Lovin' & Livin' in Nashville: the trendiest of desserts

..right now - I think - are cake pops. I am having a very trendy week. I was walking to work yesterday, and I caught my reflection and thought, "do I look like I am trying to be 19?" Answer: "yes." I had on a fuchsia dress from Forever 21 with skinny belt and turquoise nail polish. To top it off, I got a bit too much sun this weekend so I have those oh-so-attractive white and pink tan marks on my neck and shoulders.

Ah well - what's a mid-to-late 20 something to do? So in keeping with my trendy Monday at work, I made a trendy dessert at night. Taking advice from my friend, Sarah, who said cake pops are a breeze to make, I whipped up a batch last night. If you are trendy, you will like these. If you like little cute things, you will like these. If you like chocolate, you will love these.

-Bake cake as directed in a 9 x 13 pan and let cool completely.

-Crumble cake up into a large bowl.

-Soften frosting for 10 seconds in microwave. Add frosting to crumbled cake and stir with a fork until frosting disappears and is completely incorporated into the cake crumbs. Test your mixture by picking up a handful and squeezing it together. It should hold together without breaking apart.If mixture is too dry, add more frosting.

-Roll mixture into walnut-sized cake balls and transfer to a wax paper lined baking cookie sheet. Make sure balls are tightly packed and look smooth with no cracks. If they appear cracked, you may need to add more frosting.

-Transfer cookie sheet with cake balls to freezer or refrigerator for about 30 to 60 minutes.
-Place chocolate chips (or melting chocolate) in a small, deep microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring each time until completely melted. The melted coating should coat a spoon but still be able to slowly drip off. If coating is too thick, add shortening or vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Do not exceed 2 teaspoons per 16 ounces of candy coating or the cake pops will crack.

-Remove cake balls from freezer. Dip tips of lollipop sticks into candy coating and insert sticks no more than halfway into center of your cake balls. Let them set for 1 to 2 minutes, resting on the cake ball, sticks in the air.

-Pick up cake pop by the stick and dip into candy coating. Gently tap stick against side of bowl and rotate cake pop to help excess coating fall back into bowl. (Reheat and/or melt more candy coating as needed.)

If decorating your cake pop, add your sprinkles, nuts or candy right after dipping, before coating dries.
-Poke stick of cake pop into Styrofoam block to stand up straight and dry completely, about 5 minutes. I didn't have a Styrofoam block so I put a pizza pan with holes in it over a baking dish and strategically balanced the pops.