Easy to make Vanilla Cake Pops recipe made with homemade Vanilla Cake. You can even make it with store bought vanilla cake, cake made with cake mix, heck with any kind of leftover cake for that matter! Roll crumbled cake into balls, these cake balls are dipped in melted chocolate and topped with sprinkles. Perfect for Birthdays, Baby Showers, Weddings or any get together!
If you are a lover of cute and dainty desserts, you will adore these! Btw who am I kidding. Of course you love them, since you are here for this recipe. 😉
They are such fun dessert. You can pretty much mold them into any shape, sizes and forms you like. From simple to intricate, the possibilities are endless.
If you are looking for Cake Pops Decorating ideas check out these Chocolate Strawberry Cake Pops, Chocolate Cake Pops, or these Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls.
These are such a versatile treat. You can make your own cake from scratch (check out my vanilla cake recipe) or you can make it using a box mix like I did for this recipe.
Same goes for the frosting. Both homemade and store bought work well.
Cake Pops Ingredients:
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. And even a beginner level baker can nail this recipe. Lets see what these are composed of-
- Cake: I have used my true and trusted Vanilla Buttermilk cake recipe to make these. More or less any flavor of cake can be used to make them. Red velvet, chocolate cake, strawberry, pistachio, you name it!
Homemade cookies, oreos and even biscoff cookies crumble can be used too instead of cake. - Frosting: Any flavor of frosting will work with these cute treats. I also love cream cheese, chocolate and strawberry frosting to make cake balls.
Even Nutella, peanut butter or cookie butter can be used too, yum! Would you like homemade or store-bought? I leave that up to you! - Chocolate: Pure white chocolate, dark or even milk chocolate tastes best here. You can sub these with candy melts too, if planning to make bigger batches.
If you notice chocolate/candy melts thickening while working, add ½-1 teaspoon of coconut oil, vegetable oil or even crisco will do the trick! - Sugar Decorations: Go for- on pareils, jimmies, confetti, sugar pearls, edible giltter. Whatever your heart desires!
Keeping lollipop sticks and a cake stand/styrofoam block handy, helps achieving cake balls perfection! Also, a cardboard box with pre-drilled holes can be used here.
If you don't care about the sticks, you can always convert them into cake balls!
How to make Cake Pops:
- Step 1: Crumble Cake- Crumble cooled cake using your hands or fork
- Step 2: Add the frosting- Add frosting in small quantities and keep mixing till the cake crumb moistens and becomes slightly sticky. You will be able to roll cake balls easily at this point.
- Step 3: Shaping the balls- ~Scoop a small amount of dough (you can also make use of a cookie scoop to get even sized balls) in your hands and roll to form cake balls.
~Chill them for a few minutes in the refrigerator. Re-roll them again quickly to smoothen them out. - Step 4: Stick Cake Balls on lollipop sticks- ~Heat candy on double boiler or in microwave (in very small increments) and dip the tip of cake pop stick with candy.
~Now quickly push this dipped tip into the center of cake ball. Attempt to reach up to ⅔-3/4 of cake ball. Allow the candy to dry. - Step 5: Dip in chocolate and decorate- ~Re-heat candy as necessary and dip balls entirely in melted chocolate. Shake excess off by tapping the stick gently on the edge of bowl/cup your candy is in.
~Quickly top with sprinkles before the candy dries out.
Pro Tip: If you have leftover frosted cake, you can easily use that for making cake balls too. Just scrape off some of the extra frosting before crumbing the cake and then crumble it.
Add more frosting as you go (if needed). you are only looking to moisten the cake. Just enough so that you can form smooth balls out of it.
If the crumbled cake has too much frosting the cake balls will have a very hard time sticking on lollipop sticks. Not a good sight!
So, as long as you get the cake to frosting ratio right in the crumbled cake, you are good!
Quick Tips and Tricks for Cake Pop Perfection:
- To avoid moist cake balls, don't add too much frosting at once. Make sure the cake balls mixture isn't too fine either. To avoid a fine crumb don't crumble cake in processors, employ your hands or forks!
- Never dip super chilled cake balls into hot chocolate or else they may can crack.
- Always allow cake balls to firm up in the fridge to help them stick to lollipop sticks and coat easily.
- After chilling, roll the balls quickly once again. This little step will make them super smooth and pretty!
- If you notice the chocolate is getting too thick to work with, reheat it using ½ teaspoon of oil to thin it out.
- At all times, avoid chocolate to get in contact with water or else the chocolate will seize.
