How to Make Homemade Cake Pops

I have to admit I am not a huge fan of cake pops while my clients love them. They are not on my top ten list of items I like to make usually when a client request an order,  I slightly cringe a little as something so small shouldn’t be so tedious to make, but I shake it off get focus and through trial and error.

I have finally figured out how to make these little treat a lot easier. Now as you guys already know, I am a homemade/ bake from stratch kind of girl so there will be no cake mix in my kitchen.

If you decide to use cake mix that is your ultimate choice, but the instructions are for homemade cake and frosting. In my opinion, you can definitely taste the difference making the process of baking from scratch so worth it. 

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Why cake pops weren’t initially my favorite 

The main reason as to why I hated cake pops so much in the beginning, is I didn’t have the right ratio of cake to frosting throwing my consistency off to make each cake pop the same making it challenging for each cake pop to stay on the stick. 

Some pops were so moist they would eventually fall off the stick after freezing and dipping. Another reason why I hated cake pop is I had a tendency to make them too big, thinking the bigger the better right!!

I couldn’t have been so wrong as it was nearly impossible for the cake pop to be evenly round as the crumbled cake looked more like a blobs on a stick than a sphere. 

Some people would say how hard is it really to mash up a cake, mix it with frosting, roll it into a ball, place it on a stick and then dip it into chocolate?

I’ve made enough cake pops to last me a lifetime and the amount of work that goes into it would literally surprise you. Especially if you are making them by the dozens.

My goal in this post is try to make it as easy as possible for you to make your own at home. I will share a few pointers, tips and tricks that have worked for me through out the years. 

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What is a cake pop 

According to Wikipedia a cake pop, is cake that has been crumbled up and mixed with frosting and molded or shaped into a ball or sphere and coated with chocolate. They are typically attached to a lollipop stick.

Cake pop prices can vary and typically start around $3 and can go higher in price as the designs get more intricate. Cake pops are usually individually bagged and tied and make great desserts for baby showers, birthdays and any other special occasion.

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Who made cake pops? 

A popular blogger from Georgia created the first cake pop in 2008. Angie Dudley, also know by her baker’s name Bakerella, invented the cake pop on February 1, 2008. Which has become nationally known as National Cake pop day.

The success of the cake pop has allowed this miniature treat to be sold in restaurant chains and coffee shops. It has also been featured in different magazines, books as well as on television. 

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How to make a cake pop

To get the process started I always bake my cakes a head of time about a day or so before making the pops, my preferred go to cake pop flavor is chocolate. I love making chocolate cake pops, as they hold very well when dipping.

At the end of the post I shared my recipe for chocolate cake and frosting. These recipes have been adapted from Hershey Chocolate website and are my go to recipes.

As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it and these two recipes have become stables in my kitchen.

I typically make about 24 cake pops per order, when baking the cakes I  go with two 8 inch round pans as each pan will create about 15-18 pops per pan.

This is perfect as I have extra pops left over for Rodney and the kiddies to enjoy. Although I don’t do a lot of carving you can also use cake scrapes for making cake pops as well.

If you are not ready to use your cake or cake scraped freezer them until you are ready. Be sure to thraw to room temperature when you are ready to use them. 

Here’s the breakdown: 

1. Bake and cool your cake to room temperature can be done overnight.
2. Make homemade frosting. 
3. Crumble cake into fine pieces
4. Mix crumbled cake into homemade frosting
5. Roll into ball Dip
6. Add sprinkles and decorations 
7. Pop cookie sheet with cake pops  into the freezer for 10 minutes to dry.
8. Enjoy & Eat 

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Instructions & Tips  

Use the correct size pan when making your cakes to minimize waste, I always like making a little extra.

As I always have someone around who will enjoy a good cake pop.

Remember this step can be done a day or so in advance.

Go slow when adding frosting if you add too much the cake -frosting mixture won’t adhere to the stick.

It becomes super moist and sticky. You want your mixture to look like edible play-doh.

Create your cake balls as soon as your mixture is throughly combined together. 

Measure the size of your cake mixture before rolling.

This is essential to getting a perfect size cake ball. I usually measure mines out to be about 2 oz. This size is not to big and allows for a few good bites when eating it. 

Chills balls for 25 minutes and re-roll to smooth out the sides. I’ve noticed when balls are chill they are easier to form and smooth out any cracks or creases.

To create the perfect ball remember Roll, chill and roll again. 

When rolling, I found rolling the cake pop in  between the palms of both hands makes for the roundest pop. As the heat from your hands help to create the sphere like shape.

When purchasing chocolate for dipping I found Wilton’s candy melts to be the easiest options to use.

To make the chocolate thinner, use small increments of shorting when heating up the chocolate. Be sure to mix the chocolate thoughly until it’s smooth without any  lumps.

To ensure your cake pop stays securely on the lollipop stick. Initially, dip your stick into the melted chocolate about 3/8 inches deep and then place the end of the stick containing the chocolate into the cake ball about halfway through.

Freeze for 3-5 minutes or until the cake ball is securely on the stick. 

When heating and dipping your chocolate I found using a microwaveable  liquid measuring cup such as a Pyrex is vital as it’s wide enough for dipping.

Dip your cake ball into the melted chocolate until it is completely covered. Be sure the chocolate covers the base of the lollipop stick where the cake pop initially meets the stick. 

Gently tap away any excess chocolate on the edge of the glass letting the remain chocolate fall back into the large measure cup. 

Decorate as desired using sprinkles, cookies, and drizzled chocolate.

Repeat until all cake pops are dipped and decorated. 

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Cake pops can dry in two ways:

1. Sitting on top of a cookie sheet or upright. When drying upright place cake pops onto a styrofoam pad that is easy to maneuver. If you don’t have a styrofoam pad you can always use a small box or egg carton by pre cutting tiny hole for the lollipop stick to fit.
2. Cake pops will dry within an hour at room temp. I prefer to stick mines in the freezer for about 10 minutes to have them dry faster.

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HERSHEY’S PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar 
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa 
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 cup boiling water

(recipe follows)

DIRECTION

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 

Two LAYER CAKE: Using Wilton Easy bake spary into two 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.

“PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 

2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful until our next cake adventure. Happy Caking!!