Fourth of July Cake Pops (Vegan)

Fourth of July Cake Pops (Vegan!)

Ingredients:

·        1 box Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix

·        1/3 cup vegetable oil

·        ½ cup water

·        ¾ cup applesauce

·        Red and blue gel food dye

·        1 container Duncan Hines Cream Cheese Frosting

·        2 16 oz. bags of dark chocolate chips (>60%)

·        White sprinkles

·        Parchment paper

·        50 cake pop sticks

·        8 inch circular baking pans

·        Vegan Nonstick spray

·        Flat pan, small enough to fit into your freezer

Makes 40 cake pops

Directions:

1.       Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Spray the circular baking pans with vegan cooking spray.

2.      Combine the oil, water, and applesauce with the cake box and mix according to directions.

3.      Split the uncooked batter into equal amounts. Add blue food dye to one half and red dye to the other half until you reach a color that you like.

4.     Bake both pans for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

5.      Let the two cakes cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack.

6.      When cooled, crumble each cake into separate large bowls.

7.      Add about ¼ cup of frosting to each bowl. Using your hands, mix the frosting in with the cake until you get a cohesive cake mixture.

8.      Using a small ice cream scoop, make equal sized balls of each cake mixture and evenly place them onto parchment paper on a flat pan.

9.     Following chocolate melting directions carefully melt the chocolate. In a microwave-safe dish, originally microwave the chocolate for 60 seconds. Stir and then microwave for 10 seconds. Stir again and repeat, until the chocolate has all melted.

10.  Dip each tip of a cake pop stick into the melted chocolate and insert about halfway into each cake ball. Place into the freezer for an hour.

11.   After an hour, melt the rest of the chocolate in a large microwaveable cup. Fully submerge each cake pop in the chocolate, spin it, and let it drain. Quickly sprinkle the white sprinkles.

12.  Place the cake pops in a Styrofoam cube and let them dry or, if like me, you forgot to buy some, place them upside down on the parchment paper-pan, and place them back into the freezer for at least half an hour.

13.   Enjoy!