How To Make Chocolate And Vanilla Cake Pops

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.

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.

Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Pops

So anyway! I first began making homemade cake pops when I wroteSally’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:

The Best Cake Pop Recipe

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!

(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.)

The Easiest Halloween Cake Pops

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.

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.

Easy And Fun Homemade Cake Pop Recipe

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 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.

Cake Pops Recipe

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.

Sally McKenney is a professional food photographer, cookbook author, and baker. Her kitchen-tested recipes and thorough step-by-step tutorials give readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally has been featured onBrighten your day with these fun and festive homemade cake pops! Made completely from scratch, these vanilla and chocolate cake pops are an absolute treat! From baking to rolling and topping I am walking you through everything you need to know about making the perfect cake pop.

These were all the Internet rage about a decade ago, with special machines and molds popping up at Target, and Starbucks sells a gazillion of them every day, so I think people are still in love with these little cake-and-frosting-balls-on-a-stick. Truly, what’s not to love? You get a combination of cake and frosting, rolled into a ball, covered in a chocolate-flavored coating, and it’s easy to eat since you hold it on a stick!

Cake Pop Bites Dairy, Egg, & Nut Free + Easy Tips

I’m going to take you through the ins and outs of how to go about making cake pops completely from scratch, using homemade cake and homemade frosting, and then how to assemble these for picture-perfect cake pops. While none of the components are inherently hard, they do take a bit of time to form into balls, chill, and do all of that dipping! If you are short on time you can go the route of boxed cake and canned frosting but I think the from-scratch cake and frosting tastes a million times better.

If you want to add a little crunch to your cake pop you can always toss some mix-ins into the frosting cake mixture before rolling into balls. Some fun mix-ins to try include:

This is where cake pops can go from delicious to fun and festive! From cake and frosting combos to mix-in and topping options there are unlimited possibilities for your cake pop creations!

Vanilla Cake Pops Starbucks Copycat (video)

These are such a fun addition to any party or celebration. Switch up the cake and frosting flavors (red velvet and cream cheese for Valentine’s Day, for instance!), use different colors for the candy melts, and you can go all out for whatever you want to celebrate… some ideas:

Delicious, made from scratch, cake pops have never been easier! Homemade cake mixed with sweet frosting is rolled and dipped into your favorite chocolate coating and sprinkled with delicious toppings. These fun and festive treats are an absolute delight!

If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe!❤️️

Cake Pops (healthy + Easy No Bake)

Calories: 103 kcal , Carbohydrates: 12 g , Fat: 5 g , Saturated Fat: 4 g , Cholesterol: 13 mg , Sodium: 25 mg , Potassium: 23 mg , Sugar: 9 g , Vitamin A: 90 IU , Calcium: 12 mg , Iron: 0.2 mgThis easy homemade cake pop recipe is covered in a sweet chocolate coating with a delicious crumb. The perfect bite-sized party treat or favor for any occasion!

This recipe reminds meof my sugar cookie truffles, but with a delicious cake base similar to my cake balls instead. Moist and crumbly cake is mixed with rich buttercream frosting, then dipped in a sweet chocolate coating. Not only do these cake pops taste incredible, but they look amazing too!

There’s just something about eating a decorative, bite-sized dessert on a stick that is so fun. My kids love these! These homemade cake pops are the perfect treat for birthdays, baby showers, wedding showers, holidays or when hosting a dinner party. You can even wrap them up individually and give them to guests as party favors!

Gluten Free Cake Pops

This recipe is perfect for beginners, with an easy step by step tutorial included. It’s a great way to use up any leftover cake and frosting. I love the classic white cake + buttercream combo, but there are so many other yummy variations you can make too. They are so fun to decorate and can be served at literally any occasion!

I used white cake for this recipe, but you