This Tuesday, I tested the theory that food tastes better if it’s on a stick. Think about it. If someone gives you a boiled sweet, you’re grateful for the gesture, but really you wish it was a better piece of confectionary. Put that boiled sweet on a stick, it becomes a lollipop, and suddenly it’s a much better option.
So when Gillian’s almost sister-in-law had to drop out of a cake pop class at the Make Lounge in Islington, I was delighted to take her place. Cake. On sticks. Covered in chocolate. What more could you wish for?
But what is a cake pop?
Whizz up some Madeira cake into breadcrumbs and mush it together with some butter cream so that you’re able to mould it into a ball. Dip your stick into some melted chocolate and pop the cake ball on top. You’ve got yourself a cake pop ripe for decoration.
We each got seven ready-made cake pops, pre-dipped in melted chocolate, further melted chocolate in a choice of colours, sprinkles, edible glitter and all sorts of decorations. The class was led by Louise Hill of Love to Cake (check out her a-maz-ing cake sculptures), who took us through different decoration techniques, from the simple (dip in chocolate, dip in sprinkles) to the downright elaborate (sheep sculpture), and then on to presentation with cellophane and ribbons.
I had so much fun! I’m not much of a cake decorator – sticking Smarties on butter cream is about the limit of my imagination – so it was brilliant to get creative with some inspiring designs. Louise was a great teacher. She’s obviously passionate about her art, and offered advice and praise throughout the class. There was a kids’ party going on in the studio next door, where they were making bath products. By the jealous looks on their faces, I think both groups knew which had the better deal.
Do they pass muster?
Yep. They taste pretty good, but with the amount of butter cream, chocolate, sugary decorations etc in there, I can’t eat more than one in a single sitting even with my full set of sweet teeth. But that’s ok, cos they’re just as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate.
The Flatmate Test was passed with flying colours, as Sophie (who had the pig) said they ‘taste as good as they look’, while Dee was particularly pleased with her green and pink butterfly topped creation, saying they reminded her of Indian sweets.
Whilst I had a lot of fun making them, they’re not really something I’d be making on a regular basis – if a seven inch Madeira cake makes 40+ cake pops, I’d be eating them for weeks on end (cos I’m greedy and probably wouldn’t share). However, they’d be great for a party or for treats for kids.
Soundtrack
Fittingly, pop. Mostly female singers, with a bit of Snow Patrol thrown in. Not quite to my taste, but I’m sure Gillian was impressed with my karaoke Vogue.