Halloween Cake Pops

1.  After the cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into a large bowl or your Bosch/Kitchen Aid.
2. Start with approximately 1/2 cup of frosting and add it to the cake.  Continue adding frosting until the cake forms a “dough” that can easily be rolled into balls.  I would say I usually use 1/2- 3/4 cup of frosting.  Your probably will not need the whole jar if you are using store bought frosting.
3.  Roll mixture between your palms into quarter to half dollar sized balls and place on cookie sheet.  Wax paper or silpat lined is easier so the balls won’t stick.  Should make between 45-50 balls.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  For the microwave, heat the chocolate at 50% power for 2 minutes.  Stir until the the bowl no longer feels warm, then heat in 30 second intervals at 50% power stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.
5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted chocolate and insert into the cake balls.  Insert about halfway.
6. Chill in the refridgerater uncovered for a couple of hours to firm up.  (I am told you can also place them in the freezer for a little while, but I haven’t tried it.)
7. Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered.  Once covered, remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off if needed.  Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too!
8. Immediately insert the green Tic Tac for the jack-o-lantern stem OR insert the mini chocolate chips for the mummies’ eyes.
9.  Place in a styrofoam block to dry.  Sugar filled glasses works great, too!
10.  After you have dipped all the cake balls in white chocolate, go back and pipe white chocolate onto the cake pops to look like mummy wrappings.  (I think it is easier to use these bottles instead of a piping bag)
11. Once dry, draw jack-o-lantern faces with an edible ink pen and allow ink to dry.

Tips:
1.  Don’t cover the cake balls when they are chilling.  The moisture that gathers on the outside of the pops can make the chocolate crack after you dip the moist pop.  Keeping the balls uncovered while chilling allows the outside of the ball to dry off to prevent cracking (don’t worry, the inside will stay moist).
2.  Use the candy melts!  I tried chocolate chips (white and chocolate), and the chocolate ended up being too thick and it was hard to get the balls looking smooth.  The thick chocolate also made some of the cake balls fall apart while I was trying to rotate them to cover.  I also tried almond bark, which was too thin.  The cake balls wouldn’t stop dripping.  Even after I waited and tapped them off, the chocolate still ended up running down the stick.
3.  If you are up for it, the thick melted chocolate from white chocolate chips was perfect to do the mummy wrappings.  So still use the white chocolate melts for dipping the cake pop, but then use the thicker white chocolate chips for mummy wrappings if you feel like melting yet more chocolate!
4.  If you forget to insert the chocolate chip eyes or the tic tac stem while the chocolate is still soft, don’t worry.  Just dab the end of the tic tac or the back of the chocolate chips in melted chocolate and stick them on.  Not as clean looking, but I doubt anyone will notice.
5. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfect, they’ll be a hit even if your pumpkins are nobby and your mummies faces are not quite round.