Cake pops are delicious, and easy to eat since they are bite-size treats, perfect for sharing and parties. The chewiness of the cake and the sweetness of the frosting make cake pops one of the most desirable treats in our household.
If you are looking for a new and exciting way to enjoy cake or have some cake leftovers try making it into pops or bites like these. Cake pops are an easy dessert that can be enjoyed on the go or at home with friends! This recipe is very simple and does or does not require any baking experience if you happen to have a cake already.
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Well, we have had a lot of birthdays to celebrate lately, one each month February, March, and April.
We have made a whole mess of treats including this banana loaf (made as cupcakes), these cookies, and this healthier zucchini and ginger loaf made into muffins. We had to vary things a little. Staying at home, lockdown, holidays
We certainly tried to make some healthier treats. It’s been way too long since I've made so many treats but my daughter is now hands-on and helps a lot in the kitchen so it was fun. She especially loves baking which is great because that is not my favorite but I do enjoy baking with her. Mother and daughter time.
The birthday girl loves those birthday cake pops or cake bites as I like them so we ended up making them twice.
She made some treat bags and she also added these brownies, this peach and almond cake as cupcakes, and these thumb cute little pecan delights. She arranged everything nicely with colorful ribbons and made them ready for her friends who were so sweet to pop around and drop some little pressies for her.
Since we were in a lockdown and could not have anyone around, this was a creative idea ( birthday cake pops delivery or pick up lol) and has made my teen daughter really happy. Her mum was happy too!
Who invented cake pops?
these cute little things were invented on 1st February 2008 (which remains National cake pop day) in Georgia by an amateur baker Angie Dudley and her blog was known as Bakerella. What a great idea for a truly delectable dessert!
Kids LOVE cake pops!
Kids DO love cake pops and for a good reason. They can be a fun way to make a dessert, but they're also not too different from the treats that we all grew up with. Cake pops are just like any other cake pop which is a ball of any favorite cake (or brownie) covered in frosting or chocolate ganache. Delicious hey, with or without a stick!
I have decided to take pictures of those delicious cake pops without the lollipop stick as they look so nice as cake bites or cake balls too. Kids always love those with a stick, it makes them more fun to eat.
Ingredients
For the cake
- Flour ( I have used a mix of wholemeal and white spelt flour)
- Butter ( I used organic )
- Cane sugar
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Desiccated coconut
- Coconut milk/cream
- Baking powder
- Salt
Frosting Ingredients
- unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- sugar - use a healthier alternative as a cane sugar
- heavy cream or full-fat milk
- vanilla powder or vanilla extract
Coating alternatives
You may also use candy melts or candy coating or almond bark. If using almond bark or pure white chocolate, remember to chop it up before melting.
Melt it down with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to thin the coating out slightly to make it easier to coat the little pops. Keep the coating over warm water until ready to use.
We did make the lollipops but I have left some without the sticks for pictures (just my preference). I also like to bite twice from each cake pop to enjoy it a little more. They are so heavenly.
How to make cake pops?
These are made by coating balls of cake dough in melted candy or chocolate, then dipping them into sprinkles or other toppings.
The process is pretty easy and straightforward and here are the general steps just to have an idea before you give these scrumptious cake pops a go.
We decided to leave and forget about the box cake mix and that canned frosting, for now, we are making them from scratch, right?
We will need a little time to prep everything but it will be absolutely worthwhile!
Yes, make the cake the night before, or even earlier, it will be even better.
So, here is the whole process:
1. Make a nice homemade cake- for quickness use store-bought but it will not be quite the same and won't come anywhere close to homemade
2. Make your own homemade frosting;
3. Crumble the cake into that homemade frosting (fun!);
4. Mix well together;
5. Roll the pops into nice perfect balls;
6. Dip into chocolate coating;
7. Sprinkle with some nice sprinkles;
8. EAT! (this is definitely the most Mmmmmm fun part!
Occasions to make cake pops
Make those bites for any special occasion:
- birthday party treats (birthday cake pops)
- baby shower
- bridal shower cake pops (a truly wonderful idea!)
