A valentines day Cheesecake smothered in chocolate and stuck on a stick

This is a tasty version of a cake pop that makes them extra special for your valentine.

Now Making cake pops can be tedious no matter how you do it, and I wont lie and say this is any easier it has some challenges of its own, but if your ok with living to learn then you will do just fine.

Step 1: Gathering Ingredients

In General You will need:
Lolly Pop Sticks
Melting Chocolate (I use the Ghirardellie for most of my creations. Now they do have a wheat product that shares the line but They wash down the line and throw out the first two runs to ensure there is no cross contamination which is why I trust them.)
Vegetable shortening
Food coloring
Sprinkles
Cookie cutters in your desired shape ( i chose hearts but you could keep it simple and just cut them in neat squares)
Plenty of spoons and Bowls
cookie sheet
Cling wrap or wax paper
Patients and creativity.

For the cake:
1/2 cup butter melted
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
3/4 rice flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp zanthium gum
1 tbs Milk
3-8oz packages cream cheese, softened

Step 2: Bake a Cake

Ingredients:
Brownie Bottom:
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 rice flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp zanthium gum
1 tbs Milk

Filling
3-8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
4 eggs

1. preheat the oven to 350
2. Mix together all of the brownie bottom ingredients and spread into a greased 11x13 baking dish or cake pan.
3. Cream together the cream cheese and sugar
4. add in the vanilla and eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed until smooth.
5. Pour cheese mixture over brownie and bake for 1 hr or until edges are golden brown
6. turn off oven and let cake set for at least 20 min with door cracked open 4 inches.
7. Remove cake and let cool down to room temperature
8. I f you arn't ready to make the cake pops cover it with saran wrap and store in the fridge

Step 3: Freeze That Cake

Now this is a lovely recipe and feel free to cut into slices and top with your favorite toppings and leave it at that. But for the love of things on a stick lets take it a bit further. So after that cake is room temperature Shove it in the freezer for at least an hour. and start dreaming up different ways to decorate them.

Step 4: Cut Out Shapes

Once the cake is frozen use the cookie cutter to cut out some fun shapes.
You will need to push the shapes out from the bottom as they will appear to be stuck.
( I found washing out the cutter every couple of cuts helped a lot)

Step 5: Add the Stick

1. Melt a little chocolate and dip a stick in it about an inch down

2. Shove the stick in to the cake( make sure to keep it in the center of the cake so its not unbalanced)

3. Stick the cakes back in the freezer for about 10 min to cool a bit.

Step 6: Smother It in Chocolate

melt about a pound of chocolate and 1 table spoon shortening together.
(If you want a variety of colors use the white chocolate and divide it into bowls and add food coloring )

Once the chocolate holding the cakes on sticks is cool comes the fun part,Dipping.
Actually your gonna spoon it over the cake and turn and shake a bit to get the extra off

This is where you wanna be gentle as the cake sometimes likes to come apart especially if its
been sitting out and has gotten a little warm.

You want to just let them drip until the chocolate is fairly firm, and has stopped dripping.

Then you can set them in some Styrofoam or a butter jar with holes cut in it works fine too.

Step 7: Make It Pretty:

Once they are all covered in the color of choice Its time for DECORATIONS
As always there is more than one way to do anything but here are a few of my creations

Step 8: Make It Pretty: Abstract

This one was made by globing extra chocolate on and leting it make fun swirl patterns then i sprinkled on some colored sugar to add some sparkles

Step 9: Decorate It: Glitter Glue

Using a plastic bag with a hole cut in the corner i piped on a grid and covered in sprinkles.

Or try it without the Glitter

Step 10: Decorate It: Make a Face

Using a piping bag I made dots for eyes and sprinkles for pupils and a nose. An Edible ink pin was used for the mouth.
I even used some scraps to make some one biters with little faces

Step 11: Decorate It: Double Trouble

This was made with a double heart cutter and two sticks to support the cake

Step 12: Decorate It: Chocolate Fixes Anything

So if you break one you can fix it (kinda).
Just add a little chocolate glue and some extra sprinkles and lay flat to dry.
While its not super pretty its still Super yummy.