How To Make Cake Pops With Buttercream

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.

Cake Pop Dough

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:

How To Make Cake Pops

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.)

Easy 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.

How To Make Best Cake Pops Recipe For Lazy People

Another trick: To ensure the cake ball stays secure on the lollipop stick, dip about the top 1/2 inch of the stick into the coating first. Then stick into 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.

Galaxy Cake Pops

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 onThis 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!

Lemon Cake Pops Recipe (gold & Glitter!)

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!

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 can really use any flavor of box cake mix (or make your favorite recipe from scratch).

Pumpkin Cake Pops

A classic buttercream is also my favorite type of frosting for cake pops, but feel free to use others like chocolate buttercream, cream cheese frosting or strawberry buttercream.

Many ways to decorate cake pops! Add sprinkles or jimmies while the chocolate is still wet. If decorating with a chocolate drizzle, let the chocolate coating harden first, then drizzle more chocolate on top.

It’s all about the frosting! When you mix the frosting in with the cake, the mixture should hold together when squeezed. If the mixture is crumbly, that means it needs more frosting. Make sure to only add in a little at a time so that the cake doesn’t get too soggy. If you have a very moist cake, you may not need much frosting at all.

Cake Pop Cake Recipe

If the chocolate coating has cracked, it’s likely due to the difference in temperature between the cake balls and the melted coating chocolate. Don’t freeze the balls for longer than instructed, or else the super cold cake combined with the warm melted chocolate could cause cracking.

The type of chocolate you use can also contribute to whether or not the cake pops crack. Using melted chocolate chips may cause cracking, so I’d suggest using chocolate melting wafers instead. They have a thicker texture once hardened and a smooth finish, which result in a more sturdy exterior.

Sure! While I prefer homemade frosting over canned, I’ve never been one to shy away from an easier shortcut! Store-bought frosting usually comes in a 16 ounce can, so you’ll only need half (8 ounces) to make this recipe.

Spring Cake Pops

I’ve had the most success using chocolate melting wafers because of their super smooth finish (Ghirardelli melting wafers are my favorite). A high quality chocolate bar (such as Ghirardelli or Bakers) would be the next best option.

They can be! Use your favorite gluten-free cake mix or pick up a premade gluten-free cake from your local grocery or bakery. All other ingredients needed to make this recipe are free from gluten!

Yes you can freeze them, just make sure they’ve dried completely before freezing. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Let thaw at room temperature when ready to serve.

Easy Vanilla Cake Pops

You can also use 8 ounces of frosting from the store (half of a 16 ounce can) to make it easier, I just prefer the homemade buttercream.

Make sure that you’re only working with about five cake pops at a time. Leave the rest in the freezer so that they don’t