How was your weekend? We spent most of it celebrating my friend’s birthday. I made a whole mess of treats including chocolate zucchini cake (as cupcakes), these salted caramel dark chocolate cookies, and these peanut butter M&M cookies too—it’s been way too long since I made a batch of those in particular! The birthday girl loves chocolate and peanut butter and caramel so these 3 were a no brainer.
There’s no batter time (get it? batter?) than a happy occasion to indulge in your favorite treats whether that’s a birthday, shower, wedding, you name it. My mom and sisters threw my baby shower last month and one of the treats they surprised me with was a HUGE display of cake pops. I love cake pops, but hardly ever take the time to make them. Though I did whip up a batch for both of my sisters’ bridal showers in the past few years.
See? Special occasions call for super special treats.
The difference between these cake pops and others you may have tried is that these are 100% homemade. There’s no box cake mix or canned frosting, which results in a totally unique cake pop experience. You can actually TASTE the homemade. The love, the passion, and the care that goes into creating each adorable pop.
So anyway! I first began making homemade cake pops when I wrote Sally’s Candy Addiction. In fact, this recipe is published in the book! I want to share it on the blog as well because I’ve gotten lots of questions about making from-scratch cake pops.
Today we’ll go over all my tips, tricks, and secrets to crafting the peeeeerfect pop as well as the homemade vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream used inside. There’s lots of ground to cover so let’s pop right to it. (Can’t stop with my nerdiness right now.)
Since we’re leaving the box cake mix and canned frosting on the store shelves, we’ll need to take a little extra time to prep both from scratch. I always make the cake the night before, then finish the cake pops the next day. Here’s the general process:
- Make homemade cake.
- Make homemade frosting.
- Crumble cake into homemade frosting.
- Mix.
- Roll into balls.
- Dip.
- EAT!
Super basic recipes for both the vanilla cake and frosting, but I do encourage you to use the correct size pan for the cake. This cake is too large for a typical 9-inch cake pan. You’ll need to use a 9-inch springform pan since it rises quite high. Or you can use an 11×7-inch pan instead. A 10-inch springform pan would work as well.
Cake ingredients are straightforward. The basic crew like flour, butter, sugar, vanilla, milk. Same goes with the vanilla frosting: butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, milk (or cream). The difference between this and what you get out of a box is the taste. You can totally tell these cake pops are special and it’s because you started with from-scratch components. WORTH IT!
Now it’s time to crumble the cake up and mix with your frosting.
(Crumbling the cake into the frosting sounds super weird when you think about it and that’s exactly what cake pops are—super weird when you think about it. It’s cake and frosting mixed together to form a truffle-like ball. Pop a stick in it and dunk into coating. Yep, it’s weirdly delicious and awesome and you need to embrace it.)
Left photo: cake crumbled into bowl of frosting. ↓
Right photo: the two mixed together. ↓
Once the two are mixed together, it’s time to roll the mixture into balls. And here’s my trick for doing so.
My Rolling Trick
It’s easier to roll the cake + frosting mixture into perfectly round balls if it’s cold. And what I do is roll the balls up right after the two are mixed together. They’re pretty misshapen because the cake + frosting mixture is super moist—and at room temperature. So then I chill the balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. After that, I give them another little roll to smooth out the sides. When they’re cold, they’re easier to smooth out and form perfectly round shapes.
So (1) roll (2) chill (3) roll again to smooth out the sides.
Just like when we make Oreo balls, the cake balls need to be super chilled before dipping, so this trick gets both steps done!
Now let’s dunk. You can dip the cake balls into pure white chocolate, which is what I prefer for best taste, but that stuff is pretty expensive. And you need a good amount for all 40 cake pops! You can use candy melts/candy coating instead. I give both options in the recipe below along with notes for each choice.
Another trick: to ensure the cake ball stays secure on the lollipop stick, dip it slightly into the coating first. Then stick in the center of the cake ball. See photo above!
And another trick: the best way to allow the coating to dry and set—without ruining the perfectly round cake pop—is 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 super tiny holes into it. Easy and cheap.
Cake pops will be dry within an hour or so.
Cake pops are a genius celebration-worthy treat to make ahead of time because they freeze beautifully. I simply freeze them in a large zipped-top freezer bag after they’ve fully dried. They’re great for up to 6 weeks, then just let them thaw overnight in the fridge.
I have a few more tips for ya! I went over these in Sally’s Candy Addiction because they’re pretty important to review before you get started.
