How To Make Cake Pops Out Of Little Debbie Cakes

Cake pops are a party on a stick! Here’s how to make the best, most fun-tastic cake pops, with all the tips you need for success.

Claudia is the Community Manager for Simply Recipes and has contributed numerous articles focused on cooking on a budget, quick and easy meals, and kid-friendly foods.

There’s just something about cake that brings out your inner child and makes you grin from ear to ear. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about! But the common question seems to be: do you prefer chocolate or vanilla? And I say, “NEITHER. I’m a CAKE POP kind of gal!”

The Do's And Don'ts Of Making Cake Pops

If you’ve had cake pops before, then you know why they’re a tried-and-true favorite. Once you’ve tried them, you’ll see why these little gems of joy need to be at every celebratory occasion under the sun! I’m going to walk you through making them step-by-step.

Cake pops are a soft and sweet mixture of crumbled cake and frosting. You roll that mixture into a ball, then dip it in chocolate and add sprinkles! 

You’re probably wondering why you’d go to so much effort to make them when you could just bake a cake and still have the same ingredients, but I’m here to tell you that something magical happens in the process of actually incorporating the frosting INTO the cake. 

Easy Eggless Homemade Cake Pops

It changes the texture and becomes ultra-fudgy and dense. Once the pops are dipped in chocolate, it truly is a treat to sink your teeth into! The crack of the chocolate followed by the chewiness of the cake pop is an experience you won’t forget.

I have been making cake pops for over 12 years and have found that using a boxed cake mix and homemade frosting is the best combination. When I first started out, I used canned frosting, and didn’t like the way it incorporated with the cake. It was too mushy, and that’s not what we want! 

If I’m feeling extremely ambitious, I’ll make both the cake and the frosting from scratch. If I’m short on time, I’ll turn to the boxed cake mix. I promise your cake pops will turn out beautiful either way, but I will ALWAYS take the extra few minutes to make frosting from scratch. It truly can’t be beat. 

Easy Cake Pop Recipe

Make accidents into cake pops! There have been times when I’ve made cupcakes that have come out extremely misshapen or baked a cake that cracked, but instead of feeling discouraged, I simply use them to make cake pops.

When adding frosting to the cake pop filling, less is more. There have been times when I’ve added too much frosting and they stick to my hands when rolling the pops out, and then they’re too soft to dip in chocolate. 

Start with 1/4 cup of frosting, and then mix it into the crumbled cake in 1/4-cup increments. I’ve never had to use more than 1 cup, which means you’ll have leftover frosting! Put it in the fridge for your next cake pop adventure or use it on cookies or cupcakes. Or simply grab a spoon and dig in after you’ve had a really stressful day. I promise I won’t tell anyone. 

Lemon Drop Cake Pops Recipe

If you’d like to color the frosting or the cake, I recommend using gel food coloring. Wilton is my go-to brand because I can find it almost anywhere! Insert a clean toothpick into the coloring and then drag it through the cake batter or frosting. If you need more coloring, repeat the process, but use a clean toothpick each time!

Cake pops aren’t something you can whip up last minute, but you can break down the process and make them ahead of time. I usually make the cake and frosting, mix it all together, and the next day (or a few days down the road) I’ll do the assembly part. If the cake pop batter is in the fridge, you can leave it there (covered, of course) for about 1 week. 

I don’t recommend making the pops completely and then freezing. The chocolate wouldn’t thaw very well, and you’d have a mess on your hands. If you’d like to make the cake pops without the chocolate, you can freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, pull them out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature, then begin the chocolate dipping process (in method Step 8).

The Best Chocolate Cake Pops

You'll need 1 box of cake mix, along with ingredients listed on the package. Ingredients and amounts may vary depending on the brand of cake mix.

Use candy melt circles for your chocolate coating. I used Ghirardelli in this recipe, but have used Wilton, and even bulk candy melts. Using regular chocolate will cause the cake pops to melt in your hands.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Easy Ways To Make Cake Pops Without A Mold

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.Easy 3 ingredient funfetti cake pops using a box of cake mix and covered in a sweet white chocolate coating. Cake pops are exactly what they sound like – a cross between a cake batter and a lollipop!

Contrary to popular belief, cake pops are actually incredibly easy to make! What initially got me hooked on these little lollipop cakes, was Starbucks.

Easy Cake Ball Recipe

Starbucks Cake Pops can easily be recreated at home, with only 3 ingredients. The secret is making cake pops with regular cake mix.

If you love Starbucks like me, but don’t love the price tag, you need to try my Starbucks Spinach Feta Wraps and my Starbucks Bacon And Gruyere Egg Bites.

I remember the first time I made these I was so nervous. I went on a hunt for a cookie scoop, icing sugar, flour, butter, vanilla extract, baking powder, and chocolate chips all at different grocery stores.

How To Make Cake Pops Without Sticks (with Pictures)

The next time I made them I saved myself a lot of time by buying a boxed cake mix. This is a great way to make your life more simple, and I will never go back to my first attempt method.

The inside of the cakes pops is a combination of cake mixed with frosting, which gives it the gooey soft texture. The cake pop frosting is simply melted chocolate wafers. Add sprinkles if you wish, and you’ve got yourself the best cake pop recipe!

I’m going to show you two ways on how to make cake pops. Or as some may like to call it, lollipop cakes.

Beki Cook's Cake Blog: How To Make Cake Pops

The first is by using a standard cake mix or leftover cake and mixing it in with enough frosting. Then chilling the dough to make cold cake balls, and sticking them into cake pop sticks or popsicle sticks.

Once you have your cake pop ball, you then dip it into melted candy. You will get rid of excess chocolate and allow it to solidify before eating.

The other way to make them is by using cake pop molds. This is where you would add the cake pop batter to a round pan and it would form the cake into donut holes.

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Pops

Beat cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a bowl. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish or two 8×8-inch round cake dishes and bake in a 350 degree F oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool completely, then crumble it with a fork in a large bowl or in the baking dish. Stir the frosting into the crumbled cake, cover, and freeze until chilled.

It’s easier to roll the cake & frosting mixture into perfectly round balls if it’s cold. The cake & frosting mixture is super moist, and at room temperature it makes it extremely difficult to shape them perfectly.

Christmas Cake Pops (how To Without Cake Pop Baking Pan)

Once they have been frozen, I give them another little roll to smooth out the sides. Then place on a baking sheet.

Melt candy melts in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip each lollipop stick into the white chocolate, then stick into one of the cake pop balls.

Gently dip the balls into the melted chocolate or spoon the chocolate onto balls and twirl to coat. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.

How To Make Cake Pops At Home

The best way to allow the coating to dry and set– without ruining the perfectly round cake pop– is to place them upright in a styrofoam