The Easy Icing Tip You Shouldn't Skip When Making Cake Pops
Cake pops are the perfect handheld dessert for those looking for something fancy. However, anyone who has attempted to make them knows there's a particular process to follow in each cake pop recipe to ensure a perfect pop each time — with cake pops appearance is everything. One of the most crucial steps involves icing the pops, as this gives them their smooth surface and holds the whole thing together — cake pops are essentially crumbled cake held together with icing. In most cake pops, the icing is made of melted chocolate or candy melts so that when set it's smooth enough and strong enough to do its required job. This makes them pretty but also makes the job of icing them more challenging. If you dip too-cold cake pops in too-warm chocolate you'll get a cracked coating.
Icing the pop has to be done with care as you risk the cake ball coming dislodged from the stick. In a TikTok video by @mainstreetsweets_frisco, they test out one method to accomplish a flawless coating. Most bakers dip their cake pops to the top of the pop where the cake meets the stick, then pull them out, let the excess drip off, and stand them up to dry. In this new method, the pop is dipped on a slight angle, then rolled in the icing, and finally twirled so that the icing drips off in a mesmerizing tail of sweetness. With a few gentle taps on the bottom of the stick, the pop looks perfectly glazed with no drippy blemishes.
What is the benefit of this TikTok cake pop icing technique?
As with most things on TikTok, the new method provoked a hearty debate on which process was preferable: the angular twirling method or the all-in submerge technique demonstrated in this TikTok video by the same user. Essentially they yield the same results, but the idea of twirling and shaking off the icing is possible with both. If you're apprehensive about the stability of your cake and worry that it may slide off the stick and drown in the icing, then the angled approach is your best bet. With this method, you're able to control the dip more accurately and it allows you to add the weight of the icing at a slower pace. And the most important part — the spin movement — is a universally helpful trick.
@mainstreetsweets_frisco if you struggle with your cake pops falling off your stick, this may be a good “dipping†method to try out! #cakepops #cakepopdipping #fyp #foryou
Although angling and spinning the pops gives you a smooth finish, if you aren't careful the icing can coat the top of the stick itself. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you expect a uniform look, and you're using brightly colored icing, every pop could come off appearing sloppy. But as people in the comments of the video were quick to mention, this problem can be easily solved if you just angle your stick slightly less so there's less contact between the stick and the icing while you're dipping and spinning. It's a question of compromise, practice, and delicious experimentation. And how bad could it be if you have to hide the messy ones by eating them yourself?