Bake Me I'm Yours... Cake Pops. Carolyn White

could possibly be more fun than combining my two favourite things in life, eating delicious cake and enjoying decadent chocolate? Both of these are brought together in the fun new craze of creating lollipops made out of cake — cake pops! This book has been written for those new to creating this sweet treat and those who are looking to expand their creative skills, whether with new flavours, shapes or decorating techniques. There are plenty of sponge cake recipes and tasty toppings to choose from, and the cake pops have been themed to provide you with lots of inspiration for the whole year round — from love hearts for Valentine’s Day to a snowy Christmas scene. There are also fabulous ideas for embellishing your cake pops. You will find that you can add character and personalize your pops to make them a gift with meaning or just a fun family treat.

      The cake pops have different skill ratings indicated by one

, two

or three

cupcake symbols.

      I hope you enjoy learning to create the many cake pops in this book and, of course, tasting plenty of them along the way! In particular, you will love giving them as gifts and watching the recipient’s face light up in delight.

      Happy dipping!

      Tools & Equipment

      Before you start, it’s a good idea to check you have everything to hand that you might need. The lists here will help you make your sponge base and buttercream binding mixture, and create your basic cake pops ready to dip. Specialized tools for decorating particular projects are listed in the ‘you will need’ section at the start of each project.

      Equipment for baking

      • Kitchen scales — to accurately weigh ingredients and cake pop ball sizes.

      • Electric mixer with paddle attachment — to make the sponge bases and buttercreams.

      • Plastic spatulas — to scrape out bowls.

      • Baking parchment — to line the base and sides of baking tins.

      • Baking tins — for making basic sponge cakes, mainly loaf tins, round, square and heart-shaped. Disposable ones can be helpful.

      • Wire rack — for cooling cakes.

      • Spoons — to weigh out buttercream or ganache ingredients and cake pop sizes.

      Tools for moulding and dipping

      • Non-stick board with non-stick mat beneath — to roll out icing and to model embellishments.

      • Plastic or glass microwave-safe bowls — to melt chocolate callets or candy melts.

      • Microwave or double boiler — to melt chocolate.

      • Wooden spatulas — for stirring when tempering chocolate.

      • Roll of disposable piping bags — to pipe melted chocolate.

      • Measuring spoons — to gauge cake pop sizes instead of weighing.

      • Cake board with greaseproof paper — for resting cake pops in the refrigerator.

      • Set of round graduated cutters — to cut basic shapes.

      • Lollipop sticks — for presenting cake pops on. Use 15cm (6in) and 20cm (8in) lengths. Try wooden ice lollipop sticks too.

      Tools for decorating

      • non-stick rolling pin — to roll out flower paste and modelling paste.

      • parchment piping bags — to pipe royal icing.

      • piping nozzles — for using with piping bags.

      • foam pad — to cushion flower paste when forming flowers.

      • mini palette knife — to cut and turn paste, and lift icing and embellishments.

      • modelling tools — to create facial details, shape flowers and so on. A Dresden tool is useful for making marks on pastes, such as wood effects.

      • dusting brushes — to dust edible lustre dusts on to cake pops and flower paste.

      • paintbrush — to apply edible glue to attach sugar items (sable no. 2 and 4 sizes).

      • dummy — a polystyrene block to support cake pops as you create them.

      • paint palette — to mix colours and blend gold dust to create a paint.

      • cutters and moulds — for forming cake pop shapes.

      • cocktail sticks — to touch up tiny details and for dropping colour into chocolate.

      • edible pen — to add decorative details.

      Recipes

      Cake recipes

      Now you have all your basic equipment to hand, you can start to make your cake base. You can use almost any recipe for your cake pops, but don’t choose one with nuts, fruit or inclusions that will make the pops lumpy or angular. You are aiming for a nice fine sponge crumb as your cake base. When making cake pops, the sponge cake base is baked first in a tin and then crumbled and combined with a binding such as buttercream or ganache.

      Golden rules for baking

      • Let all the ingredients come to room temperature before you start to make your cake batter.

      • Before starting to bake, read the recipe through to check the method.

      • Preheat the oven and check that it is reaching the correct temperature by using an oven thermometer.

      • Prepare tins before starting to make the cake mix so it doesn’t have to sit. Line baking tins well with baking parchment.

      • Ensure you weigh the ingredients accurately.

      • Never cream your mixture on full speed — start on slow and work upwards.

      • Beat the eggs and then add gradually to prevent curdling, adding a tablespoon of flour if it looks like the mixture might be starting to curdle.

      • Always fold in the flour. If you do use a mixer, use a K beater on the slowest speed.

      • Use a wire rack to help your sponges cool evenly.

      Abbreviations and quivalents

      g = gram

      oz = ounce

      ml = millilitre

      1oz = 28g approx

      1fl oz = 28ml approx

      tsp = teaspoon (1 tsp = 5ml)

      tbsp = tablespoon (1 tbsp =15ml)

      US cup measurements