Cake Pops are everywhere! Even Starbucks carries these cute little candy covered cake balls on a stick.
Most cake pops are a combination of baked, crumbled cake mixed with frosting, rolled into a ball, placed on a stick, then dipped in different color candy melts. Really good but really sweet too.
I decided to make an adult-style cake pop by combining rich and chocolatey Miette Brownie Squares made with bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder (instead of cake), with some Kahlua Coffee Liqueur (instead of frosting) and then dipped into tempered real bittersweet chocolate.
Of course, what is a cake pop without sprinkles? I added some gold metallic and clear sparkling sugar crystals for decoration. The end result is like a hybrid cake pop/rum ball – with a nice bittersweet chocolate coating.
And they are on a stick! Everything is better on a stick!
These pops are the perfect sweet accompaniment to a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at the end of a nice meal. They look really cute set out on a dessert buffet or covered in cellophane and tied with a pretty ribbon for gift giving. Here is how you can make your own.
Start by making a drying stand for the chocolate covered pops to dry on. My dad took an empty styrofoam egg container and poked the sticks into it — worked great!
You will also need some sticks for the pops. I used these that i picked up at Michael’s Craft Store.
For the cake base I used some Miette Brownie Squares that I made a couple of weeks ago, that I had stored in the freezer. Let the brownies thaw to room temperature and pulverize in a food processor until the brownies resemble coarse crumbs.
Add a few tablespoons of Kahlua Coffee Liqueur to the brownies and pulse until the dough comes together. You may need to add a little more Kahlua to create a pliable dough, just don’t let it get too wet.
Using a small scoop (I used a #50 scoop), scoop out dough and roll into approximately 1 1/2″ balls. Place balls on a parchment lined baking sheet that will fit in the refrigerator.
Keep creating the balls, and when finished place in fridge to chill for an hour or overnight. If leaving overnight, cover with plastic wrap.
In the bowl of a double boiler, temper enough bittersweet chocolate to cover your pops, I used around 16 oz. of bittersweet chocolate to cover 19 cake pops. You want to use enough chocolate to create a deep enough pool to completely cover the cake pops.
Remove balls from fridge and let sit for a couple of minutes. Dip the end of a stick into the melted chocolate and insert about half-way into the ball. Dip the ball into the chocolate and cover in one motion. Remove from chocolate, letting the excess drip off before placing into the stand to dry.
Let chocolate set for a minute then top with sprinkles. I used these.
Place cake pop back on drying stand and let dry for 30 minutes to an hour so that the chocolate is completely set before serving or bagging for gift giving.
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