In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the First Order and the Resistance engage in battle on Crait, a salt-encrusted, red-mineral rich planet. Is it just me, or does this strange planet with its craggy gray exterior and blood red interior just scream red velvet cake pops? In case the answer is “of course” and you are equally inspired, here is a recipe for just such a festive Star Wars themed party dessert. (Minus the salt crust.)
First, prepare a batch of red velvet cake.
Red Velvet Cake
- 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 t salt
- 1 1⁄2 t baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 3⁄4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, stirred until blended 1 1⁄2 t red food coloring
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 t vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 cake pan.
Place the dry ingredients together in large bowl and whisk to combine. Mix together the wet ingredients until blended, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until all the flour mixture is incorporated. (The mix may appear to be a pinkish red but will darken upon baking.) Pour into the cake pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or other cake tester comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely.
Next, prepare the frosting.
Back of the Box Buttercream (h/t Domino Sugar)
- 3 3⁄4 cups confectioners sugar (or one 1-lb box)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (for faster combining) 3-4 T milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Red food coloring
Combine the sugar, butter, vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a medium sized standard bowl if using a hand mixer). Mix until smooth. Add the remainder of milk if more liquid is needed for a smooth consistency. Finally, add a drop or two of red food coloring. (It may appear bright, but will look darker upon blending with the red velvet cake.)
You may need two batches of frosting, depending on how much frosting you like to use, or how many pops you intend to make.
Cake Pops
Assemble a few supplies:
- Small cookie scoop Lollipop sticks
- 2 bags white Candy Melts
- 2 bags white chocolate Vegetable shortening
- 1 bag red Candy Melts
- Black candy coloring (icing food color does not work as well; it gets suspended in the chocolate making for a speckled look)
- A DIY cake pop holder
Line a cookie sheet with baking parchment paper and set aside. Slice away the side and bottom crusts of your red velvet, which can make for tough bits in the pop mixture. In small batches, crumble pieces of cake into a bowl. Add a few dollops of buttercream and blend until the mixture is moldable. Using your cookie scoop, portion out rounds into your hands and shape into spheres. Place on the prepared cookie sheet. Chill in the freezer until firm.
Coating
For the Crait Pops, I used candy melts together with white chocolate for a good pourable coating. Melt half a bag of candy melts and half a bag of white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add a few teaspoons of vegetable shortening and stir until combined. The coating should be smooth and run easily from the spoon. Portion out some of the chocolate in a small bowl and, using a toothpick, add a touch of black candy coloring. Mix until the coating is a pale gray. (This is the drizzle used to create a kind of atmospheric look for the planet).
In another small microwavable bowl, add about a quarter cup of red candy melts. (Here, you can use the microwave to melt the candies since the portion is very small.) In 10-15 second bursts, heat and stir your chocolate until it is melted.
Once your spheres are thoroughly chilled, remove them from the freezer, insert the lollipop sticks and reshape as necessary. Dip each pop into the white chocolate, turning to coat, allowing the excess to fall away. Place in your holder to let the chocolate set. Once set, dip a teaspoon into the gray tinted chocolate and drizzle lines over the pop, turning as you go.
Once those lines set, dip another teaspoon into the bowl of melted red chocolate candy; let most of it run off the spoon before adding a few short lines on the pop. (These are the cuts made in the planet by low-flying speeders from the trailer.) Allow to set.
May the Force be with you.
