Description
Delightfully spooky and delicious, these Ghost Cake Pops combine a moist homemade cake with creamy frosting, coated in white melting chocolate and decorated with fondant for a fun ghostly finish. Perfect for Halloween or themed parties, these treats are easy to make and sure to impress with their adorable and haunting appearance.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
For the Pops
- About 3 tablespoons frosting (buttercream recommended)
- 1/2 cup sprinkles, divided
- White melting chocolate (quantity sufficient to coat pops)
- Edible pen (black or food coloring marker)
- Fondant
- 3 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter
- Lollipop sticks
- Styrofoam block (for drying pops)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray it with non-stick spray to ensure easy removal of the cake.
- Mix butter, sugar, and oil: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the room temperature unsalted butter, sugar, and vegetable oil on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. This ensures even incorporation without overmixing.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Crack in the egg and egg white, then pour in the vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low speed until fully combined and smooth.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder to the mixture. Mix on low speed just until all the dry ingredients are moistened and combined to avoid developing gluten.
- Stream in buttermilk: Slowly pour in the buttermilk while mixing to create a smooth, well-blended batter without lumps.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake it in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake: Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature before handling it for crumbling.
- Prepare cake crumbs: Once cooled, crumble the cake using your hands or two forks until fine crumbs form.
- Mix crumbs with frosting: Add approximately 3 tablespoons of frosting to the crumbs. Mix thoroughly by hand or fork until the mixture is moist enough to hold its shape when rolled into balls.
- Form cake balls: Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, portion the mixture and roll between your hands to create smooth, round balls. Place the balls on a plate.
- Chill cake balls: Cover the formed cake balls with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours to firm up.
- Melt coating chocolate: Place the white melting chocolate in a deep bowl suitable for dipping and melt gently until smooth.
- Insert lollipop sticks: Dip one end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate, then insert it halfway into a cake ball. Let it set for 2 minutes to secure the stick in place.
- Coat cake balls: Dip the entire cake ball into the melted chocolate to coat it fully. Hold it sideways over the bowl, rotate gently, and tap off excess chocolate for a smooth finish.
- Dry cake pops: Stick the lollipop ends into a styrofoam block to dry and harden the chocolate coating completely.
- Decorate with fondant: Roll out fondant and use a 3 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter to cut out circles. Place each fondant circle over the top of the dried cake pop and gently pull the sides down to cover the pop, creating a ghost-like appearance.
- Draw ghost face: Use an edible pen to draw eyes and a mouth on the fondant-covered cake pops to complete the ghost effect.
Notes
- Makes about 16 cake pops.
- Ensure cake is completely cooled before crumbling to avoid soggy balls.
- Use a high-quality white melting chocolate for best coating results.
- Keep cake pops refrigerated if not serving immediately to maintain shape and freshness.
- Customize ghosts by using different facial expressions with the edible pen for added fun.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American