Let’s talk cake truffles a.k.a cake pops, shall we? Is just the thought of it making you smile already? I have received way too many requests for sharing tips to make fabulous cake pops. Heart broken readers want to know what went wrong with their cake truffles. There are a lot that can go wrong when making cake balls. Seriously! If you have never made cake pops before, let me tell you that cake pops plop off the stick, crack and leak. In addition, the chocolate can burn out, the cake pops may crumble, a truffle can run off the stick, a perfectly shaped cake ball can crack 5 minutes later. They are so cute yet can be so frustrating to make! If you have never made cake truffles before, how about I save you some time and sugar with a few tips, tricks and advice. Are you in?
I am no expert, but to avoid getting a cake pop plof off, crack and leak, here are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way. These will ensure you are prepped for great cake pops.
Cake Pop Problem 1: Time consuming
Solution: If you have a food processor, take it out and process the cake in the food processor. This cuts out time from 8-10 minutes of crumbling and kneading to 1-2 minutes.
Cake Pop Problem 2: Grainy and mushy cake pops
Solution: Too much icing makes cake pops mushy and gives the truffles a grainy texture. I don’t like them, so I substitute the frosting with a creamy smooth ganache to bind the cake crumble. The end result is luxurious without the grainy texture.
To avoid mushy cake balls, make sure the cake balls are just wet enough to stick together when mixing the cake crumble and ganache/icing . The balls shouldn’t crumble when you roll them but should stick together without feeling wet.
Start out with a small amount of icing/ganache and slowly add more until your mix reaches the consistency of clay. Most recipes usually call for a lot more frosting than actually needed. As the dryness of the cake you start with may vary, always start with a small amount of ganache/frosting.
Cake Pop Problem 3: Cake balls leaking cake or oil
Solution: After the balls are rolled, place them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel and refrigerate over night. The paper towel will absorb the excess oil. Also, too much frosting means too much oil.
Cake Pop Problem 4: Cake pop falls of the stick
Solution: Dip the cake pop stick in the melted chocolate before inserting it in the cake ball. The melted chocolate in the stick works as adhesive to the balls. Also, be gentle when tilting your cake pop in the melted chocolate. Do not stir, swirl, or bounce around your cake pop unless you want to risk it falling off the stick. Once the cake pop is sealed in the candy coating, pull your cake pop out of the coating. When tapping off the excess chocolate, only tap the wrist holding the pop, never tap the actual stick else the pop will drop off.
Cake Pop Problem 5: Cake pop cracking
Solution: The difference in temperature of the coating(hot) and the cake ball out of the refrigerator(cold) can crack a cake ball. If the coating is super hot and the cake balls are too cold, you may experience some cracks as the materials expand/shrink while the temperature changes. Make sure your melted chocolate isn’t too hot but warm. Also, cool off the coating a little before returning the finished cake pops to the refrigerator for complete drying. To get really round pops that don’t crack, double dip. Just make sure the cake pop has completely dried before re-dipping.
Cake Pop Problem 5: How to keep the cake pop standing
Solution: There are two ways you can dry the cake pops. Prepare a thick block of styrofoam (or florist’s foam) to stick the cake pops in for drying or rest the pops stick side up on a small confectioner liner.
Have you ever made cake truffles? If you have additional tips, tricks and advice to share, please share them in comment.
i have always had issue with grainy texture – thanks for your tips 🙂
You are welcome Dixya. Thank you!
I’m not a pro either, but here are a few things that I do :
1. chill the cake pops in the fridge (freezer makes it too cold) after inserting the stick coated with melted chocolate.
2. I thin the melting chocolate out with a little bit of oil, make the consistency a little thin, helping to coat the pops better and also reducing the temperature difference a bit more.
3. Instead of tapping my wrist or the actually cake pop. I use a small rubber spatula to “roll” the cake pop against, to get access chocolate off.
4. If I am decorating or elaborating the cake pop design, then I wait until the first layer has solidified, the I either pipe some chocolate on, or double dip or if I just want to add sprinkles then i brush the surface with a corn syrup-water mixture and sprinkle away!!
Hope this helps you at some point 🙂
Awesome pointers! I tried making cake pops for my son’s birthday party last year, and epically failed. I think I made the balls too big because they kept falling off the stick. I also used these plastic sticks, and I think if I had used the cardboard kind they would have adhered better. Also, I used ghirardelli dipping chocolate, and those suckers cracked like no other.
That experience taught me that I have literally zero patience for intricate work, hahaha
Give it a try if your son is a fan of cake pops using these tips. You may have a better luck. Thanks for stopping by.
I find the stick discolors as if its absorbing the oil from the cake. Ive tried using less oil in the cake, but still getting discolored stick. Any suggestions?