Bite-sized bliss

A monkey sits atop a lollypop stick. A look at this cute creature makes one not only want to own it but also eat it. Take a bite into the tiny, edible animal figure and one will experience a burst of chocolate — the top layer of crisp chocolate hides under a gooey chocolate cake. A cake pop, this bite-sized dessert is on its way to become the next big trend in the country's foodscape.

The last year has witnessed an evolution of the dessert scene across India. While chocolate has emerged as one of the top flavours, cupcake has become a popular choice. Cake pops now seem poised to topple over cupcakes, with a number of confectioners and dessert shops including it in their menu.

Cake pops are essentially cake, crumbled and bound by frosting before being moulded into various shapes, decorated with icing or frosting and placed on top of a lollypop stick. "Their draw lies in the novelty of their form — they are as handy as a lollypop but can be customised in terms of the cake base as well as frosting and other topping flavours," explains chef Ajay Chopra of The Westin Mumbai Garden City, Goregaon East. He adds that the dessert appeals not only to kids but also grown-ups.

Cake pops may have been a recent addition to the country's dessert menu, but the trend is an international one, with roots in the US. Both Amal Farooque of Sugar Overdose in Santa Cruz East and Ayushi Shah of Icing On Top in Byculla, Mumbai, decided to put cake pops on sale after they spotted them at Starbucks on one of their travels. However, far from being an invention of the popular coffee chain, the credit for the creation goes to Atlanta-based Angie Dudley. Four years ago, the graphic designer — with a passion for baking — used cake crumbs to put together a cake pop and uploaded the recipe on her blog. The creation went viral and she was invited on a food show. Soon after, several confectioners, home-bakers and even food chains started to sell the dessert even as people lapped it up.

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