This is a great way to use up leftover ingredients. Its messy! Its fun! Get the kiddos involved and you’re bound to have a great time! Plus they last for up to a week in an airtight box or can be frozen for a sweet boost at anytime for 3 months! My leftovers made 6 large pops!
This recipe starts with a baked cake. This can be any flavour or type, with the easiest just being a plain vanilla sponge. In this particular version I have used leftover lemon and raspberry sponges from when I made my Battenberg cake (see recipe for more details). To make it easy to follow I will just explain using the raspberry sponge, but don’t take this at face value! Get creative, if you are using a lemon sponge, try swapping the jam for lemon curd. Anything goes as long as it will work as the binding agent!
Ingredients
Leftover raspberry sponge
1 large tbsp raspberry jam
Half a block of marzipan (again leftovers from the Battenberg would be perfect)
Melting chocolate (I used 100g white, 100g milk and 100g dark - but go with what you have and what’s easiest!)
Toppings of your choice (Freeze dried raspberries, crushed almonds, lemon zest, sprinkles etc.)
Straws, ideally paper or recyclable.
Method
Crumble the cooked, cooled sponge into a large bowl until crumb consistency. Add your jam or binding agent. Mix together until slightly sticky. Using your hands, squeeze your mixture into individual balls that will fit into the palm of your hands. Leave on a tray until ready to assemble.
Roll out the marzipan until roughly 0.5cm thickness, then spread a thin layer of jam over one side. Slice the marzipan into 2-3cm wide strips, which you can then use to cover the cake balls. The jam will enable you to manipulate the marzipan to stick to the cake and itself until you are left with a sealed ball of cake. Once all the balls are sealed, it’s time to move on to the chocolate!
Place your chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and put into the microwave for 1-2 minutes, checking regularly to see if melted. You don’t want to leave it too long as it will burn and taste bitter. Whilst the chocolate is melting, place your toppings into a second bowl ready for rolling. Once melted, gently dip the marzipan balls into the chocolate until completely covered, then quickly transfer to the toppings and roll until completely covered. Gently place your ball onto a lined tray and insert the straw through the top, pressing it roughly half way through the mix. Repeat with the remaining balls until you have a tray of warm cake pops. Place the tray into the fridge until the chocolate is set.
And there you have it! Perfect, bite sized, cakey treats to nibble on, using up all my leftovers! Waste not, Want not!