Why are my cake pops cracking?
There can be a number of reasons for this to happen:
- If cake balls are too cold and the melted candy they are dipped in is hot.
- If there are cracks in balls, they may expand even more when dipped in chocolate. Roll the balls smoothly to avoid this.
How long do you chill cake pops before dipping?
Chill them till they are firm to touch. I'd not recommend chilling them up to a particular time. But anywhere between ½ to 1 hour should be enough. Just make sure to not over chill them, as dipping super cold cake balls will definitely crack them.
How do you thin melted chocolate for dipping??
If you find your chocolate is getting too thick add a teaspoon of oil/vegetable shortening to thin it out.
Why is my melting chocolate so thick?
There can be 2 reasons if your melted chocolate is getting thick. One can be the chocolate got overheated.
Second can be your chocolate came in contact with water. It will seize if latter is the case.
Can you use chocolate chips for dipping?
I don't recommend doing so. Chocolate chips are not made to be melted.
How do you transport cake pops?
Stick them on styrofoam block and they can be transported in cardboard boxes. Freeze them for a few hours prior to transporting to make sure they reach safe.
Use coolers if you are planning to transport them long distance!
More Mini Desserts you'll love:
If you liked this recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!
Recipe
Vanilla Cake Pop Recipe
Equipment
- 24 Cake Pop/Lollipop Sticks
- 1 Cake Pop Stand (or styrofoam)
Ingredients
- 1 Batch Homemade Vanilla Cake (or 1 box cake mix, prepared according to package instructions and cooled)
- ½ Cup Homemade Vanilla Frosting (Reduce this frosting recipe to half) (Store bought can be used too)
- 2 Cups White Chocolate or Candy Melts
- ½ Cup Sprinkles
Instructions
- Crumble cake in a large mixing bowl and add vanilla frosting to it. Mix it all well using a fork or with your hands.
- Form 24 balls with this cake mixture and allow them to chill until firm to touch. Take them out of refrigerator and roll them again quickly one more time to smoothen them out.
- Melt white chocolate using double boiler or in microwave (in very small increments 10-15 seconds). Add a teaspoon of oil to thin it out if necessary! Dip the tip of lollipop sticks in melted chocolate and press it in the center of cake ball.
- Then dip the ball in melted chocolate and immediately top with sprinkles. Allow to set on Styrofoam/cake pop stand until ready to serve.
- Repeat the step above until all the cakepops are formed. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store them in refrigerator at all times until ready to be served. These can stand room temperature for a few hours if it is not hot outside.
- To freeze cake balls for later use I suggest freeze them uncoated. Thaw cake balls completely for a few hours/overnight in refrigerator and then coat them in melted chocolate.
- Never dip super chilled cake balls into hot chocolate or else they can crack.
- Always allow cake balls to firm up in the fridge to help them stick to lollipop sticks and coat easily.
- After chilling, roll the balls quickly once again. This little step will make them super smooth and pretty!
- If you notice the chocolate is getting too thick to work with, reheat it using ½ teaspoon of oil to thin it out.
Jen
Your cake pops came out beautiful! I appreciate all the tips in the post. I think mine turned out pretty good for my first time.
Elizabeth
Thank you for the great tips for making beautiful cake pops. It would be fun to experiment with different dyes for the chocolate!
Vanessa
What a fun dessert! Can't wait to make them for a bake sale - I know they will be a hit with the kids!
Kathryn
We LOVE cake pops!! These cake pops were so easy and beautiful to make. They were fun to bake and decorate so I'll be making these again with my daughter.
Mosaic Artwork
yummmm!!! I never thought i would be one day baking cake pops!!!! I can't wait to try to make these delicious cakes over the weekend.
Joanna
These cake pops are so cute! I never thought that you could make them at home, they always seem like a luxury confectionery shop dessert.
Hollie
Wow these cake pops look so good! I've never made them before but had my fair share. I actually never knew they were so simple!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
We love cake pops. I've made hundreds of them over the years. They look and taste great. Love the ones you made. they're really pretty.
Natalia
Oh wow! These cake pops look like pieces of art! Can't wait to try this recipe out! 🙂
Michelle
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing! I can't wait to try it soon!
Jennie
My kids love eating cake pops, but we’ve never made them. Will have to give these a try!
Tara Pittman
My boys love cake pops. I think I will let them make this one for dessert.
Amber Myers
Oh yum, these look amazing! I will have to make the with my kids!