Learn how to make homemade cake pops completely from scratch, with no box cake mix or canned frosting. Combine homemade vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream and dip in white chocolate for a sweet treat kids (and adults, too!) always go crazy for. Watch the video tutorial for all my best shaping tips.
See my chocolate cake pops recipe, too.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a video.
Have you ever seen a child peering into the food display case at Starbucks? I’m not an expert, but I’m willing to bet that 9 times out of 10, the child will ask for a cake pop. This is definitely the case with my own kids, anyway! There’s just something so irresistible about those Starbucks cake pops—a perfectly portioned treat on a stick in eye-catching colors and shapes, topped with sprinkles. It’s hard to say no to something this tempting!
I first began making homemade cake pops when I wrote Sally’s Candy Addiction. In fact, this recipe is published in that book. I wanted to share it on my website as well because I’ve received lots of questions about making from-scratch cake pops.
One reader, Debby, commented: “Made 160 vanilla and chocolate cake pops for my daughter’s graduation party! They turned out great! 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. ★★★★★”
One reader, Luisa, commented: “My first time making cake pops and they were perfect! My kids and their friends loved them. This recipe is going to be a staple in our house for special occasions. ★★★★★”
Taste the Homemade
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.
Today I’ll go over all my tips, tricks, and secrets to crafting the perfect 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. (Couldn’t help myself!)
How to Make Homemade Cake Pops
Since we’re leaving the box cake mix and canned frosting on the store shelves, we’ll need to take extra time to prep both from scratch. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Make a 1-layer vanilla cake and let cool.
- Make vanilla buttercream frosting.
- Crumble cake into frosting and mix.
- Roll the mixture into balls.
- Dip in melted chocolate.
- Top with sprinkles and let dry.
- EAT!
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the cake in advance, because it needs to cool completely before you crumble it into the frosting. I always make the cake the night before, then finish the cake pops the next day.
My recipe for vanilla cake is very straightforward. It’s basically a scaled-down version of my favorite vanilla layer cake. I 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 because it rises quite high. Or you can use an 11×7-inch pan instead. A 10-inch springform pan would work as well.
Besides lollipop sticks, a mixer, and the correct size pan, you don’t really need much else to get started!
Then make the vanilla frosting. The difference between this and frosting out of a container is the TASTE; you can tell these cake pops are special and it’s because you started with from-scratch components. This frosting recipe yields *just enough* to barely moisten the cake crumbs. Any more than that and the cake pops would be greasy.
Now it’s time to crumble the cake 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.)
Once the two are mixed together, it’s time to roll the mixture into balls.
3 Success Tips for Shaping & Dipping Cake Pops
Success Tip #1: It’s easier to roll the cake + frosting mixture into perfectly round balls if it’s cold. So what I do is roll the balls right after the two are mixed together. They’re pretty misshapen because the cake + frosting mixture is super moist—and at room temperature. Chill the balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. After that, give them another quick roll to smooth out the sides. When they’re cold, they’re easier to smooth out and form perfectly round shapes.
Now let’s dunk! You can dip the cake balls in melted white chocolate, which is what I prefer for the best taste, but that stuff is pretty expensive. And you need a good amount for all 40 cake pops! If desired, you can use candy melts/candy coating instead.
- A 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup is the perfect depth for dipping the cake pops.
- You can used colored candy melts or tint the white chocolate with gel food coloring.
Success Tip #2: To ensure the cake ball stays secure on the lollipop stick, dip one end of the stick into the coating first (just about 1/2 inch down). 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: 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 little holes into it.
Easy and cheap:
If you’re topping with sprinkles (always recommended!), add them now before the chocolate sets. I used rainbow sprinkles on the white chocolate and white sprinkles on the light pink-tinted white chocolate (like Starbucks!).
Cake pops dry/set within an hour or so.
