For the Cardamom White Chocolate Mud Cake, place the chopped chocolate, butter, milk and sugar in a large saucepan over low heat and stir frequently until the butter and chocolate have melted. Take the pan off the heat and stir the mixture till smooth. Let it cool to room temperature. Add the vanilla and the egg and mix well.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and the lemon zest and add to the chocolate mixture in two batches, stirring well after each addition.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 7u201d round cake tin and bake at 165C (325F) for about 45 minutes to an hour or till a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely. If not using the cake for making pops immediately, wrap the cake in cling wrap and refrigerate for upto 3 days.

Now that we have the cake, the first step to making cake pops is to crumble it. It seems funny to go all the way and make a cake only to take it apart, but hey for cake pops, thatu2019s the way the cake crumbles!

To make the Cake Pops, crumble the cake into fine crumbs in a big bowl. Add the cream, first half the amount and then as much as needed. Stir with a spoon, adding just as much cream is needed until the crumbs will hold their shape when shaped into balls.

Shape this mixture into 1 1/2" balls or shapes of choice. If using the chocolate moulds, lightly grease the moulds and press the cake mixture into them. Place these in the freezer for about 20 minutes to half an hour at least. You can keep them overnight, but keep them at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes before coating. Unmould the shapes before dipping.

In the meanwhile, melt the chocolate over warm water (or in the microwave). Use a deep container for this so the balls can be dipped easily. First dip the tip of the lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and insert it onto a cake ball, about 1/3rd deep. Repeat with all the cake balls/ shapes.

Now dip the cake pop into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to pour the chocolate over it to coat it well. Lightly tap the pop against the side to remove excess chocolate. Place it in a holder (Styrofoam block) and let the chocolate set a bit before covering with sprinkles. Repeat with all the cake pops.

The cake pops can be served in stands or by placing them in glasses filled with sugar or sprinkles. Keep the pops refrigerated till needed if you live in a warm tropical country like I do!

If youu2019re planning to serve the cake pops in paper cases, then use a fork to dip the cake balls in melted chocolate, let the excess drip off and then just gently let them slip off the tinesof the fork into the paper cases. Let the chocolate set slightly then decorate with sprinkles or chocolate buttons.