Coconut Cream Cake Pop Tutorial

Cake Pops and Cake Balls are very easy to do and are great to eat. Here are the step by step instructions to make my Coconut Cream Cake Pops.

Ingredients:
*1/2 of a 9x13 cake or one 9 inch or one 8 inch cake, baked and cooled. (Or half of what ever size cake you make out of one batch of batter.) Bakerella (cake pop creator http://www.bakerella.com/) likes to use box cakes, but I prefer scratch cakes. I used the Silver White Cake in the recipe section.

*Frosting about 1/2 cup of frosting needed, but have a little more just in case your cake balls are to dry. Bakerella uses store bought frosting, but I don't like the taste of it so if you don't want to use store bought frosting check out the recipe for Creamy Butter cream in the recipe section.

*Coconut: 2 1/2 cups divided, 1/2 cup for mixing in the cake pops and 2 cups for decorating the outsides.

Makes about 40 cake pops (depending on what size you make the balls).

Step #1: Crumble cake

take your cooled cake (half of a 9x13 or half of what ever size you baked with a full batch of batter) and crumble it into a bowl into small pieces. I like to take too pieces of cake and rub them together. Or you can take a piece in your hand and crumble it into tiny pieces.

Step #2: Add 1/2 cup of coconut and mix them together.

Step #3 Add 1/2 cup of your favorite frosting. (If when you are mixing and making the balls if they don't stick together and are really dry then add a tiny bit more frosting, but not too much or it will make them super gooey and mushy.)

Step #4: Mix together until it sticks together. Then roll it into balls. If you want to be precise you can use a measuring spoons so when they are rolled the balls are all about the same size. You can choose which size you like best. My preference is just to eye it rather than use measuring spoons. I like mine to be 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the balls on a cookie sheet that is covered in parchment paper so they don't stick. Chill them in the fridge for about 2 hours. (You want them chilled not frozen so if you are in a bind and need them done sooner you can stick them in the freezer, but no more than 20 minutes or your chocolate will crack when you cover them)

Step #5: Once they are chilled you need to prepare your chocolate to cover your cake pops. I prefer coating chocolate, but you can use chocolate chips, or other types of chocolate (but you need to temper them). The best brand of coating chocolate is Merkins. I really don't like the Wilton brand, but it is doable if that is all you have access to. Just make sure you don't buy packs that the chocolate seems like it is stuck together, and you want to buy it when you need it because old chocolate doesn't melt well.

This is Merkins chocolate. You can buy it at party stores. It is sold in bins and you scoop out the amount that you need.

To melt the chocolate pour the pieces in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir. You will need to microwave it again for 2o more seconds and then stir again. Repeat this process until the chocolates have melted, making sure to stir every time (And don't microwave for more than 20 seconds after the first time because if the temperature of the chocolate gets too hot then it will seize and you will have to throw it away. So be patient so your chocolate isn't ruined. ) If you don't use coating chocolate then your chocolate might be too thick for dipping. If you find you have this problem then melt about a tablespoon of shortening in the microwave in a separate bowl and add into your chocolate once melted and stir it in.

Step #6: Dip lollipop sticks in the chocolate and insert them in the cake pops a little less than half way in (no more than that or the ball might break). Once you have inserted them in quite a few pops then the first few should have hardened and are ready to dip. I like to put sticks in half of them and move them to new parchment and stick the other half back in the fridge to keep chilled. If they get too soft then they can break in your chocolate and make a big mess.

Step #7: Prepare something to hold your dipped pops. You can use Styrofoam that you have previously made holes in with a lollipop stick, or Wilton makes a cake pop holder you will see in my pictures down below (but it is really cheap cardboard and not worth what they ask for it so make sure you use the 40% off coupon from Michael's). Or if you are going to put them in mini muffin liners when they are finished or cake balls instead of cake pops then just put them back on the parchment after dipping them. You might need a little more parchment since the dipped ones can't be as close as non dipped ones.

Step #8 Dipping

To dip you want your chocolate to be deep so if needed move to a smaller bowl so the chocolate is deeper than the cake pop. Dip the cake pop in the chocolate and pull out straight up. DO NOT twist in the chocolate or the stick might come out. If your chocolate isn't quite deep enough just tilt the stick of the cake ball gently to each side until the chocolate covers the entire pop and pull out vertically.

Step #9: Remove excess chocolate

I turn the cake pop on it's side between my thumb and fingers and slowly spin the cake pop and use my other arm to tap the arm holding the cake pop (it helps the chocolate drip off).

Step #10: Toppings

Depending on how much you like coconut you can decided how you want to do your toppings. You can simply leave the cake pop blank with the chocolate if you don't like lots of coconut, or you can dip just the top of the cake pop in coconut, or dip all of the sides in coconut. You need to do it right away before the chocolate sets.

Step #11: Drying

Let the cake pops set up until the chocolate has set completely before arranging it in what you are going to display them in. (As you can see the Wilton brand holder is kind of a tight fit some of the cake pops that are next to each other touch and solidify together so it doesn't really hold 40 since you need to spread them out.)

Here is an arrangement that I made with the Coconut Cream Cake Pops and Smore Cake Pops.

This is another way you can serve/display your cake pops. After dipping your cake pops then just place them back on your parchment paper and sprinkle the coconut on top of them or your can dip them in the coconut and then put them on the parchment, but make sure you sprinkle a little more on top so the part by the stick is covered. I put them in mini cupcake liners

Or if you want you can skip the stick entirely and make Cake Balls. When dipping either use chocolate dipping tools or a fork to help shake he ball to get the excess chocolate off and dry on parchment paper. Don't worry if there is a little excess chocolate that puddles around it. You can break that off after it has set.

The inside view of the Coconut Creme Cake Ball.

Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!