What Should Cake Pop Batter Look Like

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!

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.

How To Make Cake Pops With A Cake Pop Maker

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.

The Best Chocolate 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.

Homemade Chocolate Cake Pops

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.

Strawberry Cake Pops

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 mgThis easy to follow cake pops recipe includes helpful tips on how to prepare your cake, as well as instructions on how to properly melt our famous Candy Melts candy, to make decorating super easy!

Easy to make and fun to decorate, cake pops make great edible gifts or party favors. They’re a cinch to customize with your favorite flavors and colors and are perfect for those moments when you just need a little taste of something sweet!

How To Make Cake Pops (step By Step)

You can make cake pops with your favorite homemade cake recipe; however, there’s no shame in using a boxed cake mix here. Boxed cake mixtures produce a moist cake crumb that’s perfect for cake pops. You can also add in your favorite mix-ins to make it feel a little more “homemade” (we suggest mini chocolate chips or sprinkles for a confetti look).

-

The easiest way to make consistent, uniform cake balls is to use a measuring spoon. Depending on the size, you can get anywhere from 16 to 48 pops with one batch!

For dipping, we suggest melting wafers in a Candy Melting Pot with a little bit of EZ Thin Dipping Aid. The melting pot will help keep your candy at the right temperature and the EZ Thin will make your candy the perfect consistency for dipping.

Ghost Cake Pops

Candy Melts make it easy and fun to decorate and customize your cake pops. They’re easy to melt and can be found in a variety of colors and flavors.

For more information on how to melt, use and decorate cake pops with Candy Melts, check out our step-by-step How to Use Candy Melts for Baking and Decorating guide.

Dipped cake pops decorated with Candy Melts candy can be stored at room temperature for a week. If you used melted chocolate or white chocolate to dip or decorate your cake pops, store them in the fridge so the chocolate doesn’t melt.

Healthy Cake Pops (no Bake & No Sugar!)

Simply place your cake pops in a large reusable freezer bag. Cake pops will last in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

If you’re busy as a bee and don’t have time to make cake pops for your party – use store-bought donut holes instead! These adorable Busy Bee Donut Pops are great for baby showers or birthdays and all you need to do is dip and decorate.

Easy

Show off your pride with these Team Spirit Cake Pops. Made using two colors of cake and candy, these treats are great for any sport or school event!

Easy Cake Pop Recipe

Your mixture can be prepared a couple days in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use. You can even form the cake balls a day ahead and let them chill in the fridge for easier dipping.

If you want to prep your cake balls and freeze them, store them in a large freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Let your cake balls come to room temperature before dipping.

If your candy shell is cracking, it’s mostly due to an extreme change in temperature (cold cake balls being dipped into hot candy). This can also happen with hot candy or chocolate being put into a cold refrigerator or freezer.

Ingredient Funfetti Cake Pops (using A Box Of Cake Mix)

To avoid cracking, let your cake balls warm up to room temperature a bit before dipping in warm candy or chocolate. Once dipped, let your cake pops sit at room temperature for 5 to 7 minutes before placing in the fridge or freezer so the candy has time to cool. 

To get that nice, smooth finish, try rolling your cake ball again to smooth out the sides before inserting the stick. We also suggest using EZ Thin to thin out your candy, making it the perfect consistency for dipping and dunking.

If your cake balls are falling off your treat stick, they could be too heavy due to size or adding too much frosting.

-

Cake Pop Cake Recipe

To help ensure your cake balls stay, be sure to dip the stick in melted candy before inserting it into the cake ball. This hardened candy coating acts as a glue to hold the stick in place.

When it comes to adding frosting to your cake, you want just enough to moisten it. This is especially important to keep in mind if you’re using a boxed cake mix, which is already pretty moist. Start with a small amount and add more as needed.

Not a fan of buttercream frosting? Try using cream cheese frosting instead! Cream cheese frosting is great for red velvet cake pops, or can be used with your favorite dark chocolate cake mix.

Best Cake Pops Recipe

What are some of your favorite cake pops that you’ve made? Share a picture of them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag us @wiltoncakes.

This homemade cake pop recipe is ultra-moist and easy to make. These cake pops are a blast to decorate and even better to eat!

This simple recipe is perfect for making cake pops in all shapes and sizes. Great to use as edible favors for birthdays and other celebrations, these treats can be customized using Candy Melts candy and colorful sprinkles.

Simple Cake Pop Recipe

Since 1929, the Wilton Team of bakers has been inspiring the joy of creativity in everyone, everywhere, every day. From big milestone celebrations to simply baking in the kitchen

Homemade