Kim-Joy's recipe for lemon and matcha cake pop frogs

These little treats will make you leap for joy

I love cake pops and they are the perfect treat as they last quite a while in the fridge. The buttercream and chocolate mean they don’t lose their moistness. Normally, cake pops are attached to a stick or straw – I improvised with umbrella cocktail sticks. The result is a group of little frogs chilling under their umbrellas. The cake pops are dipped in the chocolate and then just left to set on baking paper. Nice and easy.

Makes 12 to 16

For the cake
100g salted butter
100g caster or granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence
2 eggs
130g self-raising flour (or gluten-free flour plus ¾ tsp baking powder, and ¾ tsp xantham gum if the flour mix doesn’t already contain it)
1-2 tbsp milk (or any plant-based milk)
Grated rind of one lemon

For the buttercream
70g salted butter
140g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence
1-2 tbsp whole milk (or any plant-based milk) 

For the coating
300g white chocolate (or green candy melts) 
1 tsp matcha (you can omit this if you don’t have it) 
Green food dye (if you are using chocolate; must be oil-based and chocolate-safe) 

To decorate the faces
White chocolate buttons or white candy melts 
Water icing (3 tbsp icing sugar and a tiny bit of water)
Black food dye

You will also need cake pop sticks, straws or cocktail sticks

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas mark 5. Grease and line the base of an 18cm round cake tin. 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then gradually add to the mixture, whisking well after each addition. 

Add the self-raising flour and whisk until just combined. Add the milk and grated lemon rind and whisk until smooth.

Spoon into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Turn out on to a wire rack, remove the backing paper and leave to fully cool. 

Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Cream together the butter and icing sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and milk and whisk again.

When the cake is cool, remove any thick crusts and then use your hands to crumble the cake until it is breadcrumb-like. Add the buttercream to this, and then whisk until well combined.

Use the palms of your hands to shape the mixture into balls (about 30g each) – try to make sure they are as smooth and round as possible. Place on a tray in the fridge for about two hours or until very firm. 

Next, melt the white chocolate (plus some green food dye to colour) or use green candy melts. You can melt this in the microwave in short bursts, stirring well in between, or you can use a bain-marie. When the chocolate is melted, sift in the matcha powder (optional) and whisk until there are no lumps. 

Dip the end of the stick into the chocolate (about 1cm), then stick this into the base of the cake ball. Repeat, and leave to set. 

Dip each cake pop into the chocolate, covering the whole surface of the cake. Let the excess drip off, then place on baking paper. Add the button eyes (use a knife to cut them in half) while the chocolate coating is still wet. 

Meanwhile, make the black icing. Just gradually add a small amount of water to the icing sugar, until it’s a pipeable consistency. Be careful not to add too much water (it can very quickly go from just right to too much as it’s a very small quantity). Add the black food dye to colour. Transfer to a piping bag and cut a small tip. Use to pipe on the black part of the eyes and the mouth. 

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