Halloween Cake Pops/Cake Balls Tutorial

I had intended on doing this tutorial with the actual cake balls and cake pops I plan on making for Halloween, but it was brought to my attention that some of you are interested in learning how to make some, for yourself!  So, here ya go, a little present from me...to you! :)


Before I start, let me tell you the difference between a cake ball and a cake pop.


Cake Ball - cake and icing rolled into a ball, dipped in candy coat or chocolate 
Cake Pop - See above, but add a stick :D


Step One: 
Bake you a nice cake.  


Now, this can be any kind of cake you'd like, but my personal suggestion:  If you plan on coating a cake pop in, say white chocolate or white candy coating, I like to try to stick with either a white cake or a very light colored cake, because the cake color can show through.  You are allowed to double dip, if you would like a dark cake and light coating!  You can even color a white cake to try to match a colored candy coating, if you'd like! (Coloring the cake to be orange before dipping it into orange colored coating)


You can make your own cake mix, if you wish, but a boxed cake mix is just fine.  Please note, a standard 18.25 oz box of cake mix will make 48 cake balls. If 4 dozen cake balls is too many, remember that each 1/4th of a cake will make 12 cake balls.  You can opt to either make 1/4th of the mix, or you can freeze the other quarters for another time!


Step Two
Crumble the cooled cake into a large mixing bowl.  The easiest way to do this is to take two equal sized pieces of cake and grate them together until it's nice and fine.  Add 3/4 of a container of frosting and mix it into the crumbled cake.  The mix should be moist enough to roll the cake into 1 1/2 inch balls and still be round.

Step Three
Roll all of your cake balls and place them on a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper (this step will take you a while).  Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for several hours, or the freezer for about 15 minutes.  You want the balls to be firm, not frozen. 


This is your basic cake ball and cake pop recipe.  From here, you can create anything you'd like using many many different treats and candies!  I will be showing you guys how to make pumpkin shaped cake pops


Jack-O-Lanterns


You'll need:
48 uncoated basic cake balls
48 ounces (3 pounds) orange candy coating
Deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl
48 paper lollipop sticks
48 green Tic Tac mints or similarly shaped candy  
Styrofoam block or cake pop holder
Black edible-ink pen




Melt the orange candy coating in a microwave-safe plastic bowl, following the instructions on the package.  The coating should be about 3 inches deep for easier dipping.  Working with 16 oz at a time typically seems to work best.


When you are ready to dip, remove only a few cake balls at a time from the refrigerator, keeping the rest in there.  Taking all of them out will make them too soft to dip when it's time for them!


One at a time, dip about 1/2 inch of the tip of the lollipop stick into the melted candy coating and insert the stick straight into the cake ball, pushing it no more than halfway through.  Dip the cake pop into the melted coating and tap off any excess coating
(Note: you'll want to tap very easy, because the cake ball can start to split and will fall off of the stick.  The easiest method in doing this is to tap the wrist of the hand holding the stick with your other hand, while slowly spinning the cake ball to let the excess candy coat fall back into the bowl)


Immediately insert a Tic Tac on the very top of the pumpkin pop.  Hold in place until set, and let dry completely in the styrofoam block.  Repeat with the remaining pumpkins until they all have stems.


Draw on jack-o-lantern faces with a black edible-ink pen and let dry completely.  


Halloween Themed Cake Balls


Using the exact same method as before, substitute dipping with a lollipop stick by placing your cake ball in a big spoon and dipping it into the bowl of candy coat.  Try to get as much excess candy coat off of your spoon and then gently lay the covered cake ball on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  

To decorate: Place any extra candy coating into a resealable plastic bag (and snip off the corner) or into a squeeze bottle (Walmart has these in the party supplies section with the fondant for cheap) and drizzle over the tops of the cake balls in a zig zag motion.  If you happen to find some cute halloween candy decorations, adding those to a mix of cake balls can make a very elegant easy treat! 

(Note: cake balls can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container on the counter or in the refrigerator for several days)