Salt-Free Cake Pops

I’ve decided to give up sugar.

Just kidding. Have we met? I love my sugar.

And to celebrate the fact that I adore sweets of pretty much any flavor and variety, I made cake pops. Salt-free cake pops, to be specific.

Now you may have seen these little sticks of dough and frosting on Starbucks counters or on bookshelves (Chronicle has published some pretty rad guides on how to DIY the little suckers). But please excuse me as I toot my horn for a moment and say this: I have been popping cake long before it was popular. Or at least I was on the front end of the trend.

This is my wedding cake. From last year. A tower of cake pops.

This is me getting one shoved in my face.

And this is me only nibbling a bite since they were not low-sodium.

I know. GASP. How could you not have salt-free cake pops at your own wedding? Well there were sprained ankles, vows, and other non-food related details to attend to. And frankly, I just thought it would be too hard to make them and didn’t want to inconvenience our dear baker. I was also more than happy to stuff my face with french fries instead.

But the other day, in planning for a double bachelorette (that’s right, two brides, twice the fun), I decided to try my hand at making my own. And guess what? It is crazy easy. And quite the showstopper.

All you need to do is:

1) pick a cake or brownie recipe

2) get rid of the salt and any baking powder and baking soda

3) sub in sodium-free baking powder or baking soda (depending on recipe) and other spices (like cinnamon, almond, pumpkin spice, orange, and even cayenne) if you want to kick up flavor

4) pick up some melting chocolates at the market or at a craft store like Michael’s–and don’t forget sprinkles

5) follow the directions here on the kitchen and remember to freeze your cake pops before AND after dipping them in the icing

6) and to serve, either wrap them up individually; lay them carefully on a plate; or, if you have some styrofoam lying around, repurpose it as a cake pop stand!

Cake pop on.