Learn how to make homemade chocolate cake pops completely from scratch, with no box cake mix or canned frosting. Combine rich chocolate cake with the best chocolate buttercream, and coat in melted chocolate for a treat that will make your tastebuds pop! Watch the video tutorial for all my best tips.
See my vanilla cake pops recipe, too.
I originally published this recipe in 2018 and have since added new photos and a video.
Chocolate cake + chocolate frosting + colorful sprinkles = the most adorable treat! Today we’re making chocolate cake pops because, after I shared my vanilla cake pops, I received so many requests for a chocolate version! Your wish is my command.
This recipe was a Sally’s Baking Challenge back in 2018, and readers have loved them over the years:
One reader, Sophia, commented: “Such an awesome recipeโthese are basically Starbucks dupes and super yummy! I made the cake pops for a friendโs birthday but my family almost ate all of them before I could give any to her, LOL. โ โ โ โ โ ”
One reader, Jen, commented: “This recipe was great! Made them for my sonโs birthday party and had multiple people ask for the recipe! My son even said they were better than Starbucks! โ โ โ โ โ ”
By the way, if you’ve ever eaten store-bought cake popsโthese taste totally different. They’re from scratch. There’s no cake mix, there’s no canned frosting. You can actually TASTE the homemade.
I have plenty of step-by-step photos, a video tutorial, and lots of success tips today because I want you to understand every instruction before it’s your turn to make them. After all, the process isn’t difficultโyou’re literally just baking a chocolate cake and making frosting and then mixing them together. But things just get a little particular when it comes to rolling, lollipop-sticking, and dunking/dipping. If you can make bread bowls, you can handle cake pops. (They’re more fun to eat too… sprinkles!)
How to Make Chocolate Cake Pops
Since we’re ditching box cake mix and canned frosting, we’ll need to take a little extra time to prep both from scratch. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Make a 1-layer chocolate cake and let cool.
- Make chocolate frosting.
- Crumble cake into frosting and mix.
- Roll the mixture into balls.
- Dip in melted chocolate.
- Top with sprinkles and let dry.
- EAT!
Quick tip: Whenever I make cake pops from scratch, I always begin the night before. I make the cake, cover it, and let it sit out at room temperature overnight. I also prepare the frosting, cover, and refrigerate. This way everything’s ready to go the next day.
Make a 1-Layer Chocolate Cake
It might seem like the switch from vanilla cake pops to chocolate cake pops is easy. Replace some flour with cocoa powder, right? And vanilla frosting with chocolate frosting? I wish! Chocolate is a complicated soul and requires a little finesse; that’s why my vanilla cake and chocolate cake recipes are so different! I baked a few single-layer chocolate cakes before stopping with this one.
Behind the Scenes: Recipe Testing
The first few began with creamed butter + sugar. My favorite chocolate cakes and cupcakes typically rely on oil for the fat because (1) moisture and (2) the flavor of butter really isn’t necessary because chocolate overpowers it anyway. My initial thought with cake pops, however, was that I needed a slightly drier cake to get the best texture for cake pops (because it will be mixed with frosting). Well this was just a huge mess from the start, because dry cake is gross.
That being said, you’ll need oil for the cake. And a few other basics like cocoa powder, sugar, flour, and eggs. Hot water is also a must. The hot liquid encourages the cocoa powder to bloom and dissolve. When I make chocolate cake, I usually reach for hot coffee (instead of hot water) because coffee accentuates the chocolate favorโbut that’s not as crucial here, because we’re just crumbling the cake and mixing with chocolate frosting.
By the way, you can totally enjoy this chocolate cake on its own. If you ever need a single-layer chocolate cakeโuse this recipe. It’s so good. Deep and dark chocolate flavor. Super moist. Super rich. Top with chocolate buttercream, whipped cream, peanut butter frosting, or red wine chocolate ganache.
What was a little more difficult than testing the perfect single-layer chocolate cake was figuring out how much frosting I needed. Too much frosting and the cake pops are wet and greasy, while too little frosting means there isn’t enough to bind the cake crumbles. After lots of trial and error, I finally found the perfect amount… and it’s not much, because the chocolate cake is already so moist.
Crumble the cake into the bowl of frosting, and yes, you’ll feel very weird doing this. You just made this beautiful chocolate cake and will now break it up into a bowl of frosting. Because that’s what cake pops areโcake crumbs and frosting.
Once the two are mixed together, itโs time to roll the mixture into balls. This part is EASY. I found the chocolate cake pops much easier to roll into balls than my vanilla version. This mixture is just sooo smooth! Your hands will get a little sticky, but just roll with it. ๐
Tips for Homemade Chocolate Cake Pops
Success Tip #1: Make Smaller Cake Pops: If you roll the cake pops too large, they’ll wobble off the lollipop stick because they’re too heavy. You need 1 Tablespoon of the cake pop mixture per ball (about 20g). No more, no less. You’ll end up with 40 of them. Quite a lotโbut these freeze beautifully! And you can gift them to anyone and everyone. Who doesn’t love a homemade cake pop?
