Apple Cake Pops
May 12, 2017 By Cathy — 6 CommentsShow your favorite teacher how much you appreciate her with these sweet apple cake pops. (Even better that they’re made of chocolate cake!)
You know the phrase “Those that can, do; those that can’t, teach”? Pshaw! What BS! I for one could never be a teacher. I’ve toyed with the idea of hosting cooking classes over the years, even baking classes for kids, and each time before I pulled the trigger, I balked.
I have the patience of a saint when it comes to piping intricate designs on cookies, but teach someone else and I’m bouncing off the walls. If I imagine trying to capture and sustain the attention of a room full of wiggly kids, I break out into a flop sweat. It’s hard enough maintaining my composure when helping my own kids with their homework, I would never survive six hours with a roomful of someone else’s.
I clearly have the utmost respect for teachers. One, for simply making it through the day. And two, for actually teaching my kids something useful. The same kid that I spent two years teaching to zip a zipper came home knowing how to divide fractions. You say teacher, I say wizard.
When teacher appreciation week rolls around at my boys’ school, I’m always more than happy to contribute and I had so much fun making these apple cake pops for the teacher’s luncheon this year. I’ve shared a few different cake pop recipes and videos on this blog, so be sure to check here and here for tips and a tutorial. Now, cake pops take some time and patience. There’s baking, rolling, chilling and dipping, but they can be made in advance, store well and transport like a dream. (And you can do it blissfully alone if you choose.)
Sure, they take a little time, but cake pops never cease to impress. I presented these apple cake pops in little bushels with chalkboard labels, perfect for a school function. I hope the teachers enjoy these treats as a thank you for educating, tolerating and inspiring so many young minds, because in my world, “Those that can, teach; those that can’t, bake.”
- Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup boiling water
- Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
- 12 oz unsalted butter (3 sticks), softened
- 1 lb confectioners sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-12 oz packages red melting wafers
- 1 cup green melting wafers
- ¼ cup chocolate melting wafers
- white luster dust/small paint brush (optional)
- 48 lollipop sticks
- *small ice cream scoop
- **piping bags, #5 round tip, small leaf tip
- ***styrofoam block
- Chocolate Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add buttermilk, eggs and oil to the dry ingredients and mix well until combined.
- Slowly add in boiling water and mix to combine.
- Grease a 9x13 inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Buttercream Frosting: Beat butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes on med/high speed with an electric mixer.
- Gradually add in confectioners sugar, mixing well to combine.
- Stir in vanilla extract until incorporated and then beat for an additional 2-3 mins until light and fluffy.
- Cake Pops: Crumble cooled cake by hand or in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
- In a mixing bowl, pour in the crumbs and add 1 - 1½ cups frosting (the rest can be refrigerated and stored for another use). Start with a small amount and add more to reach desired consistency.
- Mix with the paddle attachment of a mixer on low speed until mixture holds together and has the consistency of play-doh or wet sand. Alternatively, mix by hand with a spatula.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment and using the small ice cream scoop, measure out level scoops.
- Roll each scoop into a ball (alternatively you can use a cake pop baller or the easy roller to roll out the balls) and place on lined baking sheet.
- Now form each ball into an apple shape by making the bottom more narrow and making a small indentation on the top with a lollipop stick. We're not looking for perfect, they look more like apples if they're all a little different.
- Chill the balls for 2 hours in the refrigerator or freeze 20 minutes.
- Remove about 10 balls at a time and allow to to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before dipping.
- Melt the red coating according to package instructions. If necessary, thin with a few drops of canola oil and stir well.
- Dip the end of each lollipop stick into the coating, then stick into the bottom of each ball (the tapered end) and poke them into the styrofoam block to harden before dipping.
- Dip each ball and tap off extra coating, tapping on your hand holding the stick, not the stick directly. Place the cake pops back into the styrofoam block to harden and dry.
- Melt the chocolate wafers and fill a piping bag fitted with a #5 round tip or simply snip the end.
- Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and pipe 48 - ½ inch slightly curved stems. Place the wax paper in freezer to set.
- Heat the green wafers according to package directions and fill a pastry bag fitted with a small leaf tip. Take the stems out of the freezer. Pipe 1, 2 or 3 leaves on the top of each apple and carefully place a stem in the center.
- Once the cake pops are dry, shake a small amount of luster dust into a small dish. Dip your paintbrush into the luster dust, shaking off the excess. Brush it onto one side of the cake pop to create a shimmer. Don't brush the entire apple, the shine will create a little dimension.
- Serve and enjoy!
These are gorgeous. I’ll never understand how you get them so perfect!
Thanks Karen. There are a lot of cake popping hours under my belt! It’s just practice and taking your time melting the chocolate. I swear!
Ha! It’s always harder teaching your own kids. I’m sure you’d make an awesome teacher Cathy! These pops are just beautiful. I’m sure all the teachers oohed and ahhed at how gorgeous AND delicious they were! You’re so very talented!
Thanks so much Mary Ann. But I stand by it, so much easier doing it than teaching someone else. Thankfully for my kids there are others that are built differently!
I love the cake pops and the basket, where can I get one of those?
I bought these baskets in bulk years ago and unfortunately I can’t remember where I got them. I would try Amazon or maybe a craft store like Michael’s.