Tuesday 17 May 2011

How to Make Cake Pops

Correct me if I am wrong, cakes are one of those things relished by all, may it be kids, adults or grannies. They are wonderful and super delicious to taste. But, when the same cake is presented in a more innovative and creative way, they are little pieces of heaven called "Cake Pops". They are perfectly sized and great for any occasion. It's the best Christmas recipe. In fact the cake pops recipe top the carte at birthday parties, bridal baby shower or wedding parties, you name it. You can just make these cake pops without there being any occasion and binge on them when your tongue tickles for something sweet. Let's see how to make cake pops, since we have been talking about how yummy they are. So here you go.

How to Make Cake Pops

OK here we go, the recipe to the yummy cake pops will be revealed now. So get the ingredients ready and follow the mentioned instructions, to make the yummiest cake pop you friends and family have ever had.

Ingredients

    * 1 box of cake mix
    * 1 tub frosting
    * 1 packet candy coating (white or chocolate)
    * Sprinkles
    * Lollipop sticks
    * Styrofoam (to stand the cake pops in)
    * Butter paper
    * Other decorating material like colored ribbons, beads, etc., if you wish to decorate them further.

Procedure

   1. Bake the cake as directed on the cake mix box.
   2. Once the baked caked cools down break it into fine pieces in a large bowl. See that you process it to absolutely fine crumbs.
   3. Now, mix ¾ of the frosting tub in the bowl. Mix it with hands until a soft dough is formed.
   4. This mixture is just perfect, to roll into golf size balls.
   5. Place this balls on a plate covered with butter paper to prevent the sticking.
   6. Refrigerate them for an hour or until these cake balls hold their shape.
   7. Now, melt the chocolate as per instructions on the packet. Dip the tip of the lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and insert it into the cake balls, place them aside to harden, so that the lollipop sticks hold the cake balls properly.
   8. Once this is done, dip these pops into the melted chocolate, be carefully while you do this, because, "how to make cake pops smooth" is a question posed by many, dip until the entire pop is covered and hence, will ensure a smooth layer.
   9. Immediately dust them with sprinkles and place them in the Styrofoam block to harden.
  10. Once the chocolate sets in, it's time to gorge on these delightful cake pops.

Tips

    * Bake the cake a day before you start to make the cake pops, so that it cools down properly.
    * You can use colored candy coating. They not only come in white and brown, but all different colors.
    * Dip the pops completely and carefully into the melted chocolate to have a smooth layer.
    * The cake pops look just as cute even without the lollipop sticks.

Cake pops can be given any shape to make them look tempting and suit the occasion, and they can be tried out with different cake recipes too. One can make a turkey shaped cake pop on Thanksgiving. A Christmas cake pop recipe can be like a Santa Claus cap, bells, or they just can be used to decorate the Christmas tree. Some naughty kids prefer the cake pops with monster heads some others like the smiley faces. Heart-shaped cake pops during Valentine's day serves the perfect mushy surprise for your loved one. An egg-shaped cake pop on Easter Sunday seems perfect and unusual.

Now that you know how to make cake pops, go ahead, brush up your confectionery skills and enjoy the scrumptious cake pops. Cake pops are the stars of every event and simply delicious.

Dump Cake

Delicious delight… a description that insinuates you into the world of perfect harmony that spells taste in every molecule. A dump cake does just that! It makes you drool and drown into the reservoir of the delectable and soft munch. However you may think that the name dump cake does not suggest any ingredient that screams appetizing nor does it have a name that evokes interest. The name might just suggest how disloyal it is to serving your taste buds, by being subjected to the dumps! Well, to your sheer surprise and to my subservient relief, I have the opportunity to explain that a dump cake is contrary to what its name suggests. It is indeed a cake that your tongue generously testifies to.

What is a Dump Cake

Names are supposed to be a tad bit mysterious and deceptive, if not then what is the fun in experiencing something exciting. This dessert to everyone's surprise is coveted to be a real relish with it being the most easiest cake that one may concoct. The Delicious dump cake can be made by anyone. From kids beginning to learn the art of cake baking to a new bride trying to impress her mother in law with her cake making prowess, the elementary dump cake recipes serve one and all. You may ask, what is dump cake all about. Well, a dump cake is a successful concoction of fruits preferably canned, with a layer of cake mix accompanied with toppings to add that extra smack. Cherries, pineapples are amongst the preferred and the most demanded by 'platter holders'. Nevertheless, you could also enjoy making and eating a dump cake that has other fruits as its base. Apples, pumpkin, peach are also among the top runners to make the cake all the more savory and mouth watering.

