So I read on another thread that someone picked up one of these little machines at Kohles on sale this weekend for $20. So I jumped in my car, drove 3 cities over to the closest Kohles and picked up 2 of them for myself. This machine is out of stock lots of places and I had to have them look "in the back" to see if they had one, it was not on the floor nor in their computer (or online).

Overview: The Babycakes Cake Pop maker looks like a small waffle iron but has 12 round cavities for your cake batter and bakes balls for making cake pops.

The Appeal: I don't like the texture of cake balls, it reminds me of chewed-up cake on a stick. I also was not interested in the bake cake>moosh cake with icing>roll into ball>freeze>put on stick>freeze>dip>rinse>repeat. Too much work. But if a machine baked cake into a ball, that would be something else entirely.

In the box: Pretty cool actually, besides the machine, it comes with sticks, a little fork for "flipping"(which looks like a fork you would use for dribbling chocolate), a plunger for adding fillings to your cake balls, and a plastic tray to set your balls in to cool that doubles as a stand for the finished balls on a stick to dry and set up.

Machine heats up super fast. I want to say 2-3 minutes.

I used my regular scratch yellow buttermilk cake, it's more dense and holds flavoring really well.

Each cavity takes about .8 oz (purple NSF scoop), or about 1 tbsp. of batter. My 1st batch I underfilled and it didn't work out. My 2nd batch I added more batter. Your overflow seeps out of the cavities but the result is a perfectly round ball of cake. It does have a little seam but after dipping I couldn't see it.

Cooking time: 5 minutes, but after removing the balls and checking the cooked balls later in the day I think I am going to bump down to 4 minutes as I thought they were slightly overcooked for my batter. Your results may vary.

Finished ball size: 1.5" ball, which is about the size of the Starbucks cake pop. Weight: varies on your batter, but my finished balls consistently weighs .45 oz, or about the same amount of cake as in my mini cupcakes.

Worth it? I think so, nobody in my area except Starbucks sells cake balls so I think I'd be able to come close to mass producing to sell these using 2 or more of these machines. However I have read here that other people make much larger balls, but I've never seen dimensions/weight posted.

Now I just need to figure out a yummy gourmet coating without having to use disgusting candy melts.

TFR,

Jen

Thank you so much, Jen!

Jen, thanks for the info; very helpful. I use the candy melts but I doctor them up with liqueurs. Godiva works wonders with that stuff. You don't need much. Raspberry Pucker is another great one. Give 'em a shot! (no pun intended...lol) Everyone I've ever made them for, eats 'em up and and raves about the flavors.

Jen, I use Guittard A'peels or even patisserie coating instead of candy melts.. of course A'peels are technically "candy melts" but they taste better! better quality

OK...I am running to Kohl's as soon as the kids get out of school!!! I don't ad frosting to mine because I too hate the gooey mushy taste. One more gadget to find a home in my already over stuffed cupboards!!!

Kohl's is holding mine for pick-up tomorrow . Thanks for the review!

FromScratch, do you feel that multiple units are a help, or will one do the job? I have one coming from mail order and haven't tried it yet.

My Kohl's has it for $29.00 and they had a few available last week when I was there. I was thinking about giving it a try. I think I will pick one up this week. I hope it cuts back some of the time it takes me to do them.

Did you place a stick on your cake balls? Did it holp up well?

Multi units: For me, I have a cafe that approched me about making them, so that means I'll need probably 2 dozen x 3 cafes every day. For that type of production I'll want as many going as possible. But, it just took me under 14 minutes to make 3 dozen with one unit @ 4 minutes a batch.

Sticks: I've been messing with them all morning... I just attempted Mahalo's petit four icing (since I hate candy coating - it's an artificial fake chocolate thing for me, I don't care how great it may taste). I tried making it with organic sugar and organic powdered sugar - and it's really gritty and thick. I am going to remake it with processed sugar/p. sugar and see if I can get the correct consistency. Sometimes organic just doesn't work, but I have to start there since it's part of my business mission statement. But as of right now, the organic coating I attempted to make is pulling the cake off the stick and is WAY too thick.

Tastes yummy though, and I LOVE that it's real cake under all that lumpy goop

infintsky, "patisserie coating" is a product also by Guittard that is more fluid than their a'peels. it is still a confectionary coating such as candy melt

I'm surprised they aren't showing the product on the website at all. I was wondering about picking up one myself. I may just have to swing on by! Luckily I have 2 Kohl's stores within 10 miles of me.

Thanks!

What on earth is a "purple NSF scoop"?

FromScratchSF, I'm glad you found the babycakes pop maker. I did the vanilla recipe that comes with the box, just to try it, and they turn out so cute, we couldn't stop eating them.

Next time I will definitely use one of my recipes for better flavor. Like you the first batch was not very good but the others were much better. I did use a ziploc bag to fill to the top and flipped them after 3 minutes to get a golden color on all sides. I did not dip them in chocolate so I'm not sure how they would hold with the stick.

I posted some pictures.

A lot of people don't know about those colors and codes. Maybe it would have been better to say "1 2/3 Tbsp (7/8 oz)"? Mine is not purple. I guess mine is not certified!

I am also glad she didn't say "I used my scoop."

the nsf is the cert, not the color.. sometimes them lil silly scoops don't even say the ounces.. I wish there was one standard

Thank you imagenthatnj for posting the website for the babycakes in the Cake Pop Roller thread.

Hhmmmm. This reminds me of a pan I got when I lived in Japan several years ago to make takoyaki. I wonder if it makes the same size balls as the cake one. Mine isn't electric but it could possibly work. I might have to try it sometime.
Here's one similar to mine.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006FLNDM/?tag=cakecentral-20
Here's an electric one I found that makes 24 balls but it's pricey!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MXCDVO/?tag=cakecentral-20

So does the cake ball one have a lid or top that comes down like a waffle iron? With mine, you have to keep turning the balls to cook them and get them round.

Yes, Babycakes for cake pops has a lid that completes the balls.

I was going to try an ebelskiver pan, but someone said she tried it and there was no way to make them totally round. I wonder if your takoyaki maker works.

http://thebabycakesshop.com/products/cake-pop-makers/cp-12

May I ask all you cake ball bakers, How do you keep your chocolate from cracking.... I made some and 1 out of 2 or 3 cracked. Any instructions or suggestions to keep this from happening is greatly appreciated...

imagenthatnj, it was me concerning the ebelskiver pan. Because they bake one side at a time, there is a big seam around it.

FromScratch, so are two enough? I went out this afternoon and got my second one at Kohl's (the other en route through ebay). They have more. I was hoping that I could have this machine going with a timer while I do something else. Also, have you tried recipes like carrot cake?

Big question... why not real chocolate? I have coated things in real chocolate all my life. I didn't know about candy melts until a Wilton class last year. My wholesaler sells fine chocolate for $10 lb. Somehow our depressed WV town is the home of DeFleuri's fine chocolate manufacturing company. By the way, my home town is not my market. I have a much more affluent city about ten minutes away. I am only offering the real stuff because I market myself as an artisan bakery. The pops on the internet are fine chocolate.

I buy my scoops (dishers) from Sur La Table because the mechanism is easier. They don't come in colors, just the numbers on the scoop.

they are color coded, but I found out when I bought a yellow one from one place and a yellow from another.. thats what I was talking about..

I have written on the bottom of my pans how many cups each pan takes.. so my layers are the same size, etc..