking the ball out of the fridge makes it cold and the chocolate hot. This problem can be remedied by taking the cake pops out of the fridge some time before you start dipping them in the chocolate, so that the chocolate is not too hot.