Canned fruits are predominantly used in preparing dump cakes, however, you are free to experiment with fruits that you prefer. You could also resort to using fresh fruits as your base in the baking bowl. There are modification in the recipe of this cake that can make it all the more tempting and special. Strawberry gelatin is a popular choice with all those who don't wish to conform to the ordinary and the mundane. If you have a sweet tooth demanding a lot more 'sweet nothings' from you, all you could do is coat the fruits in sugar or dip them in sugar water, allowing them to macerate in their own juice. In case you have to rush for an important but have promised to keep a delicious dump cake ready for your son when he gets back from school, all you need to do is use a canned pie filling or any variety of fruit pie and serve your son with a sweet platter.

Easy Dump Cake Recipe

Here is an easy dump cake recipe for one and all. Here we go.

Ingredients

Equip your kitchen counter with the required ingredients such as:

    * 1 Stick of Butter
    * 1 pkg of Canned Fruit
    * 1 pkg. Cake mix

Instructions

   1. Place the canned fruits on the bottom of the baking bowl. Ensure that you place the fruits evenly. The caned fruit could be your choice in entirety. Peach, pumpkin, pineapple, apple, cherries, you could make the dump cake with regards to the flavor you prefer to be dominant. If your favorite fruits is cherries you could resort to make a cherry dump cake or you could resort to reviewing a pineapple dump cake recipe to make the pineapple dump cake.
   2. Pour the cake mix (yellow or white) on the fruits. Stir this mixture gently.
   3. If the cake mix forms granules while the mixing process is in action, do not smoothen out. You could let them be the way they are as they deliver crunch to the cake.
   4. You could now apply butter or margarine to the sides if the baking dish and pour the mixture into the dish while you pre-heat the oven.
   5. Coat the cake with a layer of butter and sprinkle a few cashews on top to give a rich feel to the cake.
   6. Now, is the time to place the cake preparation into the pre-heated oven.
   7. Bake until you see the color of the crust turning golden brown.
   8. The dump cake is ready! You could serve it with whipped cream.

Having known what is dump cake, you could experiment, concoct and come up with flavors to cater to your taste buds. A dump cake is, indeed a budding cake-concocter's delight. Eat it to believe it!

Cake Balls on a Stick

Who doesn't love cake? Chocolate or lemon or strawberry? So many frosting options. Another great thing about cakes is that you can do so many things with them. Cupcakes are a popular idea. A new trend for cake is cake balls. Bite sized treats, cake balls are balls made of cake and frosting, dipped in coating. You can have them plain or put them on a stick. Cake balls on a stick are also called cake pops or cupcake pops. They make great party food, as you don't need dishes to serve them and they are easy to eat. People even throw cake ball parties, where you come with the undecorated cake balls on a stick and then decorate them with different dipping chocolates and toppings. In this article, learn how to make cake balls on a stick along with different flavors and ideas for them.

Simple Cake Balls on a Stick Recipe

Ingredients

    * 1 cooled cake - any size, any flavor, unfrosted
    * Scraps of different cakes can also be used
    * 1 can of prepared frosting or any home made frosting
    * Melted chocolate (amount varies based on number of balls made
    * Toothpicks or lollipop sticks

Directions

Cut the cooled cake into large pieces and place in a bowl. Use a fork and crumble the cake into crumbs. Run through the crumbs with the hands or a fork to make sure all pieces are crumbled. Mix in frosting to make a paste. Chill crumb mixture for at 2 hours. Use the hands or a melon baller to roll out balls from the crumb mixture. Stack the balls on top of each other, with waxed paper sheets in between, on a platter or tray. Place the tray with the cake balls in the freezer for 6 hours. Remove the tray from the freezer and stick a lollipop stick into each cake ball. One ball at a time, roll the balls in the melted chocolate. Make sure the entire ball surface is covered. Set on waxed paper to drip off.

