Vanilla Cake Pops

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 250 g butter
• 200 g sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 75 g butter
• 125 g cream cheese
• 1 ½ vanilla pod(s), including the pulp
• 150 g powdered sugar
• 150 g white chocolate coating
• 1 tsp coconut oil (only if the chocolate coating is not smooth enough)
• 1 ½ vanilla pod(s), including the pulp
• Chocolate sprinkles or sugar sprinkles

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 50 minutes

makes about 40 pieces

Before you start, you will need 40-45 lollipop sticks or wooden skewers and a holder (e.g. a thick Styrofoam plate). Preheat the oven to 180°C. FOR THE BASIC DOUGH: Beat the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer on high for 5 minutes until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking occasionally. In a second bowl, combine the dry ingredients and sift them into the butter mixture. Mix everything well again. Grease a loaf pan well, pour in the batter and bake for 45-50 minutes. Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool briefly in the pan. Then turn it out onto a wire rack and cool completely. FOR THE FROSTING: Beat the softened butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until creamy. Split the vanilla pod(s) lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add to the cream. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. To make the cake pops, use a knife to trim off any hard, dark bits from the pre-baked cake. Then, take a large bowl and crush the cake into small crumbs with your hands. Place some baking paper on a baking tray (assuming the tray fits in your refrigerator; otherwise, use plates or something similar) and set it aside. Use your hands to mix the crumbs well with the frosting. Form the sticky cake mixture into 3-4 cm balls and place them on the baking tray. Before decorating, refrigerate the balls for an hour. Melt the chocolate coating in a water bath. Add the vanilla seeds and mix well. Dip a lollipop stick or wooden skewer a finger’s width into the chocolate and skewer the balls. If the white chocolate coating isn’t nice and runny, add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. FOR DECORATION: Prepare a small bowl of chocolate or sugar sprinkles. Dip the cake pops into the chocolate coating until completely covered. Hold the ball tilted downward and roll the lollipop sticks back and forth between your hands until all the excess chocolate has dripped off. Once no more chocolate drips off, you can place them in your holder and decorate with sprinkles. It’s best to refrigerate the cake pops.