Cake Pop Tips
- Frosting is the best part of cake, right? Well that doesn’t apply to cake pops. Too much frosting produces a super wet and greasy cake pop—not the deliciously moist pop you were expecting. This frosting recipe yields *just enough* to barely moisten those cake crumbs. Proper ratio is imperative here!
- The cake balls need to be extremely cold before dipping. Make sure you have enough room in your refrigerator or freezer for them. I always chill them on a large lined baking sheet.
- A 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup is the perfect depth for dipping the cake pops.
- Tinting the coating brings a fun POP of color! I usually stick to just white + one other color. Or two colors maximum. The teal color I use here is Americolor gel food coloring in teal.
- Sprinkles are necessary, of course. But you already knew that.
Besides lollipop sticks and the correct size cake pan, you don’t really need much else to get going!
Print
Homemade Cake Pops
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 36 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 40 pops
- Category: Cake Pops
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade vanilla cake pops with vanilla buttercream from scratch- no cake mix or canned frosting!
Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk (or buttermilk)
Frosting
- 7 Tablespoons (99g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 teaspoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating
- 32 ounces candy melts or coating (or pure white chocolate)*
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk to the wet ingredients until combined. Manually whisk the batter to ensure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Batter will be slightly thick. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top begins browning too quickly in the oven, loosely place a piece of aluminum foil on top.
- All the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
- Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps. Turn the mixer on low and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
- Measure 1 Tablespoon of moist cake mixture and roll into a ball. Place balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour. Re-roll the chilled balls to smooth out, if needed. Place back into the fridge as you’ll only work with a couple at a time.
- Melt the coating in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (best for dunking!). You can use a double boiler or microwave.
- Coat the cake balls: Remove only 2-3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. Dip a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert into the center or the cake ball. Only push it about halfway 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 drop off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block or box (as explained above). Repeat with remaining cake balls, only working with some 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: 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 9. 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 Springform Pan (a 10-inch springform pan or 11×7-inch pan will work, too) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Measuring Cup | Lollipop Sticks | Americolor Food Coloring
- Coating: You can use candy coating/candy melts, almond bark, or pure white chocolate. If using almond bark or pure white chocolate, chop it up before melting. Melt it down with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to thin out so it’s easier to use as a coating. Semi-sweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate work as well. Coarsely chop and melt down with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to thin out. Keep warm over a double boiler.
Keywords: cake pops
Great recipe. I had trouble getting the candy melts to melt into a liquid though. They melted into a super thick consistency that was so difficult to dip into that I switched to spreading it onto the pops with a spoon instead. Any suggestion for creating a more liquify melt?
Hi A, you can try microwaving your chocolate in even smaller time increments. That will help promote more even heating and should prevent the chocolate from chunking up. Be sure to stir between times in the microwave. You may also have to reheat it after every few dunks to keep it from seizing up. Hope this helps for next time!
Hi there Sally!
I would love to make a planet cake with cake pops on top for the planets!!
I usually make my cakes ahead and freese it. Can I do the cake pops also ahead and freeze and put on my cake a day before?
How can I give every cake pop a different color with white chocolate?
Last question. Is a cookie dough pop also a option? Easier?
Hi Anel, You can store the undipped cake balls in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 6 weeks. We use white chocolate here and you can color it with gel food coloring.
This recipe was great! I had some leftover pound cake so I used that instead of the cake here, and the frosting was just enough for it. However, when the candy melts were warm, that was the right consistency for dipping because it was still liquid. When it gets even a little colder, it forms a soft ball which just globs and can’t be used; you have to reheat it again. Now this, when dipped with an ice cold cake pop, sets nicely for the first few minutes but then cracks appear; I’ve read somewhere (in the comments here?) that the temperature differences between the warm candy melts and the cold cake pops causes it to crack. I just kept the cake pop balls out at room temperature for a few minutes before dipping, and it seems to have turned out alright — what can I do instead for next time/ am I doing it right??
Hi Jane, that’s correct—if the temperature difference between the cake pops and the melted chocolate is too much, then they will often crack. Leaving them at room temperature for a few minutes before dipping is a great solution. Glad you enjoyed these!
If I don’t have a springform pan, could I use 2 9 inch round cake pans?
Hi Jenny, that will work! We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it will be shorter since the layers are thinner. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I’m curious as to the ratio of cake to frosting. My 12 year old daughter has recently started making 3 tier cakes from scratch with homemade buttercream. I’ve been trying to make cake pops out of what we cut off to level the cakes and the extra frosting but I think I’m using too much frosting. They are delicious but definitely very wet!