Tips for Easy Cake Balls on a Stick

    * Make sure the cake balls aren't frozen solid before dipping
    * Try to make small balls, as they are easier to dip and eat
    * Keep the dipped balls at room temperature
    * Dip the balls in small batches, keep both coating and the balls in the freezer until you need them
    * Store the undipped cake balls in an air tight container sealed with both the lid and plastic wrap
    * Add sprinkles immediately after coating the cake balls on a stick. If the coating hardens, then the sprinkles won't stick to the balls
    * Use a styrofoam block to stick the cake balls on a stick into, while drying up the coating

Cake Balls on a Stick Ideas

The best thing about cake balls on a stick is that there are gazillions of frosting and coating options! Mix and match any cake and frosting combination to make a multitude of cake balls. You can use sprinkles, funfetti and jimmies for a festive touch, and get creative with decorating gels, mini candies and colored frosting. For sports fans, make cake balls with white coating and use green frosting at their base, to make golf balls on a stick! For the 4th of July, make cake balls from red velvet cake mix with vanilla frosting. Roll the balls in white chocolate and sprinkle with red, blue and white sprinkles!

A festive, homemade gift idea is to make cake balls on a stick for Christmas. A box of cake balls on a stick, decoratively wrapped, is sure to bring yummy, Christmas cheer to your loved ones. For that extra touch, make Christmas tree cake balls - plum cake mix, green frosting and icing balls and stars, in the conical shape of a tree. Or just plum cake mix, with differently colors of frosting, to make decorative cake balls on a stick. Cartoon character ideas too can be implemented for kids' parties, they would just have a ball.

Cake Balls on a Stick Flavors

    * Red velvet cake with cream cheese icing and vanilla or chocolate coating
    * Chocolate cake, milk chocolate icing, dipped in chocolate bark
    * Chocolate cake, butter cream icing, and dark chocolate coating
    * Fudge cake, mixed in peppermint chips and fudge frosting with dark chocolate coating
    * Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, dipped in white chocolate bark
    * Strawberry with vanilla frosting, dipped in chocolate
    * Lemon cake, lemon frosting and chocolate chips, dipped in white chocolate
    * Fudge mix, peppermint or chocolate chips, fudge frosting, dipped in dark chocolate
    * French vanilla cake with white chocolate almond icing, dipped in chocolate
    * Cherry chip cake mix and cream cheese frosting, dipped in white chocolate

Cake balls on a stick are a popular treat for parties and occasions. Kids love every step of making them, from licking the icing bowl to decorating the cake balls. It's a great way to use leftover cake too. So try making cake balls on a stick and enjoy eating them!

Olive Oil Cake Recipe

oden spatula. Pour batter into the cake pan and smoothen top. Bake olive oil cake for 35 minutes and check for doneness. Allow it to cool down for 5 minutes, and while serving sprinkle cake with confectioners' sugar.

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake Recipe

Ingredients

    * ¾ cup spelt flour
    * 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    * ¾ cup sugar
    * 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    * ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
    * 3 eggs
    * 1 cup olive oil
    * ¾ cup whole milk
    * 1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
    * 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into pieces
    * 2 tablespoons sugar for top crunch

Directions for Preparation

In this easy olive oil cake recipe, the richness of olive flavor is complemented with rosemary herb. Preheat oven to 350°F, and line a loaf pan with a parchment paper. Keep this ready and work on the batter preparation part for olive oil cake with rosemary. Sift the dry ingredients - spelt flour, all-purpose flour, sugar (¾ cup), baking powder and kosher salt in a bowl. Whisk the eggs in another large bowl, and stir in olive oil, whole milk and rosemary. After even mixing, add more than half of the chocolate pieces. Pour this batter in the loaf pan and smoothen top.

Add remaining chocolate chips sparingly on top of the batter, and then sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake olive oil cake in the preheated oven for 40 - 45 minutes, or until the top portion become golden brown. See to it that the cake is baked properly. Or else, insert a knife and check whether it comes out clear or not. With this, you can finish off your cake recipe. But if you prefer having caramelized sugar on top, put it in the broiler for 1 minute or so. Then, leave the cake on a cooling rack for some time before slicing.

This way, bake olive oil cake to satisfy your cravings for sweet foods. You can serve it warm on the same day, or cover the cake with plastic wrap for chilling in the refrigerator. Enjoy it after 2 days, so that the flavor of the ingredients mellow in the cake perfectly. Either way this cake is delicious and makes a healthy dessert for everyone.

