Christmas Cake Pops

Edit

Recipe's preparation

Chocolate Cake

1. 1. Preheat oven to 180.
   3. Grease 2 x 20cm loose-bottom cake tins and line the base with greaseproof paper, as the mix is quite runny.
   5. Place the butter in the Thermomix bowl and melt for 2 minutes/ 60C/ Speed 3.
   7. Once butter is melted, add all other ingredients as listed and mix 15 seconds/ Speed 5.
   9. Pour into prepared tins and bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cake Pop Balls

When cakes are cool break into pieces. Return approximately one quarter of the pieces to TM bowl, process for 5 seconds/speed 5 until broken into breadcrumb size pieces. Set aside in large mixing bowl. Continue with remaining pieces until all cake has been reduced to fine crumbs. 

1. Without washing TM bowl, add cream cheese and mix 10 seconds/ Speed 5 until creamy. Add icing sugar and mix a further 15 – 20 seconds/ Speed 5 until the consistency of icing.
3. Add cream cheese icing to mixing bowl with cake crumbs and stir through with spatula until completely combined.
5. When combined, scoop up tablespoons of mix and roll them into balls approximately 2.5 to 3cm in diameter.
7. Place balls onto prepared trays and place in freezer until thoroughly chilled. At least 1 hour – can be overnight, as cake pops do not completely freeze through.

Making the Reindeer

Take the baking marshmallows and cut them in half in order to make the eyes for your reindeer. These will have a dot of dark chocolate applied for pupils - you can do this either before or after adding the marshmallows to the face.

Take the star pretzels and carefully break off 2 points of each star so you end up with a 3 pointed pretzel to use as antlers.

Put your jaffas in a bowl ready for use.

Melt your dark chocolate. Add 300g dark chocolate to the TM bowl and grate  10 seconds at speed 8. Add copha to bowl and heat 2 minutes at 50C on speed 3.

When the chocolate has melted add the further 100g of dark chocolate and mix a further 2 minutes on speed 3 until all chocolate is melted. Transfer to a small deep bowl.

Clean and dry TM bowl thoroughly. Make sure bowl is completely dry.

Repeat the Step 14 above for the white chocolate, omitting the copha.

Once all chocolate is melted and decorations prepared, remove cake pops from freezer.  

Take a cake pop stick and dip it about 2 cm into the dark chocolate. Push chocolate end of stick into cake pop ball, wait a couple of seconds and then dip cake ball into chocolate until completely covered. Tap gently on side of bowl to remove excess chocolate.

Working quickly before chocolate hardens press pretzels into cake ball so they look like antlers. Next, add marshmallow eyes. Once the chocolate has hardened, add a dark chocolate dot to each marshmallow eye, add some white chocolate for a muzzle and stick a Jaffa in for a nose, holding the cake pop horizontal until the Jaffa is set in the white chocolate. Continue in this way until all cake pops are done.

Paleo Chocolate Truffle (Gluten free, no added sugar, no bake cake pop alternative)

Place cacao powder in TM bowl and process 30 seconds/speed 9.

Add remaining ingredients to bowl and set lid to locked position. Pulse using   Turbo button for 2 - 3 seconds/ 3 times.

Then process 30 seconds/speed 8 until all ingredients come together in a ball.

Transfer to a separate bowl and roll mixture into balls approx. 2.5 - 3cm in diameter. Chill.

1. To decorate - dip into dark chocolate (min. 72% cocoa solids) and decorate with gluten free/sugar free decorations.