CAKE POPS CHRISTMAS RECIPES

Steps:

• Pulse the madeira cake in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over just simmering water or in the microwave. Shop bought madeira cake can vary in texture so you may need to add a little extra melted white chocolate to make the mixture stick into balls. Stir the orange zest into the chocolate, then work the chocolate into the crumbs using your hands.
• Form into 10 small truffle-sized balls, then roll gently in your palms to smooth the surface. Arrange the balls on a baking parchment-lined dinner plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the mixture to set.
• Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave or over a bowl of just simmering water. Dip a lolly stick into the melted chocolate about 1.5cm in and poke half way into a cake ball. Repeat with the remaining balls. Put them back on the plate. Return to the fridge for five minutes.
• Dip the cake pops one at a time into the melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off and spin the pops to even out the surface. Poke the pops into a piece of polystyrene or cake pop holder if you have one, keeping the pops apart. Allow to set for about half an hour.
• Heat the white chocolate in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water. Allow to cool for a few minutes until it has a thick, runny consistency. If the chocolate is too hot, it will melt the dark chocolate underneath so make sure you do not overheat it. Spoon a small amount on top of the cake pops and tip them back and forth so that it runs down the sides a little. If you have holly decorations, set one on each pop. If using writing icing, wait for another 20 minutes or so until the white chocolate has set. To avoid a bloom on the chocolate, cover the cake pops in chocolate on the day you want to eat them – or the day before at the earliest.
• Pipe on holly leaves with the green icing and two little dots for berries using the red. Once finished, store them in a cool place, though not the fridge

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, egg whites, food color and cocoa with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
• Bake and cool as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Crumble cake into large bowl. Add frosting; mix well. Shape into 1 1/2-inch balls; place on cookie sheet. Freeze until firm; keep refrigerated.
• In microwavable bowl, microwave candy coating and shortening uncovered on Medium (50%) 2 minutes, then in 15-second intervals, until melted; stir until smooth. Dip tip of 1 lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into melted coating and insert stick into 1 cake ball no more than halfway. Repeat. Return cake pops to cookie sheet. Refrigerate 5 minutes. Remove from refrigerator a few at a time. Dip each cake ball into melted coating to cover; tap off excess. Poke opposite end of stick into foam block. Sprinkle with red sugar. Let stand until set.