Show your favorite teacher your appreciation with these cute apple cake pops. Crumbled cake, frosting, and a shiny red candy coating make these apples an even better treat than the real thing!
- 2 cups AP 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
- 12 oz unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 1 lb confectioners sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 48 lollipop sticks
- 24 oz packages red melting wafers (2 - 12 oz pkgs)
- 1 cup green melting wafers
- ¼ cup chocolate melting wafers
- white luster dust/small paint brush (optional)
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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Add buttermilk, eggs, and oil to the dry ingredients and mix well until combined. Slowly add in boiling water and mix to combine.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
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Beat butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes on med/high speed with an electric mixer.
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Gradually add in confectioners sugar, mixing well to combine.
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Stir in vanilla extract until incorporated and then beat for an additional 2-3 mins until light and fluffy.
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Crumble cooled cake by hand or in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
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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.
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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.
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Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment and using the small ice cream scoop, measure out level scoops.
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Roll each scoop into a ball (alternatively you can use a cake pop baller or the Cake Pop Easy Roller to roll out the balls) and place on lined baking sheet.
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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.
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Chill the balls for 2 hours in the refrigerator or freeze 20 minutes.
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Remove about 10 balls at a time and allow to to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before dipping.
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Melt the red coating according to package instructions. If necessary, thin with a few drops of canola oil and stir well.
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Dip the end of each lollipop stick into the coating, then stick into the bottom of each ball (the tapered end) to harden before dipping.
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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.
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Melt the chocolate wafers and fill a piping bag fitted with a #5 round tip or simply snip the end.
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Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and pipe 48 - 1/2 inch slightly curved stems. Place the wax paper in freezer to set.
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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.
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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.
Special Equipment:
Small ice cream scoop, pastry bags, styrofoam block, small leaf tip, #5 round tip (optional)
- Start off with less frosting than you think you need to add to the crumbled cake, as you can add more as you mix it. The crumbled cake and frosting should mix together to form a play-doh-like consistency, not too wet or too dry, but enough that it holds together in a ball.
- After forming the balls and chilling, let them warm up just a bit before dipping. The coating has a tendency to crack if the balls are too cold or the coating too warm. This takes a little trial and error to get it right if you’re new to cake pops.
- Don’t overheat the candy coating. My rule of thumb is to heat it in 30 second increments in the microwave and stir well each time. I also heat mine at 50-60% power….trust me…low and slow prevents a gloppy mess!
- If your melted coating is too thick, add a few drops of canola oil and mix well. You want it to be the consistency where it drips off easily when you tap off the excess coating after dipping.
- Allow the candy coating to sit at room temperature for a minute or two before dipping. You don’t want too great a temperature swing between the cake balls and coating which can lead to cracking.
- The biggest tip…don’t sweat it if they’re not perfect the first time you make them! It takes a little practice but soon you’ll find a rhythm.