What the... Starbucks do cake pops.

Yes, you read it right, Starbucks are SELLING CAKE POPS.

After a big *sigh* this morning, I decided that rather than form an opinion that might be not necessarily deserved, I would purchase said cake pops and review. So here you go:

I bought the Rocky Road and er "pink" one (I think it was vanilla). I have to 'fess up to having a cold at the moment so my senses aren't 100% accurate however I gave it my best shot.

Looks-wise, they are somewhat larger than other homemade cake pops. As another blogger points out, they look a little golf-club like but I put that down to them being more mass-produced than anything else. The coating did seem to be all over the sticks so they did look a little messier than they ought to.

Now for the tasting.  The rocky road one tasted a bit like cardboard.  I'm trying not to be harsh but I can't think of any other way of describing it.  The mini marshmallows just didn't really work as a coating and I couldn't identify any real chocolate "shell".  The cakey part just tasted like dried-out uncooked cake dough with chopped nuts in it.  Sorry Starbucks but you've got a lot to live up to - ask Bakerella for advice!
The pink one faired a little better on the outside, the coating seemed to taste quite nice but again, I have absolutely no idea what the cake part was supposed to be - I am guessing it was pre-made dried cake mix with a bit of water?  Now I'm not claiming to be the world's best cake-pop maker however I think Starbucks have gone for style (and £££ generation) over substance which is a real shame.  Yeah they look good in the shop but I felt quite disappointed!

Nevertheless, despite my protestations at how cardboard-like they were, I still managed to scoff both of them and left only crumbs so they can't have been THAT bad.

It is nice to see that Starbucks are ahead of the game on this but I feel quite relieved that the outcome won't be much to worry about.  If you want something sweet to go with your on-the-go coffee then there's nothing wrong with these but I wouldn't go out of my way to get one!  If you want a delicious homemade tasty treat which looks AND tastes great then get in touch with Little Cake Factory and order your cake pops today!

Red Nose Day / Comic Relief cake pops!

Yes - possibly the first cake pops made for Red Nose Day 2011!

If you'd like them as a fund-raiser for your event on 18th March, please contact orders@littlecakefactory.co.uk

Cool or what!

Cake pops III

You may well be asking what happened to cake pops II...  Truth is that they didn't work out quite so well and I am too ashamed of the results to display them on this blog BUT it was all good testing because I think this last batch look pretty neat!

The secret lies in actually following the advice given in the cake pops book "pop bakery" by Claire O'Connell

Cake pops require patience, practice and a steady hand (and a sweet tooth), I hope to add them to my online cupcake store menu very soon!

Cake pops - cake splops!

Be warned, the following blog contains images of cake pops that some readers may find disturbing...

Starting with crumbed chocolate cake, then added the "glue" (cream cheese, butter, icing sugar = frosting), mulched up into a gooey mix!

Rolled into truffle-sized cake balls...

Dipped in melted chocolate (VERY MESSY - I need to perfect this part!) and sprinkled with colourful er, "sprinkles".  Left to harden off in a cool place...

No they're not supposed to have the excess bit of chocolate around the top but as I said, it is work in progress!

Despite appearances I can confirm first hand that these are by far one of the tastiest, yummiest treats I have made and I can't really take the credit - it is all thanks to Bakerella!  I have a few supplies coming by parcel tomorrow so I shall continue the quest for the perfect cake pop before I unleash them on the paying public.  In fact, I don't normally eat the cupcakes I make (simply because too much of a good thing never did anyone's waistline any good) BUT I have just been into the kitchen and snaffled one - yum!