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Cake Pops Recipe

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These homemade cake pops are a delightful bite-sized dessert perfect for parties, celebrations, or anytime you want a fun, customizable treat. Moist cake combined with creamy frosting, coated in smooth chocolate, and decorated to perfection—they’re easier to make than you think and always a crowd favorite!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake Pops:

  • 1 fully baked and cooled cake (9×13-inch or equivalent, any flavor)
  • ½ to ¾ cup frosting (cream cheese, buttercream, or your preference)
  • 2-3 cups candy melts or chocolate coating (any color)
  • 48 lollipop sticks (6-inch)
  • Sprinkles, edible decorations, or toppings of choice (optional)

Instructions

  • Prepare Your Cake Base: If you haven’t already, bake your cake according to your recipe or package directions and allow it to cool completely. This is crucial—working with warm cake will result in a mushy, unworkable mixture.
  • Crumble the Cake: Break your cooled cake into large chunks and place them in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands or a fork, crumble the cake into fine crumbs. You want a texture similar to wet sand with no large chunks remaining. Take your time with this step—the finer and more uniform your crumbs, the smoother your cake pops will be.
  • Add Frosting Gradually: Start with ½ cup of frosting and mix it thoroughly into the cake crumbs using a sturdy spoon or your electric mixer on low speed. The mixture should come together so that when you squeeze a small amount in your hand, it holds its shape without crumbling apart. If it’s too dry, add more frosting one tablespoon at a time. Be careful not to add too much—if the mixture becomes too wet, your pops won’t hold their shape and will slide down the sticks.
  • Roll Into Balls: Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion out the mixture and roll it between your palms to form smooth, round balls about 1.5 inches in diameter. Try to make them as uniform as possible so they look professional and bake evenly. Place each ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • First Chill: Once all your balls are rolled, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours, or in the freezer for 30 minutes. This chilling step is essential—it firms up the cake balls so they won’t fall apart when you dip them in chocolate.
  • Prepare Your Coating Station: About 15 minutes before you’re ready to dip, set up your workspace. Prepare your styrofoam block or cake pop stand. Melt your candy melts or chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until completely smooth. If using real chocolate, add a tablespoon of coconut oil or shortening to thin it out. The coating should be smooth and pourable, not thick or clumpy.
  • Attach the Sticks: Remove your chilled cake balls from the refrigerator. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick about ½ inch into the melted chocolate, then insert it straight into a cake ball, pushing it about halfway through. The chocolate acts as glue to secure the stick. Repeat with all cake balls, then return them to the refrigerator for another 15 minutes to set the chocolate “glue.”
  • Dip and Coat: Working with one cake pop at a time, hold the stick and dip the cake ball into the melted coating, submerging it completely. Pull it out and let the excess coating drip off—you can gently tap the stick against the edge of the bowl to help this along. Don’t swirl the pop in the coating or it might fall off the stick.
  • Decorate Immediately: While the coating is still wet, add your sprinkles, edible glitter, or other decorations. Work quickly because the coating sets fast!
  • Stand to Dry: Insert the stick into your styrofoam block or cake pop stand so the pop is upright. The coating will set within 10-15 minutes at room temperature, or you can place them in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to speed up the process.
  • Optional Drizzle: Once the coating is completely set, you can add decorative drizzles using melted chocolate in a contrasting color. Place the melted chocolate in a small zip-top bag, snip off a tiny corner, and drizzle back and forth over the pops.
  • Final Set: Let all decorations set completely before packaging or serving, about 15-20 minutes at room temperature.

Notes

  • Cake flavor options: Vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, lemon, strawberry, funfetti, or any cake you love works beautifully
  • Coating alternatives: White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or colored candy melts all work perfectly
  • Texture fix: If your cake mixture is too crumbly, add more frosting. If it’s too wet, add more cake crumbs or chill longer
  • Stick stability: Always use the melted chocolate to “glue” the stick to the cake ball before doing the full dip
  • Smooth coating: If your coating is too thick, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil or coconut oil to thin it out
  • Avoiding cracks: Make sure cake balls are well-chilled before dipping, and don’t let them sit out too long between the fridge and dipping

Nutrition

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