Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Pops

Red velvet cake pops make me smile. They’re pretty, elegant, chocolatey, rich, and have that special quality that could make any celebration a little extra special.

Back in October I posted my recipe for red velvet cake pops that I made for my daughter’s 21st birthday(and dropped on the floor, by the way). This recipe is similar, except that it is gluten-free! I don’t have a gluten intolerence, but for the folks who do –  they are always looking for gluten-free recipes that taste as good as the non-gluten free equivalents.

For these luscious cake pops I used Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour. I’m a huge fan of Bob’s Red Mill whole grain flours and was so excited to develop this gluten-free recipe after they sent me coconut flour for their March promotion. The results were amazing and it turns out that I actually prefer the coconut flour/gluten-free version better!  Everyone I served these to asked for the recipe.

If you’ve never made cake pops, here are a few tips that will be make the experience easy and fun:

Allow extra time for cake balls to rest in refrigerator for 2 or more hours. Overnight works too.

Cake balls can be frozen until ready to frost and serve.

Use Wilton’s Candy Melts for the frosting. It tastes great, hardens quickly, looks wonderful, and is easy to melt and work with. I get mine at Michael’s craft store.

Have a proper stand for post dipping. I  use floral bricks (used for flower arrangements), but styrofoam probably works fine.

 A Few Things I Learned About Using Coconut Flour

I’d never used coconut flour before so I did some research and learned that coconut flour needs extra eggs and liquid as it is highly aborbent.  My biggest learning was that it doesn’t seem to work to simply swap out coconut flour for all purpose flour. Despite reading that some had success with this, I found that it’s not the case. For instance, I tried swapping out coconut flour for all purpose in this tea cake cookie reicpe, and they were inedible. I also tried using coconut flour in place of all purpose for baked chicken and I wasn’t happy with the result.

But again, I loved coconut flour in this recipe and also enjoyed it in another oat bar recipe I baked. I’m excited to see the other ways it can be used because it’s flavorful and healthy – my two favorite things when it comes to cooking.

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Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Pops

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 cup buttermilk room temperature (or milk with 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar)
• 5 large eggs room temperature
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the frosting:
• 1 cup frosting you need one cup
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar more or less to acheive thick consistency
• For the coating:
• 2-3 packets Wilton Candy Melts in color/flavor of your choice. For red velvet, I thought the red, chocolate mint, and white chocolate were fabulous! I purchased mine at a craft store.
• Sprinkles decorations of your choice – (I used gold colored sugar sprinkles)
• Other things you’ll need:
• lolly pop sticks or wooden skewers I used 6 inch skewers and loved them

Instructions

• For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and generously grease 12 inch cake pan.
• In medium bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt.
• In large bowl add oil, eggs, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, food coloring and beat on low with electric mixer until blended.
• Slowly add dry mixture and continue to beat until batter is smooth.
• Pour mixture in cake pan.
• Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry when inserted in top.
• Cool on wire rack, remove from pan.
• For cake pops, break up cake with hands or large spoon and put in mixing bowl. Continue to crumble with hands in the bowl until very crumbly. Discard any crusty or corner pieces.
• For frosting, beat half and half and sugar with electric mixer until smooth. Add butter and vanilla and continue to beat until mixture forms soft peaks.
• Add one cup of frosting into cake crumbs and mix well with hands.
• Scoop out handful, about 1 1/2 ounces, form a round ball, and place on tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat until mixture is used up.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours (preferably overnight). If you're in a rush, you can place in freezer for about 40 minutes. This step is important to prevent cake pop from crumbling during the coating process.
• When ready to coat, prepare the candy melts according to package directions.
• Dip tips of sticks in the chocolate to coat top inch and let harden for a couple minutes. With the covered end, insert into cake ball, making sure to not go all the way through. I suggest inserting about halfway.
• To coat, tilt bowl with left hand and dip and twirl the top of the pop into chocolate. Rotate for an even coat. You’ll get the hang of it after you do a couple.
• Sprinkle the top with topping of your choice and place upright in the holder until dry.
• Enjoy!