Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

So I am attempting my 1st try at making cake balls. It is for my DDs christening.

It is about 2 mo away...but today I did my first trial. (good thing I did) it definitely not as easy as I thought.

Any tips/suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Here is what I did:

I baked vanilla cake (from box) yesterday and today I(tried my best to )make them. I Crumbled it up and added the whole container of vanilla frosting. Rolled them into meatball size balls - thinking some may have been a lil too big..tried to keep them just under ping pong ball.

I refrigerated them for 1 hr.

I used toll house semi-sweet morsel chocolate chips (1 cup to 1 tbsp of crisco ratio) In a chocolate melter thing-y ...haha

I cut the white lollipop sticks in half to be the size of toothpicks but figured they would be thicker..I don't want them as lollipops I want to be displayed in the shape of a cross on a decorated board. Where people can pick them up and pop them in their mouth.

I dipped the stick in chocolate and pressed it into the balls half way. Put them in fridge for ~10 min to re-harden. Then when I tried to dip them. Most of them I had trouble...either it didn't coat to the top...or as I was trying to dip the stick was loosening...and when I tried to let the excess chocolate drip off the stick was loosening....but if I didn't let it drip there was too much and it pooled too much on the tray

All the websites and YouTube videos I watch to prepare..made it look SOOOO MUCH easier..now I know why they charge $2-3 a ball..

Sorry this got long..any tricks you find makes the dipping easier...????

Tomorrow I am going to try chocolate cake with white chocolate outing

Thanks so much if you read this far

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

In stead of putting them in the fridge after you make the balls put them in the freezer...also dip the sticks in melted chocolate before inserting them...when dipping the cake pops in the chocolate dip them in straight do not rotate them or else you are loosening them from the stick...HTH

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

Hmmm... I'm having a hard time picturing exactly what you mean about cutting the lollipop sticks. If you don't want them to be pops, I would leave the sticks out entirely and just arrange them on the board in the shape of a cross. It'll make it easier to dip. Also, I sometimes find that using too much frosting makes them fall apart easier. I use just enough frosting to make them shapeable. If I'm using a can, I usually have about 1/4 of a can (if not more) leftover. And that's using a 9x13 cake.

As far as the actual dipping goes, try not to submerge or spin them when they are in the chocolate. Even the thinnest chocolate is still thick and can break the cake balls up. I use a spoon to pour some melted chocolate over the top and any bald spots. From there, I hold the pop in my right hand and gently tap my right wrist with my left hand. It sounds really stupid, but it WORKS. It helps keep the pop on the stick while giving you a nice and smooth, even coating of chocolate. If you do decide to forgo the sticks entirely, just use a spoon to dip them and place them on wax paper. The bottoms will be flatter and may require you to use a serrated knife to trim off any excess chocolate that pools around the ball, but you might find it easier. HTH!

Message edited 3/12/2012 11:58:41 AM.

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

I put them in the freezer after I insert the dipped stick in. let sit for 10 min while I get the chocolate ready.

I make sure the chocolate is in a deep enough bowl or mug that I can dip the pop straight down and pull up in one motion. No stirring or moving it around.

when you pull them straight up after completely submerging them in the chocolate they will be fully covered.

holding it in my right hand I bang my wrist over my left wrist, I think Jill said she does the same thing. It really works!

Takes practice.. good luck!

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

Funny about the wrist...I saw that on bakerella's YouTube video and I def did that..it really does work...

Thanks for sharing tips...

I think it def worked better when the melting pot was full...but if I am doing a lot (approx 200 balls) how is it possible to keep the chocolate t the top..if we keep adding more chocolate..what do we do with all that left over chocolate KWIM?

I also found straight up and down worked best too...I guess practice makes perfect..and for now my DH and kiddies are loving being my taste testers..hahaha

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

I've found the candy melts to harden back up better than chocolate chips. Even those big blocks of candy melt you find at Target/Stop and Shop work better than chocolate chips. I found the chips just stayed a bit soft when I used them.

Def freeze the cake balls for an hour at least.

I used paramount crystals that work to help thin melted chocolate. You can also put a little crisco into the chocolate, too, but I found the crystals easier to use.

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

Don't use the whole can of frosting..makes it too soft. And definitely freeze them for a while. But less frosting makes a difference

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

Use only 3/4 of the frosting, make sure it is not whipped. I also found melting chocolate is a little easier to work with .

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?

It sounds to me like you may have used too much frosting. I use half a can max. I also put them in the freezer for 15 - 20 min.


I think it's just hard to dip them in general though

Re: Making cake pops/balls..what am I doing wrong?