After admiring cake pops for months on Bakerella, it was a recent post by Claire at Things We Make that spurred me on to make some of my own. I am using again the background paper which Claire had admired here prompting her to find some in the same colour.
Claire’s admission that she’d used shop bought cake was the main thing that propelled me into making these. After all why would I massacre a cake I’d just spent hours making? I had some left over ginger buttercream in the fridge and decided to do ginger cake pops. One day I will get around to writing a “Guilty Pleasures” food post with my top ten slightly (or highly) trashy foods that I enjoy. McVitie’s Jamaica Ginger Cake may well be one of them. They’re also cheap enough to have no qualms about blitzing them into oblivion.
I made the pops to take to a dinner party held in honour of a friend’s birthday. When asked what they were I said “cake on a stick” although “truffle on a stick” might be more accurate.
The buttercream and crumb mix mutates back into thick cake mix with a similar texture to marzipan. As an alternative to almonds, I’ve heard marzipan can be made with cake crumbs so I expect this comes close to that.
Cake pops are ridiculously easy to make. The hardest bit was finding something suitable to stand them in so they don’t fall over and smudge. Next time I will use Claire at Things We Make‘s suggestion of wooden stirrers from coffee chains. The cake pops “spin” a bit on the round plastic sticks whereas the wooden ones would grip them better – the length would also make them easier to photograph.
White Chocolate Jamaica Ginger Cake Pops
Makes 12-14 cake pops
Ingredients:
1 bought McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake or 250g of fruitless ginger cake
3-4 tbsp ginger and cinnamon buttercream – see this post
(alternatively you could use Philadelphia cream cheese but it won’t be so gingery which you may prefer anyway)
200g white chocolate
crystalised ginger to decorate
12-14 sticks
sandragillanders says
My Sarah those look so cute and delicious. Love the serving size too, two would be just right for me. Guess I'll have to find a similiar cake as we don't have that particular brand in U.S.
Thanks.
vickys says
I'm so jealous you have those. I'm in a fix deciding what to have for brekkie and I would like a cakepop please!! Ginger flavoured baking is my new addiction. Just made ginger cupcakes with saute bananas!
Sook says
Oh they are so cute!!
Heavenly Housewife says
Wow, these look amazing. I might have to try this one. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
*kisses* HH
deer baby says
I think this is my favourite post of yours ever (so far!). Loved hearing about your friends and the letters you wrote. Because, like you say, that's what blogs are really – stories with captions and skits and photos – all made to entertain one another. With love. It's a way of keeping in touch and making new friends. I have just bought a book (because someone I follow told me about it) called A Year of Mornings – 3191 Miles Apart – of photos on two blogs that two friends sent each other every day.
And I haven't even got started on the cake pops!
These look so scrummy – if badly behaved. I saw them somewhere else with smarties or sprinkles for kids but these are perfect for grown ups.
thingswemake says
They're fun aren't they? I hope they tasted good. They looked like they do, although they are very rich. Glad to have inspired you to make them.
I really need to get a new background paper as I am in danger of photographing everything with that colour… 'cos I love it so. In fact I baked lovely vanilla bean scones yesterday that are so pale and uninteresting looking that I am tempted to use it again to zing them up. Do you use some sort of lamp shining on the things you photograph as they seem to have a sort of glow?
I can just imagine you and your giggling school friends, lolling around like cake pops!
faithy, the baker says
YUMMY! Love your food styling and photography! 🙂
Gourmet Chick says
These are just the most adorable things ever – love it!
An Open Book says
Thats a very easy thing to take 2 a party…def bookmarking it
Nicisme says
They look super cute and very tasty!
Cucinista says
Wow and wow! Cake on a stick… doesn't get much better than that! What great photos and commentary, too.
Mowie @ Mowielicious says
Lovely Sarah! I haven't had a go at cake pops yet, but I can't wait to try.
Nora says
I'm totally with you on McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake – it's fantastic stuff. And this pops look just great. I made something similar with cheesecake as an experiment when a friend was preparing to cater her wedding – we actually made the cheesecake and then smashed it up! Lots of fun, but quite a lot of effort, really, so these ones look much more manageable. 😀
diva says
Your cake pops are very pretty Sarah! I had a hard time getting mine to stay on the stick, hence I never blogged em!! Bakerella does hers so beautifully and perfectly. I wonder how. 🙂 x
Amy @ cookbookmaniac says
awww. these are way too pretty to eat.
