How Can You Make Cake Pops

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Have any leftover birthday cake? Or did you bake a cake and it turned out a little dry? So what do you do with

? Turn it into cake pops of course! This how to make cake pops tutorial has really easy steps to turn any cake into cake pops. Kids will love helping to make these but the best part is enjoying them as a fun treat!

How To Make Cake Pops (easy And Fool Proof)

You cake pops don’t have to be bakery-perfection. Just have fun making them and enjoy eating their soft gooey centers. They are actually really easy to do. Kids will really enjoy making them with you – especially the dipping and decorating parts.

If you want your cake pops to be round you’ll need to use some foam board to stand them up on or a cake pop mold. We don’t mind having them a little flat on the bottom as they are easier to store that way and they get eaten pretty quickly in our house! But if you want to give these as a gift, we would recommend using the cake pop mold.

The best thing about making cake pops is using leftover dry cake. If you have leftover cake from a birthday party or another event, this is a great way to turn that cake into something new! If you had a cake fail and your cake turned out too dry, then that would also be perfect to turn into cake pops. You can also bake a cake from a cake mix or from scratch to make your cake pops. Whatever cake you use, you can use a food processor to crumble the cake. If you don’t have a food processor you can also use your hands.

Make Cookie Pops From Leftover Sugar Cookies!

Your candy chocolate will have directions for melting. This is the step you really want to be careful with.  If you over-heat, then add some shortening to it. Turn your microwave setting down as low as possible and stir often in between heating. Let the heat of the candy melts continue to melt on their own before putting in the microwave again so you prevent overheating them.

Microwave for half of the recommended time on your packaging. Stir and see if the heat from the candy melts will melt the remaining chocolate. All microwaves vary in heat settings so be careful not to over-heat your candy melts or you won’t be able to dip your cake pops in them.

If you want your cake pops to be round you'll need to use some foam board to stand them up on or a cake pop mold.

How To Make Cake Pops (step By Step)

Here’s a fun summary you can pin to your Pinterest board so you’ll have this easy step-by-step reminder ready to go when you’re ready to make the cake pops!I have to admit, I had never made cake pops before but I was determined to make them for our gender reveal party. I’ve made Oreo truffles multiple times, which are somewhat similar to cake pops. Somewhat. They’re essentially the cookie version of cake pops. Basically dessert cousins. I figured, how hard could it be?

Now, I know mine aren’t 100% true cake pops– they’re basically cake balls with sticks in them, but people can still carry them around like cake pops. I mean, who wants messy hands? Anyway, I’ll tell you at the end of the post how to make them into legit cake pops with the cake portion at the top and the stick coming out the bottom.

Prepare a boxed cake mix as directed on the box. Let the cake cool completely. Wash your hands. Next, crumble the cake into fine crumbs with your hands in a large bowl. Mix in about 1/3 cup of icing (I used store bought milk chocolate) with your hands. The mixture should be dense but not gooey. Gooey cake balls gross me out. Grab a cookie scoop (I used my 1.5 T scoop, which I LOVE). (Remember, everyone needs a cookie scoop, or 3.) Then, scoop out the mixture, packing the cake mixture into the scoop as you scoop it (I smushed the open side of the cookie scoop against the inside of the bowl). Smush the mixture in your hand to pack it tightly into a ball. Roll it into a nicely shaped ball. Roll the remaining mixture into balls (my cake mix made 18 balls).

Pumpkin Cake Pops [+ Video]

Grab your Candy Melts (I purchased mine from JoAnn Fabric) and a small microwaveable dish (I used a small oatmeal bowl). Put about 5 morsels into the bowl and melt them in the microwave. Next, grab your cake pop sticks (I purchased mine from JoAnn Fabric). Dip your stick into the melted Candy Melt and quickly stick it into a cake pop at least half way down. Repeat with remaining cake pops. Then, set pops on a cookie tray. Freeze for about 15 minutes (they wouldn’t fit in my freezer so I put them in the fridge for 30 minutes– worked fine). Put your Candy Melts into a microwaveable mug (I filled mine to the top). Next, melt the Candy Melts as directed on the package. Dip the cake pop into the mug, evenly coating it. Let the coating drip off. Place the pop on cookie sheet. Finally, if using sprinkles, add immediately before coating sets. Repeat for remaining pops.

These may seem like a lot a work, but trust me, once you have it all mapped out it’s a breeze. I spent maybe an hour on these (not including baking and cooling times).

If you want your cake pops to be true cake pops, rather than cake balls with sticks in them, instead of putting them on a cookie sheet to dry, insert the stick into Styrofoam for the coating to set. I wanted mine to sit on the platter but still be pops, so that’s why I went the route I did.

Gender Reveal Cake Pops

FYI, the Candy Melt coating is really good. I used chocolate cake and you barely tell there’s dark cake underneath the coating. Just thought I’d throw that out there.

Note: Candy Melts come in a wide array of colors. But if you don’t spot a color you need, you can use gel food coloring. Do not use food coloring drops.

Step by step instructions on how to make cake pops! Learn some tricks on how to accomplish delicious and eye-catching cake pops!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.

Easy Vanilla Cake Pops Recipe With Cake Pops Maker

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!”

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 (healthy + Easy No Bake)

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. 

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.

Vanilla Cake Pops From Scratch

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. 

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.

How To Make Cake Pops With A Cake Pop Maker

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