Cake Pops without Sticks Revisited!

It is time to revisit the cake pop.  I have made literally hundreds of these since my first attempt.  They were one of the deserts that I made for our wedding.  After about the 5th or 6th cake I started to experiment a little more with flavors.  The coffee one was my biggest success.  I also found an easier way of dipping them in the chocolate with out having the sucker stick, so I thought that would be a good tip to share.  My original cake pop post is by far my most visited post to date, so time to out due myself.

Supreme Coffee Cake Pops (without sticks)
What you'll need:
1 chocolate cake mix
1/2 container chocolate frosting
2 tablespoons freeze dried coffee
1 teaspoon water
chocolate melting chocolate (if I had to guess, I'd say 4 cups but be sure and have extra.)
chocolate covered coffee beans for garnish (you could use slivered almonds or anything here)

You can make homemade cake or frosting if you'd like.  I'm just being lazy, and I'm not sure it would make a huge difference.

Bake cake according to directions.  Once tooth pick comes out clean, allow to cool then use a fork and crumble until there is no more chunks.  Place frosting in a microwave safe dish and heat for 20 seconds.  Mix freeze dried coffee with water to dissolve, add to warm frosting and combine.  Now pour frosting into cake and mix until evenly distributed and cake is now just one big dense ball.  Shape into golf ball sized balls.  Set aside.

Heat chocolate either in a double boiler or microwave, your choice.  The double boiler is safer, chocolate will burn in microwave quicker. Here is the new tip, take a chop stick and stick half way into ball then use the stick to dip into chocolate.  Set the ball into the chocolate on one end then pull through, then turn half a turn and do again until the ball is covered.  Gently bob to remove excess chocolate, then place onto wax paper and lightly twist remove stick.  Now place a chocolate covered coffee bean over the hole in the top where stick was.  Done.  Allow to cool.  You can place in freezer to speed up the process, just be sure to not to freeze.

I ran out of wax paper so I covered my pizza stone with cling wrap.  Make due with what ya got!

If you don't want that many cake balls laying around, you can freeze them before you dip them in chocolate.  Then when you are ready to dip, take them out the night before and let the return to room temperature.  They will be perfect.  Just don't freeze after you have dipped them.  Now share with everyone you know.  Enjoy!

by the way...if you are unsure of where to buy the sticks and thats why you want to skip that step, Michaels sells them for a good price in their cake decorating section.

Cold Brew Coffee - 2 Ways!

I am a coffee fan.  A big one.  If you have never made cold brew coffee at home, you should give it a try.  It's such a refreshing summer drink, and it packs a punch.  Kam got me this really cool french press for christmas this last year, so I used that, but any container and a mesh strainer will do the same thing, you will just have one more step.  The cinnamon and the brown sugar make this drink very rich and wonderful.  Just how coffee should be.

What you'll need: Cinnamon Flavor

1 cup coffee course ground (I'm sure store bought ground would work, I grind my own)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups water

What you'll need: Dark Chocolate Flavor

1 cup coffee course ground (I'm sure store bought ground would work, I grind my own)

4 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 cups water

If using a french press, unscrew the plunger and remove from the lid.  Put somewhere safe.  Add everything into the french press or any bottle/pitcher and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours.  Put the plunger back on the lid and press.  If you are not using a french press, pour through a mesh strainer. If you coffee was ground a little too fine, pour through a coffee filter. Serve over ice.  Fill a glass a 3/4 full and top with milk or cream.

Find a quite spot and enjoy!

Ps...if you are looking for an even more rich and amazing coffee drink, check out my almost sister-in-laws blog post on Ca Phe Sua Da.  Its a coffee drink you can find at Pho restaurants.  She made if for us a few weeks ago when we stayed at their house.  Its a little more of a process and you have to have these specific little filters.  Next time your out for Pho, order a cup.  I would recommend it cold.

Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Swirl

Yes please!  I wish I had never ending supply of this stuff.  Mmmm...ran out last night, sad.  I made this to share with Lizzy and Timmy (Kam's sis and her husband) and they seemed to enjoy it.  AND Kam's mom and dad are coming to visit this weekend, so it gives me an excuse to make more.  I try and not make anything too often that requires 2 cups of heavy cream, but when you have company, all heathy waist size bets are off.

What you'll need:

Coffee Ice Cream
2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 2/3 cup water ( I heaped my teaspoons a little)
3/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 egg yokes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Swirl
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 very heaped tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee (not too heaped)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place egg yokes and sugar into a heat proof bowl and whip with hand mixer until it turns a lighter color, it will look a little fluffier too.  About 2 minutes.  In a medium sauce pan, heat whole milk and dissolved coffee over medium low heat until it just starts to simmer and you can see a light steam.  Add half into the egg/sugar whip and stir until combined.  Now slowly pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan with remaining milk and stir with a wooden spoon.  Continue heating and stirring for about 4 minutes or until thickens slightly and coats the back of the wooden spoon.  Be careful not to over heat because the egg will begin to cook.  Pour into an air tight container, allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge over night.

You will want to make the chocolate swirl the night before as well.  Add all ingredients into a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly over medium heat.  Once boiling, whisk for one minute at a hard boil, then remove from heat and pour into an air tight container.  Cool to room temp, then put in fridge with ice cream mixture.

When you're ready to add to the ice cream maker, remove from fridge and pour through a mesh strainer to ensure you remove any egg that could have cooked.  Add heavy cream and vanilla.  Now freeze in your ice creamer maker.

Finally, once ice cream is finished in the mixer, layer your ice cream and chocolate syrup in your favorite airtight ice cream storage container.  Place in freezer for a minimum of 2 hours and freeze.  The longer your freeze the better, the chocolate swirl takes longer to freeze than the ice cream.  Also, be sure that your ice cream is level in the freezer, mine was at a bit of an angle and most of the chocolate swirl ran down the side and to the bottom of the bowl.  Which made really yummy ice cream when it was almost gone, and not too much chocolaty-ness for the first few scoops.

What more can I say.  This stuff is good.  Enjoy!