Make Your Wedding Cake Table Pop With These Tips

Cake pops are a fun, bite-sized treat that can be served at weddings. They are easy to hold, stylish, and won't fill up your guests. Cake pops can be customised to coordinate with the wedding's colour scheme or even include edible flowers. They can be dressed up to look like tuxedos or wedding dresses, or decorated with gold leaf or gold foil. Cake pops can be given as wedding favours, with a bow tied around them. They can also be arranged in various ways, such as on a cake pop tree, with acrylic stands, or on a doughnut wall. Making cake pops involves baking a cake, crumbling it into a bowl, mixing it with frosting, rolling the mixture into balls, and dipping them in chocolate.

Use a food processor to crumble the cake

To make a wedding cake table pop, you can use a food processor to crumble the cake. Here's a step-by-step guide:

• Start by baking your cake. You can use any cake flavour and shape, but for a traditional wedding cake pop, a white cake is preferred.
• Allow the cake to cool completely. This step is crucial as it ensures the cake is firm and easier to crumble.
• Cut the cake into large pieces. If you want perfectly white cake pops, you can remove the golden tops and bottoms of the cake pieces with a sharp knife.
• Place the cake pieces into the food processor. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your food processor.
• Pulse the food processor until the cake is finely crumbled. Be careful not to over-process, as you don't want the cake to turn into a paste.
• Transfer the crumbled cake to a large bowl. If you have more cake to crumble, repeat steps 4 and 5.
• Once you have crumbled all the cake, it's time to mix in the frosting. For a wedding cake pop, a vanilla frosting is a classic choice.
• Add about 3/4 of the tub of frosting to the crumbled cake and mix it in with a spoon. The mixture should hold its shape when pressed together but not be too moist.
• Now you're ready to start shaping your cake pops! Roll the mixture into balls, each about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
• Place the cake balls on a wax paper-lined tray or baking sheet. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for an hour to firm up.
• At this point, you can insert the sticks and start dipping your cake pops in melted chocolate.

Using a food processor to crumble the cake is a quick and efficient method. It ensures that the cake is evenly crumbled, creating a consistent texture for your cake pops. Remember to work in batches if necessary and not to over-process the cake to avoid turning it into a paste.

Don't use too much frosting

When making a wedding cake, it is important to be mindful of the amount of frosting you use. While frosting can add flavour and moisture to your cake, using too much can make it difficult to work with and can also be overwhelming for your guests. Here are some tips to help you avoid using too much frosting:

Aim for a balanced flavour:

When it comes to frosting, you want to enhance the flavour of your cake, not overpower it. A good rule of thumb is to use just enough frosting to complement the cake, without making it overly sweet or rich. Remember, your guests will likely be eating a variety of other foods at your wedding, so you don't want the frosting to be too heavy or overwhelming.

Consider the texture:

Using too much frosting can affect the texture of your cake. If you add too much frosting between layers, your cake may become difficult to cut and serve. It can also make the cake messy to eat, which is not ideal for a formal event like a wedding. A thin, even layer of frosting between layers is usually sufficient.

Be mindful of the aesthetics:

From a visual standpoint, too much frosting can be unappealing. It can make your cake look bulky and messy. A sleek, elegant cake is usually achieved with thin, carefully applied layers of frosting. If you're going for a rustic look, a bare cake with minimal frosting can be a beautiful option.

Think about the temperature:

If your wedding is taking place in a warm climate or during the summer months, be mindful of the type and amount of frosting you use. Some types of frosting, such as buttercream, are more susceptible to melting in higher temperatures. Using too much frosting can increase the chances of your cake becoming a sticky mess. Fondant or ganache are usually better options for warm-weather weddings as they hold up well in warmer temperatures.

Don't forget the filling:

When layering your cake, remember that the filling is also a type of frosting. If you use a generous amount of filling, you may want to reduce the amount of frosting you use on the outside of the cake. This will help to create a better balance in terms of flavour and texture.

