How To Make Cake Pops With Cream Cheese Frosting

Learn how to roll and dip cake pops with this easy-to-master cake pop recipe! These eye-catching portable treats are perfect for birthday parties, showers, and more.

I can’t think of a more fun or whimsical dessert than a cake pop! These handheld treats are decadent, sweet, & easy to personalize.

Learn how to make cake pops with my simple no-fail tutorial! I have plenty of tips to prevent a messy, dismal disaster.

Red Velvet Cake Pops ⋆ Real Housemoms

It’s important to chill the cake pops before you dip them. If the cake balls are warm during the dipping process they won’t hold together. Most cake pop recipes call for frosting as a binder, but too much of it can make the balls soft and greasy which makes them fall apart! The correct ratio of cake crumbs to cream cheese will result in a sturdy and dippable pop!

You can freeze uncoated cake pops, but let them sit at room temperature before you dip them. If you dip frozen cake pops into warm chocolate or candy coating, they will crack because of the temperature difference! They should be firm and cold, not frozen.

Cream cheese! It’s thicker than frosting and easier to work with. It doesn’t make the cake pops too soft or overly sweet. The flavor is on point and so is the texture!

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Temperature! If the cake pops are too cold and the coating is too hot, the cake pops will crack as they set up. The cake pops should be cold enough to stay together, but not frozen. The candy coating should be melted but not hot.

Note 1: You can make the cake however you like. You can follow the box directions, or substitute butter for oil, milk for water, etc.

Note 2: I find cake mix cake a bit on sweeter side and that’s why I prefer to use plain cream cheese to make the cake pops. We’ve tested this recipe with store-bought frosting, regular buttercream and plain cream cheese. And in blind taste testing, cream cheese won! Store-bought frosting made the cake balls way too sweet.

How To Make Cake Pops (step By Step)

Note 3: Almond bark is the best for coating cake balls, as it has the perfect consistency compared to candy melts. If using candy melts, you may add ½ teaspoon vegetable oil to thin it out. You could use white/semi-sweet/milk chocolate, but you’ll need to properly temper the chocolate for it to set properly.

Storing Tips: – Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. – Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. 

Calories: 242 kcal , Carbohydrates: 30 g , Protein: 2 g , Fat: 12 g , Saturated Fat: 7 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g , Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g , Trans Fat: 0.1 g , Cholesterol: 24 mg , Sodium: 178 mg , Potassium: 23 mg , Fiber: 0.2 g , Sugar: 22 g , Vitamin A: 89 IU , Calcium: 51 mg , Iron: 1 mg

Cake Pop Frosting & Coating

Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here! I believe anyone can cook restaurant-quality food at home! And my goal is to help you to become a confident cook with my easy-to-follow recipes with lots of tips and step-by-step photos.Want to learn how to make the perfect Cake Pops? These homemade cake balls are so easy to make, and the perfect bite-sized party treat for any occasion! These sweet treats are made with vanilla cake, frosting, and rainbow sprinkles but can be with any flavor combination.

You won’t have to buy overpriced cake pops again with this easy recipe. It only requires a handful of ingredients, and with my step-by-step photos and tips, you’ll be making cafe-worthy cake balls in no time. Decorating these bite-sized desserts is effortless and makes for a great weekend project with kids. For another kid friendly dessert idea, check out my homemade funfetti cake!

Vanilla cake — I use a box cake mix for these cake balls for convenience. However, if you have some leftovercake lying around, you can use that as well because nothing beats homemade cake. If you prefer you can use chocolate cake, red velvet cake, or strawberry cake instead.

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Frosting — you can use homemade vanilla frosting (great use for leftovers) or store-bought frosting. I prefer homemade for the flavor, but sometimes convenience wins! Of course feel free to use chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting instead.

Candy melts — once melted and dipped, candy melts will set up with the same look and texture as chocolate. It’s easier to use than chocolate, as you can skip tempering it. Careful not to scorch the melts, or they’ll harden too quickly to work with.

6. Melt candy or chocolate wafers according to the package instructions. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick in the melted chocolate and insert about halfway into a cake ball.

How To Make Gluten Free Cake Pops

7. Dip the cake ball into the chocolate. Remove and gently tap on the side of the cup to let excess coating drip off.

If you don’t have candy melts, try melting wafers (my favorite is Ghirardelli Vanilla) or melting good white chocolate or dark chocolate bars. If the chocolate is too thick, you can try stirring in 1 tbsp vegetable oil to the melted chocolate.

The main culprit of a cracked cake pop coating is due to significant temperature differences in the cake balls. If the cake balls are too cold and the melted candy melt is too hot, the coating will crack as the hot mixture will cause the cake balls to expand and then contract. To prevent this from happening, make sure the coating isn’t super hot when you dip your cake into it. Allow your coating to cool for a few minutes before dipping.

Red Velvet Cake Pops Recipe

Don’t skip dipping lollipop sticks in the frosting before inserting into the ball. This helps the sticks stay put in the balls as they harden. Not inserting the lollipop stick deep enough will cause them to fall off as well. Finally, make sure your lollipop sticks aren’t too thin, as you need a thick enough stick to hold the weight of the cake balls. My go-to lollipop sticks are pictured above.

If you’re making cake balls ahead of time, you can keep un-dipped cake balls in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After dipped and decorated, store them in an airtight sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

You can freeze uncoated and coated cake balls for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before eating.

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If you’ve tried this Cake Pops recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

Calories: 137 kcal | Carbohydrates: 20 g | Protein: 1 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 13 mg | Sodium: 115 mg | Potassium: 15 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 14 g | Vitamin A: 19 IU | Calcium: 32 mg | Iron: 1 mg