How To Make Cake Pops ….EASILY!!!
“Learn how to make cake pops recipe the easy way. Featuring tips and techniques to make and decorate perfect cake pops at home!”
Watch me make this cake pops recipe from start to finish!
For a while, I felt like I couldn’t run from seeing cake pops! They were all over my Instagram and Pinterest feeds. Fine, I’ll bite.
I made them.
I hated them.
End of story.
Seriously, who would want to fool with these things?
All that doggone freezing and refreezing, dipping, redipping, twirling, decorating, and, ugh, that texture!!
It was soggy, grainy, and tasted like someone had chewed it up already. My hubby sat quietly, ate the whole thing, and calmly said: “you don’t have to make these again, ok.”
I thought maybe it was just because I sucked at making cake pops, so I tried a few from stores and various recipes, ick!
What the heck was all this cake pop fuss about?? I didn’t care to find out any more, but I kept getting requests to “PLEASE DO A CAKE POP TUTORIAL!”. I can’t seem to say no to you guys, so I returned to the kitchen to figure these things out. Something had to give!
After some playing around, I can now say I LOVE CAKE POPS!!
These cake pops are what I consider cake pop perfection!!! They are the best cake pops I’ve ever had. The texture is fluffy AND moist, and it was nowhere near as messy and time-consuming as my first attempts at making cake pops. Grab some lollipop sticks, and prepare to make the cutest little dessert pops ever!
I thought I HATED cake pops. I made them for a baby shower a few years ago, and they were a pain in the hind parts!
All that doggone freezing and refreezing, dipping, twirling, decorating, and ugh that texture!! Ewww!!
It was soggy, grainy, and tasted like someone had chewed it up already. My hubby sat quietly, ate the whole thing, and calmly said: “you don’t have to make these again, please.”
I seriously did not see what all the cake pop hype was about, but I kept getting requests to “PLEASE DO A CAKE POP TUTORIAL!”. I can’t seem to say no to you guys, so I returned to the kitchen to figure these things out. Something had to give!
Tricks to making homemade cake pops!
- Go EASY On The Frosting: BEST TIP EVER!!! What many folks failed to mention in the cake pop tutorials that I was following was to ONLY ADD A LITTLE BIT OF FROSTING. That is super important!! Most cakes are already moist. Too much frosting, and you have soggy, mushy, fall-apart cake pops. A little frosting goes a long way.
- Use Your Hands To Mix: It really helps to mix it up with your hands so that you can get the feel of it. When I used a spoon to mix it up, it looked like I wasn’t putting in enough frosting, but it turned out that it was way too much when I tried to make a ball. The cake should still be a bit crumbly, even when the frosting is mixed in, and should be able to hold a firm ball shape. (Taste it! You should like the texture)
- Mini Ice Cream/Cookie Scoop Works Great: Use a mini ice cream scoop to scoop out the “dough” so that you will have equal portions. Roll it into a super tight ball.
- No Need To Keep Refreezing- I only placed these in the freezer once.
- Use A Deep, Narrow Cup For Dipping: The melted chocolate/candy coating should be deep enough to submerge the cake ball completely to avoid having to twirl it around. **NEW METHOD* Another method I saw on Cupcake Wars recently was to place the melted chocolate/candy melts in a bowl, place the cake pop, and then spoon the chocolate on. Whatever works best for ya.
- Box Cake Is Just Fine– Make it easy for yourself and purchase a box cake and make some homemade frosting. No one will know.
- Use A Styrofoam Holder- A block of Styrofoam makes a great holder to stick the cake pops in while drying, and it’s cheap.
Use Cake Mix (Nobody will know)
As much as I love making cakes from scratch on this site, I cheat when it comes to cake pops. No shame here! A box cake mix and a can of frosting are my jam. It’s so much quicker!
There are plenty of ways to enhance a box cake mix so that it tastes homemade, like adding pudding, sour cream, vanilla extract, extra eggs, and so forth.
Box cakes are usually very moist, so you’ll only need to use a little bit of frosting for these cake pops. It’s all about that frosting-cake ratio if you want to get the perfect cake pop.
