This month’s kids and pets theme got me thinking about the times my kids have impacted my culinary creativity, including one rainy day at home with my boys that unexpectedly inspired one of my most playful desserts: cake pops.
It was back in the early ’90s. My two little boys and I were stuck at home due to torrential rain. When I started thinking about what to feed them, I realized I only had cream cheese and smoked salmon in the refrigerator. Hey, I’m a chef. I don’t eat at home all that much!
I thought I was up the proverbial creek until I remembered I had recently acquired a lollipop mold with sticks from a yard sale. Knowing my boys were suckers for lollipops, I figured I could trick them into eating the salmon and cream cheese if they were on a stick.
So, I chopped up the salmon, combined it with the cream cheese, pressed the mixture into the rounds of the mold and stuck a stick in each one. After a brief stint in the freezer to set up, I presented the salmon and cream cheese lollipops to the boys.
They didn’t bite, literally. But I did. And I thought the idea was delicious, fun to eat and worth revisiting in a sweeter form.
That rainy-day experiment eventually led me to create a cake pop. Presented on a metal “tree” in a variety of flavors, they have remained a best-selling dessert. They can be much easier to make than you might think—see the recipe below—and are sure to add a wow factor to any occasion.
This version uses prepared elements, making it easy enough to become a staple of your own repertoire.
Ingredients:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 can prepared chocolate frosting
- 18 lollipop sticks
- 1 bag chocolate candy melts
- 1 tube decorating icing
- 1 tablespoon multicolored candy sprinkles, crumbled Heath bar or both
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish while the oven is heating.
- With a mixer on low speed, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs in a bowl for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more.
- Pour batter into the greased baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 28 to 33 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for at least one hour.
- Crumble cooled cake into a large bowl. Stir in frosting until mixture is sticky and starts to come together, but is not smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll cake mixture into 18 1½-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.
- Place ¼ cup candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high until melted, about 20 seconds.
- Push a lollipop stick halfway into each ball. Gently dip balls into the melted chocolate to coat. Then place upright in a foam block.
- While coating is wet, decorate the cake pops with candy sprinkles, Heath bar crumbles or both.
About Chef David Burke
Brooklyn-born chef and restaurateur David Burke, who was raised and continues to live in New Jersey, is known for playful, precision-driven modern American cooking and elevated comfort classics. His restaurants span New Jersey and beyond, including Red Horse by David Burke at The Bernards Inn and The Station Tavern in nearby Bernardsville.
To learn more, explore his restaurants, or get in touch, visit chefdavidburke.com and follow his culinary adventures on Instagram @chefdavidburke.