Cake Pop FAQs
Cake pops are an ideal celebration-worthy treat to make ahead of time because they freeze beautifully. I simply freeze them in a large zip-top freezer bag or freezer-safe container after they’ve fully dried. They can stay in the freezer for up to 6 weeks, then thaw them overnight in the fridge.
Tinting the coating brings a fun POP of color! I usually stick to just white + one other color. Again, you can use colored candy melts for the coating or you can tint the white chocolate with gel food coloring. Then of course you can mix up what sprinkles you use!
Check out my recipe for chocolate cake pops here. You can also switch up dunking in white or dark chocolate.
If your cake pops have some cracks on them, the melted chocolate could have been too hot. Let the melted chocolate or candy coating sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool down before dunking the cold cake balls into it. That usually helps!
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! Follow my thorough instructions, tips, and video tutorial for best results.
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 whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating
- 24 ounces (678g) candy melts (or white chocolate bars)*
- 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 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and milk to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Give the thick batter a quick stir with a spatula to ensure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Pour and spread 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 tent with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Allow 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 and mix on low speed to combine. 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 speed and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
- Scoop 1 Tablespoon (about 20g) of cake/frosting mixture and roll into a ball. Place balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or freeze for 1 hour to set the shape. Re-roll the chilled cake pop balls to smooth out, if needed. Place the tray back into the fridge, as you’ll only work with a couple at a time.
- Melt the chocolate or candy melts in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (best for dunking!) in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted and smooth. You can also use a double boiler on the stove, if you prefer.
- Coat the cake balls: Remove just 2 or 3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. Dip the end of a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert the coated end into the center of 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 drip off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block or box (as explained in the blog post). Repeat with remaining cake balls, working with just 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: 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, or chopped white chocolate. I typically use Ghirardelli brand white chocolate melting wafers. Semi-sweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate baking bars work, too. Coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl or glass liquid measuring cup, along with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to help thin it out. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each 20 seconds, until melted and smooth. Keep warm over a double boiler.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but this was fantastic. I made a chocolate batch too that came out very good, but my chocolate loving husband liked these even better. I made them pink to look like the a Starbucks ones that my son was missing. I used Merkin white chocolate for dipping and it was perfect. Thanks!
Hi! I wanted to make these cake pops with all chocolate- chocolate cake and frosting, etc. Do you have a recipe for that?
Thank you!
Here are my chocolate cake pops. Enjoy!
Can you substitute soy milk?
Sure can!
The cake batter alone is amazing!!! Like wow!!!!! I’m going to finish the recipe tomorrow. Can’t wait to post about the final project! I’m making them for a preschool aged birthday party!
Hi! If you want to make these for only half as many people, would I have change how to bake the cake pops?
Hi Joan, You can cut the recipe in half and bake it in a 6 inch round pan or even a loaf pan. The baking time would be shorter but I’m unsure of exactly how long it will take (same oven temperature).
Hi Sally,
I made these once before and they were amazing. Better then any cake pops iv ever had. Question, if I’m making the cake today and wanted to finish making the pops tomorrow(coating and all), can they stay in the fridge until Sunday to be served?(today is Tuesday) will they not taste as good if I do that? Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoy them, Jean! Yes, you can store cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Hi Sally,
Did you temper the chocolate for the pictured cake pops? I’m afraid that if I melted baking bars without tempering them, the finished coating may be dull and ugly.
Hi Ching, If you are worried about appearance and will NOT be storing these in the refrigerator, then you can temper the chocolate. My full tempering tutorial is in Sally’s Candy Addiction if you have a copy.
Hey Sally, these cake pops were delicious, but vanilla frosting + white chocolate is just a little too sweet for us. Could I try using cream cheese frosting instead of vanilla, or would it lead to an undesirable texture?
Hi Amanda, you have a lot of options! You can use cream cheese frosting but you will need to store the cake pops in the refrigerator. Next time add an extra pinch of salt to the frosting to cut the sweetness. You can also use semi-sweet or dark chocolate for the coating. See my Chocolate Cake Pop recipe for the chocolate coating.