Sponge Cake Recipes from Scratch

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How to Prepare

Take a saucepan and add the milk, along with two tablespoons of butter. Heat the milk on low heat. In another bowl, beat the eggs (on high speed) with two cups of sugar, for around ten minutes or till the mixture gets fluffy and increases in volume. Now, lower the speed of the beater and slowly add vanilla and lukewarm milk that is heated with butter. Mix well and keep aside. Now, combine the flour with baking powder, cocoa powder and salt and sift the mixture two to three times. The next step is to add the flour into the butter-sugar batter. Beat the mixture thoroughly, till the batter acquires a marbled texture and glossy finish. Use the remaining butter to grease the cake pan, into which, you have to sprinkle some sugar, before adding the cake batter. Now, bake the batter for around thirty minutes, in the oven that is preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the cake get cool for ten minutes, before serving.

The above said recipes are easy and simple, and can be prepared easily. Once you get comfortable in making these cakes, you may collect other such best sponge cake recipes from scratch and try them too. So, why wait? Try these recipes and enjoy the delicious homemade sponge cake.

Cherry Dump Cake

Want your taste buds to bless you for treating them to a delightful cherry dump cake? Want a sweet platter that has the knack to tickle your sweet tooth? Alright, enough of temptation talk! Let us move on and change the scenario a tad bit. Before this article arms you with the cherry dump cake recipe, you might like to read and rev up your knowledge about what a dump cake is.

What is a Dump Cake?

According to your olfactory senses, the name dump cake might not sound the most appetizing item on the sweet list. However, what's in a name? It is indeed a dessert that people love to devour. This cake, unfortunately suffers from an identity crises, as majority prefer to call it a version of the cobbler cake. Surprisingly, the dump cake is popular not only for its delicious morsels, it is also coveted with the 'quick cake to make' tag. Now, that feature just does not make you wait for its arrival in your mouth!

Dump cake is made by combining canned fruits. Pineapple and cherries are some of the most predominant fruits added to the recipe. The fruits are drained and placed at the bottom of the baking dish. The next step is to add white or a yellow colored cake mix on top of the fruit layers. The cake is then baked and a scoop of butter is poured on top of the cake mix. When baked, the butter forms a crust that melts in the mouth coupled with a layer of canned sweet fruits. Dump cake is the easiest to make, simply because it has no ingredients that you need to measure and add. Instead of using canned fruits you could also resort to using fresh cut fruits. You are free to use your imagination and make wild concoctions that spells specialty in every bite. You could experiment with a variety of canned pie filling or allow the canned fruits to macerate for a while in its own juices and see the sweetness get all the more sweeter!

As far as experimenting with flavors is concerned, chocolates go far in ranking high on the chart of cake makers and cake eaters! Chocolate recipes are here to stay and get you hooked to the delicious dump cakes. Instead of pouring white or yellow cake mix, you could switch to using the chocolate cake mix. You could make a black forest cake by simply pouring the chocolate cake mix over the cherries placed at the bottom of the baking dish. You get a cherry dump cake with a chocolaty twist, cherries soaked in chocolate - a thorough lip-smacker indeed!

How to Make a Cherry Dump Cake

This is the section that will equip you with a cherry dump cake recipe that spills magic in your mouth. Here are the ingredients to get you on board.

Ingredients

    * 1 large can of crushed pineapple
    * 1 can of cherry pie filling
    * 1 can of yellow cake mix or white cake mix
    * 2 sticks butter
    * A can of flaked coconut

Directions

   1. For a pineapple dump cake recipe coupled with cherries, place crushed pineapple into the pan.
   2. Don't discard the juice, pour it along with the crushed pineapple.
   3. Spread it evenly, continuing with the same activity of spreading with the cherry pie filling over the pineapple.
   4. Now is the time to pour the cake mix (yellow or white, your choice!) over the cherries.
   5. You will notice that the cake mix has a granular texture. Well, if you want a crusty and creamy morsel then don't mash it and make it even and smooth. Let it be the way it is.
   6. To give the cake a coarse flavoring, you could sprinkle some dry coconut powder. Ensure that the coconut is not finely powdered. Sprinkling coconut powder that has tiny pieces of coconut intact, will add a different twang to the cake all together.
   7. Garnish it with some cashews to make the cake look and feel rich.
   8. Melt butter in a pan and pour it all over the cake.
   9. Place it in the oven at 320 degrees and see the cake turn crusty from the outside and soft and melt-y inside.
  10. You could serve it whipped cream. Viola! a cherry dump cake with coconut is ready for you.

