Here’s how to make these delicious space-themed, planet-shaped mini morsels.
Ingredients (makes 30 cake pops)
For the cake:
200g softened butter
200g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
1 ½ Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the butter icing:
100g softened butter
175g icing sugar
2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
To decorate:
30 cake pop sticks
400g white choc
2 ½ tsp vegetable oil
yellow, orange, blue, green, and purple gel food colourings
100g fondant icing
edible eye sprinkles
black food writer pen
Note: Grown-ups need to manage preparation and baking
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C (Gas mark 4/350°F). Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm (12in x 12in) rectangle cake tin.
In a large bowl, whisk the butter with the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Break the eggs into another bowl and lightly whisk with a fork. Add the eggs a little at a time to the butter and sugar mix, whisking in between.
Sift the self-raising flour into the bowl, and using an electric whisk on a low speed, gently blend all the ingredients together.
Add the milk and vanilla extract and whisk again until combined.
Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin. Gently smooth the top down with a spatula, then bake in the pre-heated oven for around 30 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.
While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream icing: Whisk the butter with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar, a little at a time, and whisk until completely combined. Add the milk and vanilla extract and whisk again.
Once completely cool, crumble the cake between your fingertips into a large bowl until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs.
Add the buttercream icing and mix with your hands until it starts to come together in a kind of dough. Break the dough into walnut-sized pieces and roll into smooth balls.
Place the balls of cake on a lined oven tray and pop them in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Break 25g white chocolate into a small microwave safe bowl and melt gently in the microwave.
Remove the chilled cake balls from the fridge and add a stick to each one, dipping the end of the stick in white chocolate first before pushing it into the cake ball. This will help hold it in place.
Return the cake pops to the fridge to chill until the chocolate has set hard.
To coat, break 75g white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and melt in 20 second bursts until just melted and smooth.
Drop ½ tsp oil into the melted white chocolate along with a few drops of gel food colouring. Stir with a small metal spoon until the chocolate is evenly coloured.
Dip a cake pop in the chocolate to coat. Allow any excess chocolate to drip off then stand the cake pop up to dry (an empty egg box is great for pushing the cake pops into!). Repeat until you have covered 6 cake pops.
Repeat with the remaining colours until you have a selection of different coloured cake pops.
Once the chocolate coating has completely dry and set, decorate the cake pops using coloured fondant icing, eye sprinkles (stick in place with leftover melted chocolate) and the food marker pen.