How To Make Your Cake Balls Smooth

I love posting pictures on Instagram as I’m baking, like this one, and I often get asked how do I get my cake balls so smooth?

Tip 1: crumb your cake using a food processor. Don’t pack it in too tight… the pieces of cake need some room to move around. If you jam it in there too tight, the blade will just spin around and could affect the texture.

Tip 2: use frosting sparingly. I usually just “eyeball” it, but it’s equal to about 1/4 cup. If your cake dough is too wet, the cake balls won’t hold their shape and will have issues being dipped.

S'mores Cake Pops • Pint Sized Baker

Tip 3: to incorporate the frosting, use a spatula to press it down into the cake crumbs,  almost like you’re smearing it against the sides of the bowls. Press the spatula down, and while applying pressure, drag it backwards…

As you do this, the cake will form into a dough. Notice that there are no crumbs left around the side of the bowl? Because they are so fine, they are easier to absorb into the dough, and won’t cause lumps or bumps.

Tip 4: use a 1.5″ cookie scoop to evenly portion your pops. I use the same technique as if you were measuring brown sugar – packing the dough in nice and tight, then leveling off the scoop.

Pumpkin Cake Pops

After you eject the dough from the scoop, I squish it in my hands a few times, then roll – roll – roll. Ta da!

If the cake balls fall apart, then they are too dry and could use a little more frosting. Your hands should also stay clean – if they are the color of your cake, you’ve added too much frosting. Unfortunately there is no recovery if you’ve added too much frosting… that’s why it’s important to use it in small amounts.

Top the dipped cake pops with a simple drizzle or dunk them in some sprinkles… can you ever have too many sprinkles? I didn’t think so.No doubt about it, cake pops are fun. But while these bite-sized cakes on a stick can be a blast to eat, making them can turn into a not-so-fun affair, especially when those super-sweet morsels fall off the stick, crack, leak or are just plain lumpy.

Chocolate Cake Pops

We’re here to tell you there’s a fix to all sorts of cake pop fails, and it starts with a nice, smooth finish. We’ll show you how.

To guarantee the cake pops are all the same size, use an ice cream scoop to shape the cakes. After you’ve scooped them all out, roll each one between your hands to bind crumbs together until the surface is smooth. Place the balls in the refrigerator for at least an hour so they don’t fall apart during the dipping process. Or you can store them in the fridge overnight.

Once your cake pops are sufficiently chilled, take them out of the fridge and roll them between your hands again to form each one into a tighter ball. If you’re opting for hearts or other shapes, form them now — before you insert the sticks!

How To Make The Best Cake Pops (step By Step)

After you’ve shaped your pops, gently slide in the sticks and put the cake pops back in the fridge for a few more minutes while you make the coating. Take the pops out about 10 minutes before you dip them so they don’t crack or fall apart after the chocolate coating has dried.

The most important part of getting a smooth finish to cake pops is the consistency of the coating, and one of the easiest ways to guarantee this is by melting candy melts correctly.

It’s suuuuuper easy to overheat candy melts. When they get too hot, they clump (so not good) and don’t fall off the spatula easily. Keep the following in mind as you melt the melts.

Easy Sugar Cookie Cake Pops

Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate, lift up, turn and dip again until the entire surface is coated. Gently shake the excess coating from the top of the cake pop while it’s upside down.

Once you’ve shaken out the last drop of excess chocolate, turn the cake pop right side up and gently shake it while twirling between your fingers. This helps even out the coating.

Once you’re done, stick the pop on a piece of Styrofoam to dry. For a more planet-friendly option, use an egg carton turned upside down.

Starbucks Cake Pops (easy Recipe)

Once they’re finished drying, you’re ready to decorate your cake pops, which will go much easier now because your cake pops are so smooth. Have fun!