Cake Pops VS. Cake Batter Truffles

Cake pops, I'm sure that most of you have heard of them. They've become a popular party snack for holiday parties, office pot lucks, and showers both bridal and baby. A delicious blend that usually consists of baked cake crumbs and either icing or chocolate, they are always a favorite, but there is another dessert that's rising through the ranks, Cake Batter Balls!

If you're anything like me and you find yourself baking, you probably have a hard time restraining yourself from eating the batter or dough. Another trend that's become popular in recent years is edible cookie doughs, but what about cake batter? One nice thing about cake balls is that they're the best of both worlds.

The process for cake truffles is extremely similar to cake pops, the major difference being the sweet inside. For this dessert, you can usually get away with simply mixing two simple ingredients, cake mix, and butter. Some recipes will have you add a bit of milk, this can help bring the mixture together so it's a little easier to mold. I actually tried adding a little vegetable shortening to the last batch I made and it seemed to give them a great texture.

Though the two are extremely similar and seem to be identical as far as the filling goes, they can have different tastes. Cake pops can have a smoother and a bit creamier texture while cake truffles are a bit denser and usually resemble more of a dough texture once mixed.

Now after going into their differences let's take a look at what they have in common. There are always two ingredients that seem to go hand in hand with these desserts, A candy coating and of course sprinkles!!

For the coating, the usual go-to's seem to be chocolate or candy melts. I'm usually a candy melt kind of person, they're easy to use and you can find and create all kinds of flavors with them. The last cake truffles I made had a blueberry flavored coating, which went great with the cake flavor.

As for sprinkles, this is up to you depending on the look you're going for. Feel free to experiment and see what your favorite kind to use is.

Now I'm sure you can find about a dozen recipes for either cakey treat, but I'll save you some trouble and include my favorites:

Cake Pops:

Cake:

For this, you can use any cake mix that can fill a 9-in. pan. But there's always the added satisfaction of making something from scratch... If you have the time and patience for it.

- 1 1/3 c. All-purpose flour

- 1/2 tsp. Baking powder

- 1/4 tsp. Baking soda

- 1/2 tsp. Salt

- 1/2 c. Unsalted butter, room temp.

- 1 c. Sugar

- 1 large egg, room temp.

- 2 tsp. Vanilla extract

- 1 c. Milk

Frosting:

You can also use a store-bought frosting if you don't feel like making your own.

- 7 tbsp. Unsalted butter, room temp.

- 1 3/4 c. powdered sugar

- 2-3 tbsp. Milk or heavy cream

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Coating:

- Candy melts (about 40 oz.)

- Sprinkles

- Lollipop sticks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-in. cake pan or springform pan.

To make the cake:

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light yellow, about two minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high until combined, scraping down the edges as needed.

With the mixer on low slowly add in the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients until well combined. Give the batter a whisk by hand to make sure there is nothing stuck to the bottom. This batter is a bit thick so don't be worried.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 - 36 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the center and come out clean.

Cool the cake completely in the pan set on top of a cooling rack.

To make the frosting:

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream or milk, and vanilla extract with the mixer on low.

Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.

Once the cake is cooled crumble it into the bowl on top of the frosting, making sure there are no large lumps. Using a mixer on low, combine the cake and frosting until completely blended.

Measure out a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Place the balls on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate for about two hours or freeze for an hour. Reroll the balls to smooth them if needed. keep refrigerated between batches.

Melt the coating in a 2-cup measuring cup. Dip the lollipop stick into the coating up to about 1 1/2 in. before inserting about halfway into the ball. Dip into the coating until covered up to the base of the stick.

decorate with sprinkles or drizzled coating and place upright in a styrofoam block or cardboard box. Repeat with remaining balls making sure they stay cold for dipping.

The coating will set in about an hour.

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Cake Batter Truffles:

Ingredients:

- 1 package of white or yellow cake mix

- 1/2 c. butter melted (I usually use unsalted)

- Sprinkles

- Candy Melts

In a large bowl add in the melted butter, add in the cake mix and stir until just combined. If you want to add some sprinkles into the mixture, sprinkle over the bowl and mix until combined and spread throughout.

Melt the candy melts in a 2-cup measuring cup, stir with a fork to keep large lumps from forming. Using a toothpick or fork dip the balls into the coating making sure they are completely covered. Tap the fork or toothpick against the side of the cup to remove excess coating.

Place on a paper plate or lined baking sheet and immediately decorate with more coating or sprinkles. Store in the fridge and take them out about 10 minutes before serving.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy both recipes and end up with some great desserts that are great for giving out to friends and family.

If you want to give your opinion on which is your favorite or if you want to see what's coming next, check out my Facebook Author page.

And if you are in the mood for something else sweet check out my Korean pear tart and Mint chocolate chip cookie recipes.