Once you bake up a 9×13 cake (you’ll only need 1/2 of it for this recipe which makes 13 cake pops), you’ll be ready to give this cake pop recipe a shot!
What kind of frosting do you use for cake pops?
Use a frosting flavor that will compliment your cake flavor! Making lemon cake pops? Use a vanilla frosting or lemon buttercream frosting! Using red velvet cake? Try a cream cheese frosting!
If you’re looking for homemade frosting recipes, check out these two below.
The Real Cream Cheese Frosting and this Old-Fashioned Chocolate Frosting. These frostings are so creamy with that old-fashioned homemade taste that will enhance your cake pops.
No one will ever know you use a box cake (if you do) with these from-scratch frostings!
Old-fashioned Chocolate Frosting
That Real Cream Cheese Frosting
Candy Melts or Chocolate for cake pops
Once you’ve picked out what yummy cake and frosting combination you want, it’s time to pick a coating!
You can’t go wrong with vanilla-flavored candy-coating wafers. They come in every color under the sun, melt like a breeze, and are easy to work with.
However, when it comes to chocolate cake pops, I love using melted chocolate like baking bars, wafers, or chocolate chips. Another option is almond bark.
How to Make This Cake Pops Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 of a prepared 9 x13 cake ( I used chocolate since I love chocolate cake pops!)
- frosting- (I used chocolate) homemade or store-bought works here. You’ll only need a few spoonfuls, seriously!
- Chocolate or Candy Melts (for coating), divided. I used to use chocolate; now I swear by candy melts! So much easier.
- Sprinkles (because they are just so doggone cute!)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add cooled cake to a large mixing bowl or pan and crumble it into fine crumbs.
- Stir in frosting a little bit at a time until the cake is moist and can hold a ball shape yet is still slightly crumbly. (Use your hands to incorporate the frosting into the cake crumbs)
- Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop out two scoops worth of cake mixture.
- Roll the mixture into a tight ball and place it on a plate.
- Repeat until all the cake mixture has been rolled into balls.
- Melt 2-4 ounces of chocolate or candy melt in a microwave-safe bowl, according to the package.
- Dip the tip of the cake pop sticks into the melted chocolate or candy melt and insert into the cake balls about halfway.
- Freeze for about 20 minutes.
- Melt the remaining chocolate or candy melts according to the package and pour into a narrow cup. (Make sure you have enough to submerge the cake ball completely)
- Remove cake balls from the freezer.
- Dip cake balls carefully into the melted chocolate/candy melt until covered, and then let excess drip off. (swirl and tap gently if needed)
- Add the sprinkles while the coating is still wet. It will harden quickly.
- Stick the decorated cake pop into a styrofoam block or cake pop holder to finish until the coating has hardened. (Place into the fridge to speed up setting time if needed)
- Cover with a clear treat bag & ribbon for gift-giving, if desired.
- Store covered cake pops in a cool area in a single layer.
Got leftover cake? Make cake pops!!
Using leftover cake to make this cake pops recipe is the best!! We don’t have leftover cake in my house very often, but when we do, it’s on and poppin’!
That leftover cake turns into cake pops, and then all of a sudden, people are in the mood for cake again! Isn’t it funny how you can put something on a stick, and everybody wants it?
When making cake pops with leftover cake, you want to scrape off the frosting first and place it in a bowl.
You definitely won’t need all the frosting. Crumble the cake up and then add in the frosting a little at a time until the cake can hold its shape once formed into a tight ball.
Now, if you’re looking for a tutorial on decorating cake pops…ugh, I’m not the girl for the job!! Sprinkles is as good as it gets over here : )
Even without fancy decoration, these cake pops can still make a pretty cute, cheap, and festive gift idea! Let your imagination run wild!
Common Questions
Can I make these the day before? You sure can! But I’d use candy melts instead of chocolate. That way, you can store them on the counter and not have to worry about the chocolate melting and smearing on the treat bag if the room gets too warm. Plus, candy melts come in so many fun colors!
