Holiday recipe: cake pops (peppermint mocha and gingerbread latte)

This holiday season, I was anxious to try making cake pops. They were a bit complicated, but I had fun making them and my friends enjoyed eating them.

If you, like me, are a crazy coffee person, then you know that the start of the holiday season always begins when you walk into Starbucks to find peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes on the menu.

So, in tribute to that holiday tradition, I made my cake pops peppermint mocha and gingerbread latte flavored.

First, I'll give you the basic run down of the recipe, and then I'll tell you how I incorporated my flavor choices . . .

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix in desired flavor (also, eggs, oils, water -- whatever the cake mix specifies)

1 16-oz tub frosting in desired flavor

1 12-oz bag chocolate or white chocolate chips

Stuff to decorate (sprinkles, spices, mini chips, crushed candies, chopped dried fruit, etc.)

Supplies:

Floral foam

Lollipop sticks

Step 1. Bake cake according to directions on box. Let cool.

Step 2. Crumble the cake into a bowl and mix in the frosting with your hands (this is part of the reason letting it cool is a pretty good idea.)

Step 3. Roll the doughy mixture into balls, placing them on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet. If they don't form balls easily, refrigerate the doughy mixture for a while first.

Step 4. Refrigerate the balls for about an hour. I was in a hurry, so I stuck them in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes instead and that worked fine too.

Step 5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Dip the tip of each stick into the melted chocolate and then stick in into a ball.

Step 6. Working with one pop at a time, dip each ball in chocolate, using a spoon to help cover it evenly. Sprinkle some decorations on the top while the chocolate is still melty. Stick the pop in the floral foam to dry.

Flavor Key:

For the gingerbread latte cake pops, I used gingerbread cake mix, cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate, garnishing the pops with chopped, candied ginger. I added espresso extract to the crumbled cake along with the frosting. Espresso powdered would work too.

For the peppermint mocha cake pops, I used chocolate cake mix, buttercream frosting, and dark chocolate, garnishing the pops with crushed peppermint candies. I added espresso extract and peppermint extract to the crumbled cake along with the frosting. Espresso powdered would work too, as would peppermint frosting, if you can grab it before they sell out (which I could not).

Display Idea:

Since the flavors were inspired by Starbucks coffee drinks, I thought it would be cute to display the pops in Starbucks cups with coffee beans in the bottom to keep them sturdy. This is not at all necessary, but I think it's cute, don't you?

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