What better way to start off the year than with some spontaneous baking?
While running errands yesterday, I suddenly got the impulse to make these whimsical treats. I picked up some sprinkles and lollipop sticks from Michael's and white chocolate morsels and coconut flakes from Fairway before heading home to watch the first ever CFB playoff game, the Rose Bowl (hometown pride!). I figured I could put the cake in the oven before the game and it would bake and cool by the end of halftime. I could easily decorate while watching the second half.
Unfortunately, I ended up switching over to Food Network halfway through the third. Mariota and Oregon, always looking sharp with their uni's, went up 32-20 and never looked back. The 'Noles are known for their second-half antics, but you know the Ducks wouldn't let that comeback happen. The game ended up still being one for the books though as Oregon scored the most points (59) in Rose Bowl history. Maybe Winston should've laid off those extracurriculars (yes, y'all can refer back to this post and laugh at me when the Jets draft him since all we do is make decisions on what is going to garner the most media attention). Not the most thrilling start to the post-BCS era, I'll admit.
Anyways, see below for the recipe for the cakepops. Now, excuse me while I catch up on some sleep after staying up for the more entertaining Sugar Bowl. Sorry, Nick.
White Chocolate Dipped Cakepops
Ingredients
The dries:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
The wets:
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs (always use room temp!)
1 tsp vanilla
The other stuff:
1 cup milk
1 bag of coconut flakes (optional, but I think it added a little sumthin' sumthin')
16 oz. container of frosting
1 bag Nestle white chocolate chip morsels
sprinkles
vegetable oil
**Tip: If you want to cheat/be lazy, you can just get boxed cake mix and skip the dries, wets, and the cup of milk. Bake as directed on box.**
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan.
Mix your dries together and set aside. Mix your wets together in a separate, larger bowl in the above order, remembering to add the eggs one at a time so they're incorporated thoroughly. Patience is a virtue - make sure the butter and sugar is combined and fluffy before moving on. When that's ready, add the flour mixture and milk to the wets little by little (think 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 flour mixture). After that starts looking like a batter, fold in the coconut flakes if you're feeling it. Taste a little for good measure before pouring into your baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until you stick a toothpick in the middle and it doesn't come out gooey (aka toothpick done). Remove and cool.
**For the cheaters out there, start here**
Now comes the fun and messy part. Take a large bowl and crumble the cooled cake. Pour in the container of frosting and mix until it looks like a pile of mush/babyfood. Use a cookie scoop (or you can eyeball it if you're talented...I'm not) and form individual balls. Put them on a tray and throw them in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Melt your morsels (double-boiler style or in the microwave). It'll be a little thick so add vegetable oil to it until it's a little more liquified, approximately two tablespoons. Take a few balls out of the freezer at a time (so the other ones don't get too warm when you're working on your masterpiece). Dip a lollipop stick in the white chocolate and stick it halfway into the ball. Dunk the ball into the chocolate, remove, and twirl slowly to cover the entire cake ball. Before the chocolate hardens, bedazzle it with some sprinkles. Stick the pop in a styrofoam block or anything that will keep it upright as it dries. Voila - you have yourself a cakepop!
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| Some color to ring in 2015 |
Unfortunately, I ended up switching over to Food Network halfway through the third. Mariota and Oregon, always looking sharp with their uni's, went up 32-20 and never looked back. The 'Noles are known for their second-half antics, but you know the Ducks wouldn't let that comeback happen. The game ended up still being one for the books though as Oregon scored the most points (59) in Rose Bowl history. Maybe Winston should've laid off those extracurriculars (yes, y'all can refer back to this post and laugh at me when the Jets draft him since all we do is make decisions on what is going to garner the most media attention). Not the most thrilling start to the post-BCS era, I'll admit.
Anyways, see below for the recipe for the cakepops. Now, excuse me while I catch up on some sleep after staying up for the more entertaining Sugar Bowl. Sorry, Nick.
White Chocolate Dipped Cakepops
Ingredients
The dries:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
The wets:
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs (always use room temp!)
1 tsp vanilla
The other stuff:
1 cup milk
1 bag of coconut flakes (optional, but I think it added a little sumthin' sumthin')
16 oz. container of frosting
1 bag Nestle white chocolate chip morsels
sprinkles
vegetable oil
**Tip: If you want to cheat/be lazy, you can just get boxed cake mix and skip the dries, wets, and the cup of milk. Bake as directed on box.**
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan.
Mix your dries together and set aside. Mix your wets together in a separate, larger bowl in the above order, remembering to add the eggs one at a time so they're incorporated thoroughly. Patience is a virtue - make sure the butter and sugar is combined and fluffy before moving on. When that's ready, add the flour mixture and milk to the wets little by little (think 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 flour mixture). After that starts looking like a batter, fold in the coconut flakes if you're feeling it. Taste a little for good measure before pouring into your baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until you stick a toothpick in the middle and it doesn't come out gooey (aka toothpick done). Remove and cool.
**For the cheaters out there, start here**
Now comes the fun and messy part. Take a large bowl and crumble the cooled cake. Pour in the container of frosting and mix until it looks like a pile of mush/babyfood. Use a cookie scoop (or you can eyeball it if you're talented...I'm not) and form individual balls. Put them on a tray and throw them in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Melt your morsels (double-boiler style or in the microwave). It'll be a little thick so add vegetable oil to it until it's a little more liquified, approximately two tablespoons. Take a few balls out of the freezer at a time (so the other ones don't get too warm when you're working on your masterpiece). Dip a lollipop stick in the white chocolate and stick it halfway into the ball. Dunk the ball into the chocolate, remove, and twirl slowly to cover the entire cake ball. Before the chocolate hardens, bedazzle it with some sprinkles. Stick the pop in a styrofoam block or anything that will keep it upright as it dries. Voila - you have yourself a cakepop!
These look delicious!!! Way above my skill level, even with the cheat...good thing I know someone who can make them ;)
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