Still here! I thought with this cake recipe at hand, you must have rushed to prepare your kitchen counter with all you need to make the cherry dump cake. Go now and enjoy the flavors!

Bundt Cake Recipes

Bundt cakes are extremely delicious, irresistible, yummy cakes that make me smile every time I have one. The best part about these cakes is that they are so easy to make and can be decorated so well that anyone would find it hard to resist. A perfect cake for tea time or after meals. Here are a few bundt cake recipes for you to try at home. These cake recipes from scratch are quite easy to follow and make amazing desserts .

Bundt Cake Recipes from Scratch

Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients

    * Softened Butter - ½ cup
    * Sugar - 1 cup
    * Eggs - 2
    * All purpose flour - 1 ½ cups
    * Milk - ½ cup
    * Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
    * Vanilla - 1 teaspoon
    * Salt - 1/4th teaspoon
    * Chocolate syrup - 1/4th cup
    * Baking soda - 1/4th teaspoon

Method

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bundt pan and cover it with a little flour. Remove the excess flour. You could also sprinkle the pan with a little cocoa powder. Take a large bowl and add the cream, butter and the sugar. Beat it till the mixture begins to look a little fluffy. After this add one egg at a time and keep beating the mixture. Add the other ingredients, except the chocolate syrup and the baking powder to the mixture. Once these are mixed well, take one fourth of the batter in a small bowl and add the chocolate syrup and baking powder to this and then mix it well. Add the white batter to the chocolate batter using a spoon, in the greased bundt pan. Bake this batter for around 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Before you take the cake off from the pan let it cool for 10 minutes at room temperature. A frosting of fruit syrup or an ice cream topping goes well with this cake. This cake recipe makes eight servings.

Blackberry Jam Bundt Cake
Ingredients

    * Butter - 1/4th cup
    * Eggs - 2
    * Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
    * All purpose flour - 2 cups < /li>
    * Cocoa powder - 1 teaspoon
    * Ground Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
    * Buttermilk - 1 cup
    * Salt - ½ teaspoon
    * Ground allspice - ½ teaspoon
    * Blackberry jam - 1 cup
    * Ground sifted sugar - 1 cup
    * Granulated sugar - 1 cup
    * Softened butter - 1 tablespoon
    * Vanilla - ½ teaspoon

Method

The oven must be preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bundt pan and add some flour to it as well. Take a bowl and mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cocoa and the allspice. In a larger bowl add ¼ cup of butter, cream and sugar, mix this till mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time to the bowl and beat it well. Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture by alternating it with buttermilk. The first and last part of the addition must be the flour mix. Add the blackberry jam to this. Pour the batter in the pan and bake it in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Once you cool the cake you can top it with powdered sugar in milk, with a tablespoon of butter and vanilla, mixed until it is smooth and thick. This bundt cake recipe can make 12 servings.

Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients

    * Butter - 1 cup
    * Sugar - 2 cups
    * Eggs - 4
    * Lemon extract - 1 ½ teaspoon
    * Vanilla extract - 1 ½ teaspoons
    * All purpose flour - 3 cups
    * Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
    * Salt - ½ teaspoon
    * Milk - 1 cup
    * Grated peels of lemon - 1 tablespoon
    * Lemon Juice for glaze - 1/4th cup
    * Water - 1 tablespoon
    * 3/4th cup sugar ( for glaze)

Method

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take a mixing bowl and add cream, butter and sugar to this, beat it until its fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt to the creamed mix, alternating it with milk. Add the lemon peels to this. Pour this mix into a floured and greased bundt pan. Bake this for 50 minutes. While the cake is a little warm, take another bowl and add the glaze ingredients that is the lemon juice, water, 3/4th cup of sugar, mix it well and slowly pour it all over the warm cake. Your glazed lemon bundt cake is ready that serves 12. This is one of the easiest bundt cake recipes.

These easy bundt cake recipes will surely make a lovely and quick dessert for a party. You could also decorate the cake using some cake icing tips available on Buzzle. Bundt cake recipes are so simple that you could also teach your kids this, as a fun activity, of course under supervision. A yummy treat that always leaves you asking for more.