Author:
Sunrise Flour Mill
These cute little vanilla cake pops, decorated to look like ghosts, are a festive addition to any Halloween party. They are deliciously sweet and adorably festive :)
I plan to take these to the mill to celebrate Halloween with the staff. They’re perfect to take to the office because they’re single-serve making this grab and go treat ideal for any break room or party.
This is also a wonderful recipe to make if you have any little bakers around. Mashing up the cake, dipping the cake balls, and decorating them is a great sensory activity.
If you decide to try these, please send us a photo or comment on the recipe and let us know how it went. This is such a fun way to celebrate the spooky holiday. Enjoy!
Ingredients
-
2 cups Heritage White Flour
1 tsp teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons heavy cream or milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
About 7-8 squares of white almond bark
1/2 Tbsp shortening optional for a thinner dipping consistency
Cake
Frosting
Coating
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 cake pan.
Cake
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl- beat together butter and sugar until creamed (2 minutes). Add egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined. If needed-scrape down sides of the bowl
Add the dry ingredients and milk to the bowl. Mix on low speed until combined ensuring there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
Evenly pour batter into the prepared pan.
Since all ovens are different in terms of baking times and actual heat, use your judgment on baking time. You don’t want any brown or crusty patches, keeping the cake as white as possible. This means starting at 10 minutes and checking it every 5 minutes to ensure there is no browning. If there is, lightly cover with a foil tent. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
Frosting:
Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. A hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment makes this quick and easy.
On a low speed- Add powdered sugar, heavy cream or milk, and vanilla extract.
Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes or until you have a smooth frosting.
Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps.
Beat the frosting and cake crumbles together on a low speed until combined
Reserve 4 tablespoons of frosting for the eyes
Make the cake balls
Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon- Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter and roll into a ball.
Place balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten ever so slightly to create a flat spot on the bottom for them to stand on.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, or freeze for 1 hour to set the shape. Note- you can freeze for longer if you want to do the following steps a different day.
Melt the almond bark in a liquid measuring cup in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted and smooth. You can also use a double boiler on the stove, if you prefer. Make sure you don't get water in the almond bark or the bark will stiffen and can’t be recovered.
Coat the cake balls:
Working in small batches- Remove some cake balls from the refrigerator. Dip a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert into the center of the cake ball. Push only halfway through. Dip each cake ball into the coating until it is completely covered. Make sure the coating covers the base of the cake ball where it meets the lollipop stick.
Coating will set within an hour. Mix food coloring of choice into your frosting reserve and pipe on your eyes. Tip- you can use a plastic bag with a small cut in the corner for a piping bag.