I heart cupcakes says
These look and sound fabulous! You wouldn't know you'd had any probs photographing them – they look so cute 🙂
Rambling Tart says
Oh Sarah, your story absolutely cracked me up! 🙂 Oh my, such memories you brought back with your reflections. 🙂 I too had some giggly cohorts of my own. 🙂 I've never heard of cake pops, but these sounds marvy! 🙂
Helen says
Lovely photos and what fun pops.
I use that Waitrose ginger too and love it!
Samantha says
Looks amazing – do you ever fancy making some for a tea party? x
BribedwithFood says
Oh, these look SO much fun!
I must think of a suitable excuse to make some soon!
Gail says
Well even if they were badly behaved, they look fab! I was chatting with two other bakers today about using 'shortcuts' – the bought cake is a great idea for these. Next time I make a batch of caramel macaron filling I think there will be cake pops too.
Julia @Mélanger says
Great story. I just saw a friend from high school that I haven't seen in 14 years. Lots of laughing and giggling. These cake pops look great! 🙂
Graphic Foodie says
Love these! So cute and I adore McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake – no shame!!
Sarah says
Love them Sarah! Brilliant ideas! I'll be making these for parties now I think!
Bethie says
Fantastic! I think I need to give some a try. I love ginger.
Anonymous says
even though i'm down under you are in my thoughts everyday….so many fantastic memories and we'll have many more to come. love you lots your best friend beccy xx
Kitchen Butterfly says
Love cake pops, especially after trying Diva's oreo ones at FBC. I would live this – being a ginger babe. Superb
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Aww so cute! I love the ribbon too 🙂 You can also do them with biscuits too (another quick way using bought biscuits 🙂 )
Megan says
Maybe wooden lollypop sticks would work better ot even thse cocktale forks, if you could find long handled ones. I love the flavor, yum!
It looks to me like you did a good job getting them to behave! 🙂
Maria says
Perfect pops for spring!
Su-yin says
Love the lovely yellow ribbon! Very nice. 🙂
Am not a fan of ginger (in any form) but I wouldn't say no to one of these!
Deeba PAB says
Love them Sarah, as much as I love the way you told your story, and connected it to these giddy creatures! reminded me of my giggly schooldays too, and sadly those days never come back. Those head in the cloud, hysterical times when anything could trigger off the madness!Gorgeous cake pops… love everything about them, even their bad behaviour once they come together! LOL!!
Modern Dilemma says
Ah, Bakerella. I love her site and her cute cakepops. I've made a load of them and think it is probably mine that Deerbaby above was thinking of as I've posted them on my blog and she stops by to say hello regularly.
Not sure if anyone else has said it in the comments, but what you need to hold up your cakepops is a piece of polystryrene (sp wrong, i'm too tired to check it)
If you go to this page on my blog you'll see standing in a row like cakepop soldiers!
http://thecurseofthemoderndilemma.blogspot.com/2010/02/wordless-wednesday.html
Love the idea of your grown up cakepops. May have to give them a try!
MD xx
Julie says
Wow!! these look delicious, going straight into the kitchen to bake a cake to blitz. I've 'aquired' some wooden sticks.
Archana says
I love your posts!!! they make me feel so use-less!!!
susan tittle says
Hello all, I make cake pops on a regular basis and I am the proud owner of the bakerella cakepop book. The trick to getting them to stay on the stick and keep in place, is to dip the end of the stick into the chocolate before your insert it into the cake pop. Polestyrene is great for holding them in place, but also a potato works well. Just remember to cut a piece off the potato to give it a flat bottom. I can highly recommend making these with chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, they truely are truffles on a stick and the kids love them!
Christina says
Hi Sarah well done. I couldn’t help but notice that you hadn’t dipped the stick into chocolate before pushing them into the cake balls. If you did that and let them set as the cold mixture sets it hard, then that usually prevents them from rolling around on the stick.. Great job. They look devine
Sarah, Maison Cupcake says
Great tip! Thanks