These cake balls need to chill in the refrigerator before we pop ’em on a lollipop stick. Why? They’re much too delicate right now; they’ll completely fall apart. Which reminds me… you do NOT have to make these as pops. You can make them truffle-style by simply rolling them and coating in chocolate (just like how we make Oreo balls). Either way you enjoy them, chill the cake balls before coating. I just place them on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate them for a couple hours.
- Speaking of chocolate, you can dunk the cake balls into melted chocolate (white or semi-sweet), which is what I prefer for best taste, but that’s pretty expensive. And you need a good amount for all 40 cake pops. Instead, you can use candy melts/candy coating, and I give both options in the recipe below, along with notes for each choice.
Success Tip #2: To ensure the cake ball stays secure on the lollipop stick, dip one end of the stick into the melted chocolate coating first (just about 1/2 inch down), and then insert the coated end into the center of the cake ball. This helps the cake ball adhere to the lollipop stick.
Success Tip #3: A 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup is the perfect depth for dipping the cake pops. If I’m using melted chocolate, like I did in these photos, I melt it in a double boiler then spoon a little at a time into the measuring cup. I don’t like dipping right into the whole pot of melted chocolate. Let the melted chocolate cool down for about 5 minutes before you dip the cold cake balls into it. (Otherwise the coating might crack as it dries.)
Success Tip #4: The best way to allow the coating to dry and setโwithout ruining the perfectly round cake popsโis to place them right-side-up in a large styrofoam block or even a box. I used a box, as pictured below, for this batch. I just poked little holes into it. Easy and cheap.
If you’re topping with sprinkles (always recommended!), add them now before the chocolate sets. Cake pops dry/set within an hour or so. Enjoy!
Chocolate Cake Pops
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 26 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 40 cake pops
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chocolate cake pops from scratchโmade with homemade chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, dunked in melted chocolate and topped with sprinkles! Follow my thorough instructions, tips, and video tutorial for best results.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (32g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water
Chocolate Frosting
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2โ3 teaspoons heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating
- 24 ounces (680g) candy melts (or semi-sweet chocolate bars)*
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Greaseย a 9-inch pan (round or square) orย 9-inch springform pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot water, and whisk everything together until combined. Make sure there are no pockets of dry ingredients hiding.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25โ27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting:ย With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. This isn’t a lot of butter and it will get stuck on the sides of the bowl, so you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to really help get it creamed. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of heavy cream/milk, and vanilla extract, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until it really comes together. Add another teaspoon of milk/cream if it looks a little too thick.
- Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps. Turn the mixer on low speed and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
- Measure 1 scant Tablespoon (20g) of moist cake mixture and roll into a ball. Place cake balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.
- Melt the coating in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (best for dunking!). Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after every 20 seconds until completely melted and smooth. (Or you can use a double boiler and pour a little at a time into the liquid measuring cup.) Let the coating cool down for a few minutes before you begin dipping. If it’s too hot when you dip, the coating will crack.
- Coat the cake balls: Remove only 2โ3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. (Keep the rest cold!) Dip one end of a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert into the center of the cake ball. Push it about halfway to 3/4 of the way through the cake ball. Dip the cake ball into the coating until it is completely covered. Make sure the coating covers the base of the cake ball where it meets the lollipop stick. Very gently tap the stick against the edge of the measuring cup to allow excess coating to drip off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block or box (as explained in the blog post above). Repeat with remaining cake balls, only working with a few out of the refrigerator at a time. The cake balls must be very cold when dipping!
- Coating will set within an hour. Store cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions:ย I always make the cake 1 day ahead of time. Cover and keep at room temperature. You can store the undipped cake balls in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 6 weeks. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator then continue with step 7. You can also freeze the finished cake pops for up to 6 weeks once the coating has fully set. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Pan, 9-inch Square Pan, or 9-inch Springform Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paperย | Glass Measuring Cup | Double Boiler | Lollipop Sticks
- Chocolate: You can use candy coating/candy melts, almond bark, or semi-sweet chocolate (or white chocolate). If using almond bark or chocolate, chop it up before melting. Melt it with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to thin out so it’s easier to use as a coating. Keep warm over a double boiler. You can also temper pure chocolate for the coating. My full tempering tutorial is in Sally’s Candy Addiction if you have a copy.
- Cake Balls: Want to skip the lollipop stick? Go for it. Just dip the cake balls in melted or tempered chocolate to make delicious chocolate cake truffles.ย Whenever I dip truffles, I always use this spiral dipping tool. Drop the truffle in the chocolate and lift it out with the dipping tool. Quickly flip it upside down onto a lined baking sheet. You can see exactly how I do this in this post (scroll down for video): dark chocolate coconut rum truffles. Go to the 1-minute mark. Thatโs how I dip and neatly release truffles. So easy!
See Your Chocolate Cake Pops!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. ๐
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love this cake recipe! I used it as a single layer, but now I want to do
a triple layer cake using this recipe. However, that means 6 eggs, which feels like an awful lot! Would I use that full amount when tripling, or can I get away with less?
Hi Brianna, for a three layer chocolate cake, we’d recommend using this triple chocolate layer cake. See recipe Notes there for 3 layer version. Hope you love it just as much!