I made these for a baby shower and they were great. I followed the recipe to a T for the vanilla pops, while chocolate, and pink icing. I put them in the freezer for an hour and then kept in the fridge while I was dipping the pops. These are super easy to make but the dipping time took a good 2 hours and I let them dry over night. I flipped over a big metal colander and used that to put the pops in while they were drying. Would definitely use this recipe again. It was the perfect icing to cake ratio.
There’s a lot of white chocolate leftover so we dipped some pretzels in it.
These came out beautiful at first, but then all cracked, one by one. I think it was because the cake pops were so cold and the chocolate was so warm. Will try it again with the cake pops at room temperature and the chocolate less warm. The cake itself was so delicious!
Hello! I’m halving the recipe, any thoughts on bake time for the cake? Thanks!!
Amazing! Made cake pops for the first time and it was a success !! Awesome recipe! Just one question my sister thought it needed a bit more of a kick in flavor should I add more vanilla extract or would that make it too sweet ?
Thanks Rosa! You can definitely add more vanilla extract or another flavor extract you enjoy. Pure extracts aren’t sweetened.
Can i use canned frosting?
About 1 scant cup of canned frosting should be just fine.
For a wedding, can you make them without the sticks? If so how do I not get a pool of chocolate at the base?
Thanks
Hi Sherry! You can definitely skip the sticks. I recommend checking out my Peanut Butter Balls post where I give many tips about dipping in chocolate (can be applied to white chocolate, too) and a video, too.
Hello,
I was wondering about defrosting from the freezer after they’ve been dipped and if you’ve had any issue with the sprinkles ‘running’? I am hoping to pre-make these for my wedding but I have frozen truffle recipes with sprinkles and the colouring ran down the item. Any experience? I’m thinking this may be a better one to do the week of the wedding instead so they maintain a constant temperature.
Thanks!
Hi Olivia! Sprinkles can bleed, but if you let them thaw outside of a container, the sprinkles aren’t as likely to bleed because nothing is trapping in the condensation. Use quality sprinkles or even naturally colored sprinkles.
Hi Sally,
I gave these a go today but it was a bit of a disaster – I left the rolled balls in the fridge for 2 hours and they were nice and cold when I took them out, I used pure white chocolate and added the vegetable oil (melted over a bain marie) but I found that the chocolate was still too thick for the balls which made them heavy so they either fell off the stick or slid off after a while. I’m also not sure if maybe my cake was undercooked (stick came out clean when I tested after 35 mins) but was still quite moist when I crumbled it, so perhaps the buttercream was too much? Also, I measured everything out based on the cups (except the butter) but the weights in grams comes out very different to what you state in the recipe (I usually work in Grams) so just an FYI. Anyway, any advice would be great as I’m hoping to make these for my cousins wedding! Thanks! xx
Hi Francesca! It sounds like the cake balls were simply too moist and that there may not have been enough oil to thin out the white chocolate coating. Both are easy fixes– try adding the frosting only a little at a time until the mixture comes together. A little more oil in the white chocolate will thin it out so it’s much easier to work with when coating. I hope this helps!
Hey, when I thaw the cake pops overnight in the refrigerator after freezing them, do I put them in a closed container or do I just leave them out in the open?
I usually keep them in a container to keep them protected.
Two of my friends and I made these for a class project. They turned out AMAZING! They were so delicious. I will definitely make these again.
Thank you so much. I was running behind and it got too late by the time the cake cooled down and I mixed them an put them in the fridge.
How easy would it be to turn this into a funfetti cake pop? Would you just add sprinkles into the cake batter? Or when you’re mixing the cake crumbles into the frosting?
Hi Michaeline, you can either add sprinkles to the cake batter or work them into the frosting/cake crumb mixture. Either way would work just fine.
