Chocolate Mint Cake Pops

September 30th is a special day for me. A major life changing event occurred on that day and my life as I knew it, was over. My daughter Ashley was born and changed my world forever. Becoming a Mother changes you in ways that you would not imagine. It opens your heart and your perspective reflects a different world.

My nephew Graydon was also born on this day. He and his brother Ireland, are about the cutest little tow-headed fellas that you have ever met. The last time that they spent the night, they about “Mimi-ed”  me to death.  It was so precious to hear them call for me. After I heard Mimi for about the four thousandth time, I had to laugh. Then, I poured an adult beverage.

Children are our gifts that we give. Although, occasionally you may want to return them, but it passes, mostly.  They help us learn about life, sharing and how to become the best part of ourselves.

This weekend, I will visit with my nephews. They will be happy to see me. Mostly, they will be happy to see the Chocolate Mint Cake Pops.

Disclaimer: I made these cake pops for my nephews that I adore. This is not a recipe that you may make quickly. It is time consuming. There are multiple steps. There are two methods to choose from when making a cake pop. I chose the baking pan method. The rolled cake crumb method has too much cake icing for my taste.

There are several cookbooks out that focus solely on cake pops. If you want perfect pops, if you plan to do this regularly, I would invest in a cookbook. Little ones will not notice if all the pops are not the same. They will not notice the air bubbles. The sprinkles and decorative additions may hide slight imperfections.

Remember, it’s a cake pop, not a wedding cake. If I had to wait to serve my cake pops based on perfection, I would be standing in line at the bakery buying them for $3 a pop.

I researched many sources for cake pops. It was not that long ago that I didn’t even know what a cake pop was. My favorite cake pop suggestions came from the site that Noelle manages called www.homemakerchic.com. Check out her 8 cake pop tips. In the interest of time and diet, I adapted her tips for my kitchen.

Chocolate Mint Cake Pops
Serves 24 Small Pops

Batter
1/2 cup butter
3 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Chocolate Mint Leaves, dried
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Teaspoon coffee liqueur
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Candy Coating
1 Package Candiquik
3 Teaspoons shortening
Lollipop sticks
Decorations if desired
(2) Styrofoam egg cartons, cleaned
can of  unopened food- used as weight only

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour baking bottom and top well.

In 4 cup measuring glass, microwave butter for 40 seconds until melted. Add cocoa and stir well.

Stir in sugar and mint leaves to mixture. Blend in eggs and coffee liqueur. Add flour in slowly and stir well. Be sure to scrape the bottom of container to make sure that all ingredients mixed.

With a teaspoon, scoop batter into bottom of pan. Completely fill the semi-circle to achieve a full cake ball after baking. Add enough  that the batter is slightly over the semi-circle without overflowing. Attach the lid and fasteners.

Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a double boiler with 2 cups of water in bottom pot. Add candy coating to double boiler along with shortening. Melt slowly. Stir as needed. Keep candy coating hot.

After pops are cool, remove lid. Using a sharp paring knife, slowly work the edge around each cake pop to aid the removal. Place top of cake pop on bottom of tray. Using a lollipop stick, insert a hole into the pop. Dip stick into the candy coating and reinsert into cake pop. Once complete, move to refrigerator to speed up hardening process.

Wash cake pop pans, grease, flour, insert batter and bake for 15 minutes.

While baking second batch, pull out the first batch of cake pops to dip. Turn egg cartons upside down and poke holes in center of egg holder.

Stir candy coating and make sure that it’s hot. If too thick, add another teaspoon of shortening. I try to limit amount used.

Place the unopened can of food on top of egg carton to weigh down the  container. On the opposite side  you will place the first dipped cake pop.

To dip, submerge pop and pull out. Gently tap the edge to remove excess. Complete until all pops are covered. You may always dip again to cover flaws. Using a spoon to cover any area that needs a touchup is preferred. The coating will make the cake pop heavy with extra dipping.

For my pop, I added green candy to look like hair and candy coated eye balls. Simple, but cute. You can go crazy adding food color, sprinkles, different color coatings drizzled, etc. Add the decorations, right after you submerge each pop before place in carton.

Complete process with second batch.

I left my cake pops out overnight to harden. Once pops are dry, place in small plastic bags. Tie a ribbon on to secure and protect from the elements.

Lagniappe: Based on this recipe, you will have  some extra coating left that could be dyed another color to drizzle for extra effect. Perform while the cake pops are in the egg cartons.

Adapted Recipe:

This cake pop recipe was created using my Chocolate Mint Brownie recipe. I adapted the instructions using the Cake Pop Tips from Noelle at Homemakerchic.com

 

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