By following these tips and using frosting sparingly, you can avoid having a cake that is overly sweet, messy, or difficult to serve. Remember, when it comes to frosting, less is often more!

Make the balls equal and uniform

Making sure your cake pops are equal and uniform is important to ensure that they stay on the stick and don't crack when you dip them in chocolate or candy coating. Here are some tips to help you achieve this:

• Use a cookie scoop or meatballer to measure out equal amounts of the cake and frosting mixture for each ball. This ensures that each cake pop has the same amount of cake and frosting, making them uniform in size and texture.
• Chill the cake balls before dipping. Place the shaped cake balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or in the freezer for about 1 hour to set their shape. Chilling helps the cake balls firm up, making them easier to roll into smooth, round shapes.
• Re-roll the chilled cake balls. After chilling, take the cake balls out of the refrigerator and give them another quick roll to smooth out any imperfections and create perfectly round shapes.
• Use a tall and narrow cup for dipping. This allows you to completely submerge the cake balls in the melted chocolate or candy coating, ensuring an even coating and a smooth finish.
• Thin out the candy coating. Add a small amount of vegetable oil, Crisco shortening, coconut oil, or EZ-thin dipping aid to the melted chocolate or candy coating. This creates a runnier consistency, making it easier to dip the cake balls and resulting in a smoother finish.
• Allow excess coating to drip off. After dipping, gently tap the stick against the side of the cup or bowl to allow the excess coating to drip off. This helps create a thinner layer of coating, reducing the weight and preventing the cake balls from falling off the sticks.

Dry the cake pops with a colander

To dry the cake pops with a colander, first assemble your cake pops and dip them in chocolate. Then, turn them upside down and place them in the holes of the colander to catch any excess chocolate or icing. This will ensure that the cake pops don't become too heavy and fall off the sticks. You can also use a styrofoam block or a makeshift drying rack to hold the cake pops upright while they dry. It is important to let the cake pops dry completely before packaging or serving them.

• Make sure the cake pops are very cold before dipping them in the chocolate. This will help the chocolate set faster and prevent cracking.
• Thin out the chocolate or candy coating before dipping the cake pops. This will create a smoother finish and make it easier for the excess to drip off.
• If using a styrofoam block, poke holes in it beforehand to insert the cake pops.
• Place the cake pops in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes before dipping if they are too soft.
• Allow the cake pops to dry for at least an hour, or until the chocolate is hard, before handling or packaging them.

Dip the stick into chocolate before poking it into the ball

To make wedding cake pops, you'll need to start by preparing a cake mix and baking it in a 9x13 cake pan. Once the cake is baked and cooled, cut it into 12 large pieces and remove the golden tops and bottoms to achieve a perfectly white cake pop. Finely crumble the remaining cake into a large bowl. Add three-quarters of a tub of frosting to the crumbs and mix until combined.

Now, it's time to roll the mixture into balls! Each ball should be about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, and you should have 48 of them. Place the balls on a tray lined with wax paper and cover them with plastic wrap before chilling them in the refrigerator for an hour.

Here comes the part you've been waiting for! Melt some white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, keeping it warm and fluid. Take a stick and dip about 1/2 inch of its end into the melted white chocolate. Then, poke it into a cake ball, going about 1/3 of the way through. Repeat this process for all the cake balls, setting them upside down on the tray. If the chocolate starts to harden, pop the tray into the fridge to keep it melted.

At this point, you're ready to move on to the crucial step you've asked about:

This step is crucial for ensuring your cake pops stay securely attached to their sticks. By dipping the end of each stick into the melted chocolate first, you create a strong 'glue' that will hold the cake ball in place. It's like building the foundation of a house—you need a strong base before you can start constructing the rest.

Take your time with this step and ensure that each stick is adequately coated in chocolate before gently pushing it into the centre of each cake ball. This process will create a solid structure for your wedding cake pops and prevent any accidental collapses or slips.

Once the sticks are firmly in place, you can move on to the next step of dipping the entire cake pop into the melted chocolate to create a smooth and delicious coating.

Frequently asked questions