Help! My cake pops are falling apart! You’ve either added too much frosting or not enough. If your cake pops are too crumbly, then you need to add more frosting but go easy. The frosting is the glue, so too much of it and the cake pops will be too goopy. If you don’t use enough frosting, the cake pops will crumble.
How do I get rid of the excess chocolate when dipping my cake pops? Let the excess chocolate drip back into the cup. You can give the cake pops a gentle tap against the rim if needed.
Do I need to add oil or butter to my chocolate before melting it? Follow the instruction on the package. Some chocolate requires a little oil to be mixed in before melting. Always melt in short intervals, stirring in between.
Can I store these cake pops in the refrigerator? Yes, you can. (see recipe)
Are cake pops raw? No, cake pops are made from fully baked cakes and frosting.
Do I serve these cake pops at room temperature? Yes, you can actually serve them cold or room temperature.
How can I enhance the taste of store-bought frosting? For some frosting flavors adding a pinch of salt, vanilla extract, or a bit of unsalted butter can help give it a more homemade taste.
Can I mix the frosting and cake together with a stand mixer? Using your hands will get you the best results and helps to prevent adding too much frosting.
Do cake pops need to be baked in the oven? No, they are made with already baked cake.
Give these cake pops a try, and let me know what ya think! I can’t wait to make these again!
Get the Recipe: How To Make Cake Pops EASILY!!!
Ingredients
- Chocolate Cake , prepared (I used ½ of a 9×13 devils food box cake)
- Chocolate Frosting, amount depends on moistness of cake. I used two big spoonfuls. See video
- 8 oz Premium chocolate or candy melts, divided, I used Baker's white chocolate in the video, but I now use candy melts
- cake pop sticks
- sprinkles
Instructions
- *Watch the video before proceeding to get a visual of the steps.
- Add cooled cake to a large mixing bowl or pan and crumble it into fine crumbs.Chocolate Cake
- Stir in frosting by the tablespoon a little at a time until the cake mixture is moist but can hold a firm ball shape when packed and rolled into a ball. (Use your gloved hands to incorporate the frosting into the cake crumbs. I only needed a few spoons of frosting since my cake was already so moist.)Chocolate Frosting
- Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop out two scoops worth of cake mixture.
- Roll the mixture into a tight ball and place it on a plate. Repeat until all the cake mixture has been rolled into balls.
- Melt 2-4 ounces of chocolate or candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl, according to the package.8 oz Premium chocolate or candy melts, divided
- Dip the tip of the cake pop sticks into the melted chocolate or candy melt and insert into the cake balls about halfway.cake pop sticks
- Freeze for about 20 minutes.
- Melt the remaining chocolate or candy melts according to the package and pour into a tall cup. (Make sure you have enough to submerge the cake ball completely)
- Remove cake balls from the freezer.
- Dip cake balls carefully into the melted chocolate/candy melt until completely covered, ( and then let excess drip off. (swirl and tap gently if needed)
- Add the sprinkles while the coating is still wet. It will harden quickly.sprinkles
- Stick the decorated cake pop into a styrofoam block or cake pop holder until the coating has hardened. (Place into the fridge to speed up setting time if desired)
- Cover with a clear treat bag & ribbon for gift-giving, if desired.
- If not serving the same day, store individually bagged cake pops in a single layer in an air-tight container in the fridge. Serve cold or let it come to room temperature.
Video
Notes
Want to use food coloring? I’d suggest using candy melts instead of white chocolate for the coating. I wasn’t impressed with how the white chocolate took the food coloring. It made the chocolate thicker. I purchased all of my ingredients, including the cake pop sticks and sprinkles, at Target. I had the styrofoam already, but you can get a block of styrofoam at crafts stores or Walmart.
The recipe (using only 1/2 of a 9 X 13 cake) and makes about 13 medium-sized cake balls.
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Original Cake Pop Creator: Bakerella!!! How fun is her site?!
I’d never made cake pops until I found your recipe. It was perfect to follow so thank you for sharing your talents with us via the web. Best wishes to you on your future posts!