Electric cake pop maker; FAIL!!

As grocery prices keep going higher and higher, Michael and I are making a concerted effort to be more frugal with our grocery budget.  To that end, I, am doing more ‘cooking from scratch’ and avoiding ‘convenience’ foods.  Michael is a sugar FIEND!  Really.  It’s his ONLY vice (besides junk collecting!); and if don’t keep sweets for him in the house, he’ll pay twice as much and buy them every day.

This cute little electric cake pop maker was on sale (AND the perfect color!!) so I bought it; thinking that I could bake these to pack in Michael’s lunches.  Much easier than trying to pack a PIECE of cake.  And I could bake a batch and freeze some, unfrosted.  Then fix them up with different toppings when I was ready to use them.

For my first batch I used a yellow cake mix; prepared per the box directions (as the instruction booklet says to do) and I added a little bit of maple extract.  Michael loves maple bars, so I was aiming to make ‘maple bites’.

I filled the bottom cups with 1 TEASPOON of batter, per the instructions, and baked for 5 minutes.  They were almost burnt, and they didn’t make up fully round!  Tossed that batch.  I went right into the next batch, NOT letting the machine re-heat to full temp.  Filled the bottom cups right to the rim and baked for 4.5 minutes.  (instruction say 5-6 minutes plus an additional minute after you open the lid!) Nice and round ones this time but still pretty overcooked.  Picked out the best ones from that batch, and tossed the rest.

For such a small piece of cake, that is just TOO well done.  The few at the very back were perfect, and slightly more browned on the bottom.  Next batch I went just 4 minutes and they were still overcooked.  I finished up cooking the batter, picked out the good ones.  Cleaned up my machine after it cooled and hunted down my receipt to return it!

I decided I’d have to dip these in a maple glaze so they’d be moist enough.  Hard chocolate coating (the stuff you melt and pour) like the recipe calls for would come out far too dry!

Powdered sugar and a little maple extract and water, so it’s pourable but not overly watery.  I never measure stuff like this.  (just make it about the color of maple bars!)

I had put my cake balls in the freezer for about an hour.  Heated my maple glaze for about 10 seconds in the microwave; then used a toothpick to stick into the balls and dip them in the glaze.  Let it drip for a bit over the bowl, then put them on a wire cooling rack, over a sheet pan to set up and finish dripping.  Leave them on there until the glaze hardens enough to handle them.

I packaged mine in sandwich baggies and put in the freezer.  Easy to just grab one and toss it into Michael’s lunchbox in the mornings.

Sooooooooooooo . . . when I returned this one to Target, I looked at the cake pop pans that you use to bake in you own oven with.  $18.99 was a bit pricey.  And with the bad luck I had with the electric one, I decided i’s best just make them the ‘old fashioned way’ from now on!  Will share that recipe when the time comes.

Suffice it to say, I do NOT recommend buying an electric cake pop maker.  If you have someone on your Christmas list who has been wanting one, but them a nice BOOK of cake pop recipes for making them the old fashioned way!  I’ve seen some great ones at Michael’s craft stores.