Cake Pops From Vicki Delany

I gave these a try when my grandchildren were visiting, and they were a big hit. My grandson said they were better than Starbuck’s. Take that, giant corporation!

I always enjoy using my own favourites in my books that contain recipes, and this one is found in ‘Tis the Season to be Scary, the latest Year Round Christmas mystery. In the book, bakery owner Vicky Casey caters the dessert portion of a Halloween-fund raising gala and her cake pops prove to be hugely popular.

Until someone dies after eating one.

But fear not, the recipe below contains no poisonous ingredients. Cake pops are fun and festive for any occasion, the perfect party treats for children and adults alike.

You can use any standard cake recipe but keep it plain – white or chocolate work best. This is my most basic go-to-cake recipe. Use a standard American icing, nothing fancy here. This recipe uses white chocolate, but you can use dark chocolate if you like, or a combination of both and any color of sprinkles.

The recipe seems long, and it can be complicated and time consuming, but if you take it slowly, you’ll end up with a fabulous treat.

Cake Pops

Makes 40 pops

White Cake

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter – room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 eggs – room temperature

¾ cup whole milk – room temperature

2 cups sifted pastry flour (or 1 ¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour)

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Directions:

1)      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare 8 inch square cake pan or two 8 inch round cake pans.

2)      In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt

3)      In an electric or stand mixer cream butter and vanilla thoroughly until light and fluffy; add sugar gradually, beating well

4)      Add eggs one at a time and beat after each egg is added

5)      Add milk and flour mixture alternately to the butter and sugar, ¼ each time, beginning and ending with the flour

6)      Bake until cake is lightly browned and springs back when lightly pressed.   Square cake – about 50 minutes, round cakes – about 30 minutes

7)      Cool and remove from pans.

Icing:

Ingredients:

7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter – room temperature

1 ¾ cup icing sugar

1 tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat butter on medium high until creamy, add icing sugar, milk, and vanilla and mix on low speed to combine, and then increase speed to medium high and beat for about 3 minutes

Prepare Cake Pops:

Crumble the cold cake into the icing mixture, ensuring there are no large lumps. With mixer on low, combine.

Take about 1 tbsp (weight about 20g) of the cake mixture and form into a ball. Place balls on baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.  Refrigerate for 2 – 24 hours.

Chocolate Coating

Ingredients

24 oz white chocolate

Sprinkles

50 Lollipop sticks

Directions:

Melt chocolate in a 2-cup glass measuring cup in the microwave, stirring regularly, until melted and smooth

Assemble Cake Pops:

Remove three or four cake balls from the fridge at a time. Dip the tip of a lollypop stick into the chocolate and insert ½ way into the cake ball. Dip in melted chocolate until coated.  Decorate the cake pop with sprinkles and place upright in a holder to dry. A Styrofoam block works well for this step or even a colander if the holes are the right size.

Continue with the remainder of the cake pops, only removing a few at a time from the refrigerator to work with.

Allow chocolate about one hour to dry. Can be stored in the refrigerator for one week, or the freezer for up to two months.

 

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

Now available: ‘Tis the Season to be Scary, a Year Round Christmas Mystery from Crooked Lane Books.

January 5, 2027: A Murder Most Irregular, the twelfth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop novel