Hi Tracy, the ratio can change slightly depending on the exact cake and frosting recipes you use–you’ll want the mixture to be just slightly moist enough to hold together in a ball. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, I have tried several of your recipes and they have all been a hit, ALWAYS! So thank you! I plan on making cakesicles using cakesicle silicon molds. Can I repurpose this recipe? If not, can you please recommend any of your recipes I can use? Thank you!
Hi Nazia, cakesicles are SO cute, but we haven’t actually tested making them ourselves. Let us know if you give them a try using this cake pops recipe!
Hi Trina, I tried this cake recipe for cakesicles and they came out great. Because I didn’t want my cakesicles to be too sweet, I replaced the frosting with heavy cream which gave the cakesicles just the cake’s sweetness which balanced well with the chocolate Candy melt coating I used. Thanks again! ☺️
Hi sally instead of using confection sugar for the icing can I use normal granulated sugar? And what would be the amount?
Hi Carlota, best to stick with confectioners’ sugar for the icing.
This recipe is AMAZING and delicious.
It is so easy to make and really worth it!!
I made these exactly as indicated and had them very cold before dipping as you recommended and every single one of them now has several large cracks all over 🙁
For me it turned out perfectly
Cake pops will crack when there is a big difference between the temp of the cake ball and coating. Warm, not hot, coating and close to room temperature but still cool cake pops work best. Very cold pops is definitely not the way to go. I learned this after dipping very cold cake my first time making these. 🙂
Hi Sally! Can I refrigerate dipped cake pops and then cover in little bags when I take them out? Or should I bag them first and then refrigerate? I’m afraid of the condensation that might form
Hi Jasmine, we’d bag them after they come out of the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Can I use Swiss meringue buttercream? I’m thinking it may be too greasy if I do . Thanks
Hi Nikki, we haven’t tested these with Swiss Meringue Buttercream but don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let us know if you try them!
Hi, I want to make these but I am wondering if I could use peanut butter and/or nutella instead of frosting, and what would be the ratio?
Hi Ann, we haven’t tested either of those substitutions, so we’re unsure how it might work out. You could test it with a very small amount of cake crumbs to see how it holds together (before adding the peanut butter/nutella to the entire batch). We’re unsure of the exact ratio–you’ll want the mixture to be just slightly moist enough to hold together in a ball. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Do you have the cake pop recipe for chocolate and one for carrot cake? I would love those
Hi Barbara, here’s our chocolate cake pops recipe. You can use our carrot cake (this one layer carrot cake would make a reasonable amount) recipe to make carrot cake pops – the exact amount of frosting needed will differ with each cake and frosting recipe, so you can do it by look/feel.
I want to make these for a 4th of July party. Can you use regular boxed cake mix instead? I would like to do some as red velvet, some as white cake etc?
Hi Becca! Yes, absolutely. You can use any cake you like, but the exact ratio of frosting needed will depend on the cake you’re using.
Question about “covering cake” – when you say to cover the cake 1 day prior, does that mean it has to be in an airtight container or just with plastic wrap?
Usually we just use plastic wrap or aluminum foil!
Made 160 vanilla and chocolate cake pops for my daughter’s graduation party! They turned out great! We bagged each one individually and tied them with curling ribbon! Many asked where we had purchased them. They looked amazing and tasted awesome, too!
Thanks, Sally for your rolling advice, tips, and techniques. It was nice that you could prepare them ahead of time and freeze them. (We waited to dip and bag them until they were thawed.)
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So excited to try this for a friend’s bridal shower! She asked for Funfetti cake pops – would you recommend just adding sprinkles to this recipe or to use your funfetti cake recipe? Thanks!
Hi Alice, we’d start by adding 1/4 cup of sprinkles to this batter for confetti cake pops. Hope they’re a hit!
Love this recipe!! Made it several times and it’s been perfect every time! I wanted to make a strawberry flavor, is it possible to add strawberries to batter or do an icing with strawberries? Any suggestions? Thank you!
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Hi Irina, we’d recommend using our strawberry cake batter (or strawberry cupcakes batter for a smaller yield) instead! And here is our strawberry buttercream frosting recipe. Let us know how it goes!
I do love your recipes. You’ve got the greatest recipes for kid’s & adults !! Keep it up!
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