Hi! Ive made these cake pops twice and they are so delicious!
Thank you so much for the recipe! Just a quick tweak ive made before: 1/2 the cocoa in the cake! But awesome totally recommend!!
Hi Sally,
Iโd love to try the recipe, but Iโm a little confused about the measurements in grams. You mention that 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder equals 32g, but one tablespoon is usually around 15g. Later, 6 tablespoons of butter are listed as 85g. Could you please confirm if these gram measurements are correct or if there might be a typo?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hi L! The weights are correct – you can read more about measuring baking ingredients in this post ๐
Hi Trina,
Thanks for the reply! Also, it’s really great that you put grams in the recipes. It makes it really easy for people like me who prefer to just use a scale for all ingredients.
I will definitely be making these for Halloween
Planning to make for the first time. Can I half the recipe? Also wanting to make the vanilla cake version. Same question for that one.
One last question, not sure if it can be answered but I freshly mill my flour (I use a conversion chart for the measurements) but will these cake pops still hold you think? Super worried about that .
Hi Rosie, you can halve the recipe if you wish and use smaller pans. We haven’t tested either recipe with freshly milled flour, so we’re unsure how it would impact the results. Let us know if you do give it a try!
Thanks for your response, one other question…I noticed in the ingredients for the chocolate cake it says to use cocoa powder and then for the frosting it specifies ‘Dutch process’ cocoa powder. Are these two different ones? I want to make sure I order the right things from amazon. I like that theres a link to the preferred one for Dutch.
You’ll find this post on dutch process vs. cocoa powder helpful!
This recipe is very helpful! I am wondering how I would adapt it to make chocolate raspberry cake pops? Have any advice?
Hi Shana, we haven’t tested anything, but you could try using a raspberry frosting, like this strawberry frosting but with freeze dried raspberries instead. We’re unsure of the exact amount needed, but you need *just* enough to moisten the crumbs. Let us know if you try it!
Hi Sally
Is the 1/2 tsp baking soda correct in the above recipe?
Weโve made them before a long time ago and the cake came out perfectly but this time used 1/2tsp as above and itโs a bit flat!?
Thanks!
Hi Mara, it is correct. Make sure that you’re using fresh baking soda. We find that it should be replaced every 3 months.
I would like to bake the cake. Is this frosting enough to cover the cake top?
Hi Howard, this makes about a cup of frosting, which should be just right for frosting one layer. Enjoy!
I made these pops today with my grandchildren and we had so much fun!! Delicious!!!!!
6 stars โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ Literally so awesome and easy. I do suggest using oil to thin out the chocolate a little.
Hi Sally! Love your recipes! How would you adapt the cake pops recripe to make them coffee flavored?
Hi Rina, we haven’t tested it, but you could try adding some espresso powder and also use hot coffee instead of hot water for a mocha flavor. If you decide to try it, let us know how it goes!
So for a mocha flavored cake pop, would you just swap espresso powder for cocoa or just add it in addition to the recipe as is?
Hi Rina, we haven’t tried it, but dissolving the espresso powder in the hot water would be our suggestion. Let us know how it goes!
Love the cake pops!
Any decorating ideas for them for Halloween??
Thanks
Michele
Hi Michele! Are you in Pinterest? That’s a great place to look for baking decorating inspiration!
I used Ghirardelli milk chocolate melts and it was a bit thick! Any suggestions on thinning it?
Hi Dan, a small splash of vegetable oil will help thin out the chocolate coating a bit.
So good!!! still wondering what the hot water is for. After i finished the recipe i looked back at ingredients and it called for hot water but i never used it. still i highly recommend!!
Hi Jessica, see step 2! The hot water helps bloom the cocoa powder.
I have tried cake pops several times before, and they never worked. But this recipe was amazing! These were so easy and fun (maybe a little messy) and tasty too! I loved this recipes, but sometimes my cake balls would crumble when I was rolling them. I just mashed them and then rolled them, but I was wondering if there are any tips on them? I also couldn’t round out the balls when they came out of the freezer, which was one of Sally’s tips. Maybe they were to hard? I had fun making these and followed the directions which made these a success! So good. Thank you!!
The recipe calls for a 9 in square pan or a 9 in round pan. The area of the square pan is 81 sq in, the area of the round pan is 63.6 sq in
An 8 in square pan has an area of 64 sq in. So if a 9 in round pan is ok, I believe I can use an 8 in square pan
These are sooooo yummy! I made them for my sister’s birthday and everyone absolutely LOVED them!
How do I find answers to questions that I write in comments
Hi Lin, after a member of our team has viewed and responded to your comment, you can find an answer immediately below your question in the recipe’s comment section. Hope this helps!
Amazing recipe! I made these this weekend for my son’s 1st birthday party and they were a hit. Everyone raved about them. The flavor was so rich and wonderful, the perfect blend of smooth chocolate and crunch from the coating, a perfect treat! Not too rich but powerful enough that one cake pop was all you needed for a satisfying dessert. I’ll definitely be saving this recipe for the future!