I have made this recipe as well as the chocolate version many times now and they always turn out great! This is a tried and true recipe with all the right tips and tricks to follow to ensure a great cake pop! I have come to regard Sally’s baking addiction as one of the best on Pinterest and know that when I come across a recipe from this site that it will consistently turn out great and as expected too. Thanks for sharing this delight of a recipe!
Hi again. Sorry to keep asking questions. How do you keep the finished frozen cake pops from getting damaged when they defrost? I plan on making them completely a week before the party and would be so disappointed if they got wrecked due to something I did. Also why do you prefer chocolate over candy melts? Thank you for your help!
Hi Madison, After the cake pops are frozen, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. They won’t get damaged this way! I prefer the taste of pure white chocolate but candy melts work just as well (see recipe notes for exact melting instructions for each).
Used this recipe to make Baby Yoda cake pops for my granddaughters birthday. While I froze most of the undipped balls to use closer to her party, I was successful at creating his head and dipping in the melted chocolate without the cake pop falling apart! Thanks to your great recipe, I will be making more cake pops in the future!
Strongly considering making these for my daughters upcoming birthday, I was thinking of doing funfetti, any issues adding sprinkles to the cake batter? I’m just not sure how things would look crumbled up and if it would mesh well with the frosting. I haven’t made this before, is one cake pop per kid enough?
Hi Adriane, You can add sprinkles to the cake for funfetti cake pops! The cake pops are a fun treat, but they are only a few bites each so it’s up to you how many you wish to serve.
These look amazing! I have never made cake pops before but I am excited to try these. I will be making them for my daughter’s birthday. Have you made them gluten and dairy free before? Do you have any tips for me? Thank you!
Hi Madison, I’m glad you are excited to try these! I have not tried using gluten free flour or dairy free alternatives in this particular recipe but let me know if you try!
wanted to let you know I made the cake pops (without the sticks) for a 2nd time now. A very bit hit. My cousin who is in from Italy visiting us is taking a batch home for the rest of my cousins to taste! Can’t wait to try your lemon blueberry cake! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
These turned out perfectly! We got lots of compliments on the cake itself and the finished pops. Made the first batch a couple weeks ago for my son’s going away party into the Navy. Today I’m making the second batch for our Christmas Eve party.
Hi Sally, Just finished a batch of cake pops using candy melts. Not a fan of the candy melts taste but love the quick dry . Looking for a more tastee option. I tried mixing in food coloring but i think it reacted because candy melts thickened instantly. Will pure white chocolate dry and harden as well as melts? Will it melt on your fingers or if left out during a party? Can I add food coloring to pure white chocolate?
Hi Kay! Pure white chocolate is what I usually use. It sets and dries, so it won’t melt on people’s hands when they eat the cake pop. You can tint it with food coloring after it’s been melted.
Hi Sally!
I made these for Halloween using white chocolate for the coating. I refrigerated the cake balls as you said, but I had a problem with the coating cracking once they dried. I read this could be due to the temperature difference between the cold cake and warm coating. Do you have any tips for how to avoid cracking? Do you refrigerate the cake to help the coating dry faster? Would candy coating have the same issues?
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. They’re always a hit!
Hi Olivia, Were you using pure white chocolate and not chocolate chips? And did you melt it down with 1/2 teaspoon of oil to thin out (see recipe note #3 if using pure chocolate)? I let the coating harden at room temperature which usually takes about an hour, before placing them in the fridge for storage.
Hi! I would love to halve this recipe (I know you said they freeze wonderfully but I really don’t want to roll 40 balls because I have an injured wrist and 20 would be much better and it’s all I need for the small party that I’m making them for.) What size pan would you recommend baking the cake in if the recipe is cut in half? Many things in advance for your response, I love your recipes so much! Every one of them has been an absolute winner!
Hi Amy! Happy to help. An 8 inch pan– regular cake pan, not a springform pan– should be large enough.