Cake Pop Maker by Select Brands - Kit for Birthdays & More - Includes Decorating Stand & 50 Sticks - Features Non-Stick Coating - Makes 12 Cake Pops

I purchased this item to make cakepops the "easy" way. Prior to ordering this machine, I became impatient and made cakepops the traditional way. If you've ever made cakepops, this is a breeze compared to the multitude of steps you need to make them the traditional way so this was a relief...Upon receiving this, I made a batch of cakepops which came out so-so despite watching reviews/videos. I used boxed cake mix and the balls came out mostly round, some off (as others mention the top and bottoms not lining up correctly), some UFO's and some that just weren't round. I used some boxed cake mix and substituted milk for water as some had suggested, even let the batter sit out. I was mostly satisfied with round 1...Following, I did another round of cakepops for easter...in addition to decorating easter eggs, we decorated cakepops which was a huge hit for the kids! this time again, I used boxed cake mix and I suppose because I had the experience of round 1, these cakepops came out PERFECT. no irregular balls...all perfectly round...My suggestions:-don't use this for the first time and expect to have perfect pops. Moreover, don't use this the night before you are planning to have some pops for an occasion...practice a bit because this and dipping to have a clean look takes some practice...make sure whatever you're dipping in is thin enough so that there is not too much weight/thickness in the coating. As the excess drips, it pulls on the pop and you could have a pop fatality ( i had many of these during round 1...round 2 i'm happy to report NO fatalities)! I would suggest if using chocolate, thin it down...if not, use thinned down candy melts/almondbark/non tempering chocolate...-If you are ok with just a plain cake flavor, this will be perfect for you. If you are looking for that extra moist and extra dense flavor of traditional cakepops, this is not for you...however, this will suffice for an activity with the kids or just a quick something to impress with at your next get together. most of the people I have had taste test between the two have liked traditional cakepops better taste wise...TIPS:-Cooking time...-if you are a perfectionist as I am, it doesn't take 6 minutes for your pops to finish...so don't even count on using that as a guide. Rather, use your own judgement. I believe waiting 6 minutes will give you dry, if not burnt pops. I used pillsbury cake mix and i'd set my timer for 3 minutes, open it and all the pops were almost done. I would then flip them over to get even coloring and leave them for about 30 seconds...voila...perfect pops...experiment though because I imagine different cake mixes and flavors will vary in cooking time...-don't spoon in the batter because the machine gets rather hot and if you want even cooking amongst your pops, opt for piping them in. I don't suggest a ziploc bag with the corner cut off...too messy...-fill the wells up to almost full...meaning not quite at the top of the well but just below. I've found that they make perfect pops. If you underfill, your pops will be lopsided, If you overfill, you may come out with saturn looking pops...-If you use boxed cake mix, substitute milk for water and so far, pilsbury has been the most successful for me...it's thicker and holds together better than some of the more watery cake mixes...Overall, this is a GREAT product that does exactly what it says it will...wouldn't give it anything less than 5 stars as it performs...anything less is due to the user vs the product itself...

Super easy and fun to use! This cake pop maker comes with everything you need to quickly make the perfect cake pops. It includes a recipe book for different flavors of batter and glaze. I followed the recipe for vanilla cake pops and had a few dozen made in just 20 minutes or so. Its very easy to fill with a piping bag - I found that they came out better when I filled each spot completely, and it only took one or two batches before I got the hang of it. As for decorating, the stand makes it easy to do 12 at a time and can be put in the freezer for chilling them. Overall, I was very impressed by the ease of use and the quality of the cake pops that this product made!

I will be real, I did mainly buy this for cake pops, but I'd be lying if I said that was the only reason. This also works just fine as a makeshift takoyaki cooker. I have an overwhelming obsession with takoyaki, and they're quite hard to find in restaurants. Even when I do find them, they are never freshly made (though the flavor is never compromised as far as I can tell; granted, I've never had a real, fresh takoyaki, other than these of my own creation).The cake pop batter that I made using the included recipe was much runnier than normal cake batter, and I think when I make another batch, I'll probably choose to use a regular batter recipe instead. It made the cake pops very light, airy, and unsatisfying. I did a small bit of research, and according to other users of this product, nothing is compromised by using normal batter, so I recommend that.Also, a tip for anyone bothering to read, if you want the sticks to stay in the pop when trying to dip/coat it with candy melt, dip the stick in the melt first, just to get a smidgen of melt on it, then stick it in the cake round and use your finger or another stick to smear the melt around the area. After that, put them in the freezer for a few minutes to harden it, and the cake pop will no longer fall off of the stick while you're trying to coat it! For more concise instructions, I watched a cake pop video by The Icing Artist to learn this trick.

Before I invested in the materials to make cake pops I read many reviews and looked at many options including the option to use leftover cake and frosting mixed together and form your own pops. Because I didn't want the added sugar that the hand rolled balls give you, I thought I would give this a try.I followed the chocolate cake recipe provided in the brochure that comes with the unit. The book suggested that you use a piping bag to fill each cavity with approximately 1 tbsp of batter. I used a spoon instead of a piping bag to fill each hole which was very messy. Next time I'll try the bag.Next I experimented with cooking times. The first time around, I oiled each cavity pretty well with vegetable oil. I cooked the first batch for 3 minutes, opened it up and turned each over as people had suggested and then closed it up and cooked for an additional 2 minutes. They came out a little hard and on the drier side. After experimenting with different timing I found, for me, cooking them for 2 1/2 min first, flipping them over and then an additional 1 1/2 min worked out perfectly. It might depend on the type of batter you use so you'll have to experiment.For the most part that cake balls came out perfectly. They cook in just a matter of minutes and cool down very quickly. I am going to freeze half of them for later use. The batch I made according to the package instructions made almost three dozen balls.Pros:Easy to useMakes consistent size balls.Cooks in just minutes.Balls are all cake instead of half cake and half frosting as with the handmaid balls.Cons:Balls are a little small. One bite for adults and 2 bites (maybe) for kids.Clean up would be easier if the plates were removable.I hope this helps anyone who is trying to decide whether they should buy one of these or not.