Recipe: Hello Kitty Cake Pops, Chocolate Cake, Cream Cheese Frosting, Royal Icing

HELLO KITTY CAKE POPS
"Moist and decadent bites of chocolate cake are covered with a candy coating shell and decorated to look like Hello Kitty. These treats-on-sticks make great party favors and add an extra dose of cuteness to any dessert table."



1 (8-inch) Chocolate Cake layer, baked and chilled (recipe follows)
1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
1⁄2 cup Royal Icing (recipe follows)
About 1 1⁄2 cups (12 oz) white chocolate chips, divided use
About 36 lollipop sticks
Gel-based food coloring (yellow, black)
About 2 tbsp red heart-shaped sprinkles

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the cake, frosting, and icing.

TO MAKE CAKE BALLS:
Place cake in a food processor and pulse into crumbs. Place in a large bowl with frosting and stir with a rubber spatula until all the crumbs are moist and you can no longer see the frosting. Scoop out 1-tablespoon portions of the cake mixture and roll into balls with your hands. Place on the baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm.

TO DECORATE:
Set aside 72 white chocolate chips (about 1⁄4 cup). Melt the rest in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring constantly. (Tip: If the melted chocolate seems too thick, stir in a teaspoon or so of vegetable shortening to thin it.) Dip one end of each lollipop stick into the melted white chocolate and then insert it into a cake ball. Repeat until all the cake balls are on sticks.

Using a toothpick, dab a bit of melted white chocolate onto the bottom of a white chocolate chip and place it on a cake ball, pressing gently to adhere. Continue until all the pops have two ears. Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate. Gently tap the lollipop stick on the side of the double boiler while twirling it between your fingers to remove excess melted white chocolate. Using a toothpick, dab a bit of melted white chocolate on the bottom of two heart-shaped sprinkles and place them above one ear to make the bow. Let pops dry upright and uncovered at room temperature for about 1 hour.

DIVIDE ICING BETWEEN 2 BOWLS:
Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to 2 tablespoons of icing in one bowl and a few drops of black food coloring to the remaining icing in the other.

Fit piping bags with couplers and small round tips and fill each with one icing color. Use black icing to pipe on eyes and whiskers and yellow royal icing to pipe on a nose. Let dry for at least 1 hour.

Refrigerate cake pops in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Makes about 36 cake pops

CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3⁄4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup hot coffee
1⁄2 cup hot water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, or coat with baking spray. Line with parchment paper.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.

In another bowl, lightly whisk milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry in three batches, whisking after each. Add hot coffee and water and stir until combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Divide batter equally between the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in the pans for at least 30 minutes, then invert them onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 (8 ounce) package (1 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
1⁄4 cup (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Use immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate, mixing briefly (using the paddle attachment) before using.

ROYAL ICING

1 tbsp dried egg white powder
1⁄3 cup water
4 cups (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
Gel-based food coloring

In a small bowl, dissolve dried egg white powder in 1/3 cup water.

Sift confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the dissolved egg whites and lemon juice through a strainer and into the confectioners' sugar. Mix with paddle attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until becomes light and fluffy. Store icing in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.

Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Random House
Source: The Hello Kitty Baking Book by Michele Chen Chock