The latest sweet favourite in the United States is cake pops. And they're threatening to overtake the ever-popular cupcake. Sold in Starbucks and bakeries, cake pops look like iced, garnished lollipops on sticks.
Generally they're prepared by crumbling cake and combining with enough icing to create a mixture that can be rolled into balls.
These are then skewered with lollipop sticks, smothered with icing or melted chocolate and often decorated to suit the season or special occasion, or they are sprinkled with colourful hundreds and thousands or similar decorations. They provide petite sugar-boost portions, are possibly healthier than eating a whole cupcake but, for many of us, they tend to be too sweet.
Hence I've been experimenting with crushed sweet biscuits combined with melted butter and old-fashioned fudge cake mixtures. My biscuit pops have been voted "the best" by my junior taste team, probably made more appealing because each member decorated his own pop with writing icing and sprinkles. Biscuit pops keep well in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
For best results when making traditional biscuits or cookies, use level metric cup and spoon measurements. If a cookie mixture is a little soft, rest it in the refrigerator for an hour or so to firm up. Because biscuits take a short time to cook, they are best baked in the middle of the oven or one shelf above.
The exception to this rule is for fan ovens that allow biscuits to be baked evenly in any position because of the circulating hot air.
RECIPES
FUDGY BISCUIT POPS
You will need about 30 lollipop sticks or cake sticks to insert in your pops, sold by specialty cake-decorating stores, some delis and supermarkets. To allow the decorated pops to set without damage, I stabbed the ends of their sticks into an upturned polystyrene plate. Or you could rest them in drinking glasses.
Pops: 225g malt biscuits
1/2 cup each: walnut pieces, sultanas
150g butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp each: cocoa powder, sieved apricot jam
1 tsp vanilla essence
Coating: 250g dark chocolate, melted
200g white chocolate, melted
Assorted sprinkles
Break up the biscuits and put in a food processor. Blend until finely crushed. Add the walnuts and sultanas and blend until coarsely chopped. Place in a bowl.
Melt the butter and sugar together over low heat, stirring often. Stir in the egg and bring to boiling point. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, apricot jam and vanilla essence.
Combine with the biscuit crumbs. Working quickly, form teaspoons of the mixture into balls. Before the balls set, dip the ends of the lollipop sticks into the melted chocolate, then insert them in the pops. This will keep them firm.
Dip or spread the pops with melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles.
Makes about 30.
CHOCOLATE CHIP CORNFLAKE COOKIES
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
125g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup each: dark chocolate chips, cornflakes
Preheat the oven to 190C. Lightly grease two oven trays.
Place the egg, brown sugar, butter and vanilla essence in a food processor. Blend for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. Add the flour and baking soda and mix well.
Remove the processor blade and stir in the chocolate chips and cornflakes. Take heaped teaspoons of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on the prepared oven trays about 5cm apart. Flatten with a fork.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly coloured. Cool on a wire rack.
Makes about 26.
SLUGS
175g butter
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups flour
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tsp each: baking soda, cream of tartar
Extra coconut for rolling
Butter Icing: 50g butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Preheat the oven to 160C. Lightly grease two oven trays.
Cream the butter and sugar until light, then add the beaten egg, flour, coconut, baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix well.
Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll on a board sprinkled with the extra coconut. Make into oval slug shapes. Place on the prepared oven trays and bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked. Cool on a wire rack.
To prepare the icing, cream the butter until soft. Sift in the icing sugar, mixing until smooth. Sandwich two slugs together with the mixture and allow to set.
Makes about 20.
CHOCOLATE PINWHEELS
Rolling these cookies is similar to rolling a sponge roll. The dough can be frozen, then sliced and cooked when required.
200g butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
200g plain flour
Pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Cream the butter and sugar until light. This can be done in a food processor. Slowly add the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together and gradually beat into the butter mixture.
Divide the dough in half. Add the cocoa powder and cinnamon to one half. Chill the two mixtures for 30 minutes.
On a sheet of waxed or baking paper, roll one half into a rectangle about 5mm thick.
Shape the remaining dough into a similar size and place on top of the other dough. From a long side, roll up tightly in the paper and chill or freeze.
Preheat the oven to 190C. Lightly grease two oven trays. Slice the dough into thin rounds and place on the prepared trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Makes about 24.