Caramel Apple Cake Pops -- The Sweet Bites We Passed Around at the Best Baby Shower

Twenty-six weeks. Clarke family shower at Debbie was everything I expected and more. Twenty-five women in Debbie living room. Quilts and blankets and knitted things in more colors than I knew Debbie had yarn for. A diaper cake. Four separate people brought diaper cakes. A diaper cake is a thing you make from diapers that looks like a cake and is actually several hundred diapers arranged with love and ribbon, and we now have four of them and also a baby who is very well provided for.

Gloria came. Marcus drove her. She sat in the center chair of honor because Debbie put her there and nobody argued because nobody argues with what Debbie decides is correct. Gloria sat in the center and watched all of it with an expression I have never quite seen on her face before. Pride, I think. Not just pride. Something bigger than pride. The specific satisfaction of seeing a thing you planted finally growing in the full light.

I sat next to her for a few minutes in the middle of the noise and she took my hand and said nothing and I said nothing and we just sat there for a moment while twenty-five women around us talked about babies and the room was loud and warm. That is the center of everything. The quiet inside the noise. Someone holding your hand.

A room that full of love deserves something you can hold in one hand while someone else is holding the other — and that’s exactly what these caramel apple cake pops are. I made them for the first time after the shower, trying to recreate something of that afternoon in Debbie’s living room: warm, a little sweet, small enough to pass around without interrupting a conversation. They taste like the tail end of something celebratory, and every time I make them now, I think about Gloria in that center chair, watching everything grow.

Caramel Apple Cake Pops

Prep Time: 45 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min + 30 min chilling | Servings: 24 cake pops

Ingredients

• 1 box spice cake mix, plus ingredients listed on package
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (substitute for oil in cake mix)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting, store-bought or homemade
• 11 oz bag caramel candy squares, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional, for drizzle)
• 1/2 cup finely crushed graham crackers or finely chopped toasted pecans, for rolling
• 24 cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks

Instructions

1. Bake the cake. Prepare spice cake mix according to package directions, substituting unsweetened applesauce for the oil. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan and bake as directed. Let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes.
2. Crumble and combine. Break the cooled cake into a large bowl and crumble it thoroughly with your hands or a fork until no large chunks remain. Add cream cheese frosting and mix until the mixture comes together into a moist, dough-like consistency that holds its shape when pressed.
3. Roll the balls. Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cake mixture and roll firmly between your palms into a smooth ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture to make approximately 24 balls.
4. Insert sticks and chill. Dip the tip of each cake pop stick about 1/4 inch into a small amount of melted caramel or white chocolate, then press it halfway into each cake ball to anchor it. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill for 30 minutes until the pops are firm.
5. Make the caramel coating. Combine unwrapped caramel candies and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. Keep warm over a small pot of hot water if the caramel begins to firm up.
6. Dip the cake pops. Working one at a time, hold a chilled cake pop by its stick and dip it into the warm caramel, turning to coat evenly. Lift and let the excess drip back into the bowl for a few seconds. Immediately roll the bottom half in crushed graham crackers or chopped pecans if desired.
7. Set and serve. Stand each dipped cake pop upright in a styrofoam block, a tall glass of rice or sugar, or a purpose-built cake pop stand. If drizzling with white chocolate, melt chips in 20-second microwave intervals until smooth and drizzle over set pops with a spoon or piping bag. Allow to set fully at room temperature, about 20 minutes, before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 188 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 165mg