- fun treats for a picnic
FAQs
Oh yes, absolutely! You may use cake mixes such as red velvet cake mix, chocolate cake mix, or any ones you prefer. The only difference is that they won't be 100% homemade. But, I can say only one thing. Nothing will actually taste as good as the homemade version.
Other cakes or desserts you may like to try
Gorgeous Homemade Cake Pops Recipe
Equipment
- cake tin
- glass bowl
- spatula
- Freestanding mixer
- pan
- small bowl
Ingredients
For The Coconut Cake
- 175 g spelt flour (6.17 oz)
- 150 g butter (5.3 oz) softened (at room temperature)
- 50 g desiccated coconut (1.8 oz) unsweetened
- 120 g cane sugar (4.23 oz) or regular sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 med eggs 3 small beaten lightly
- 2/3 tsp soda bicarbonate
- 2/3 tsp baking powder
- 2 tablespoon coconut milk or any milk or single cream
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla powder or 1 vanilla pod
For The Frosting
- 70 g butter (2.47 oz) unsalted - softened at room temperature
- 50 g dates sugar (1/4 cup) or any cane sugar
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Chocolate Coating
- 200 g white chocolate (7.05 oz) melted
- 200 g milk chocolate (7.05 oz) melted
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles anything you might have
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat the oven at 180°C/ 350°F. Butter two 20 cm/8in sandwich tins and line the bases with parchment paper that was cut to size, slightly overlapping and go up on the sides for about 2 cm/1 in.
- Mix the butter, sugar and the eggs together in a mixer for approximately 2 minutes at medium-high speed. Add the flour, soda bicarbonate, baking powder, vinegar or lemon juice, salt. Mix until incorporated.
- Using a silicone spatula, gently stir in the desiccated coconut and the cream. cream
- Divide the mixture between the two tins, smooth the tops and bake for approximately 25 min on a tray that was placed at a lower level so that the tins sit right at the middle of the oven level.
- When ready (golden in colour and firm in the middle), take out, loosen the edges of the two tins and allow to cool for a good 5 minutes.
- Take out on a cooling wire rack. Take off the parchment paper. Allow them to cool completely.
Make the frosting
- Using a freestanding mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer, into a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until nice and creamy, For approximately about 2 mins.
- Add the sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract whilst the mixer is running at low speed. Increase to high speed once everything was added and beat for 3 mins.
Make the chocolate coating
- Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl placed over boiling hot water or in the microwave.
- In a second small bowl do the exact same with the milk or dark chocolate. Set aside for when needed.
Putting the cake pops together
- Crumble the completely cooled cake into the bowl where the frosting is. Make small crumbs (no large lumps).
- Mix the frosting and the cake crumbs with the mixer on really low speed until well combined.
- Take approximately 1 Tablespoon of moist cake mixture place onto your palm and roll into a ball. Place all cake balls on a prepared lined baking sheet placed in a tray.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 20-30 min.
Coat the cake balls with the coating
- You will need to work pretty swiftly or remove only 2-3 cake balls from the refrigerator at one time to coat.
- Dip a lollipop stick about 1cm or 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert this into the center of the cake ball. You will only need to push it about halfway through the cake ball.
- Dip the cake ball into the chocolate coating until it is completely covered. The coating should cover all the way up the base of the cake ball where the lollipop stick was inserted.
- Allow excess coating to drop off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place each cake pop upright into a foam block or a little tray from the cake pop-making kit or simply a jar if you do not have any. See recipe notes for an extra tip. The cake balls must be very cold when dipping!
- Repeat with all the remaining cake balls, remember the cake balls have to be super chilled when dipping to help with setting the chocolate nicely. Decorate with sprinkles before coating sets.
Notes
- Ideally is to make the cake a day before - it will be perfectly cool, less moist and it will even get better flavour.
- Keep the cake balls refrigerated while coating and only work with a couple at a time. You may even freeze these for longer than 1 hour and then transfer them into the refrigerator.
- place them right side up in a large foam block ( you can buy online) or even a cardboard box. Simply poke really tiny holes into it. An easy and cheap option.
- You may also melt the butter for the frosting and brown it for extra divine flavour. See in here how to brown butter.
Nutrition
What is the best cake to make cake pops?
Oh, this is such a good question and the answer to this is an even better one ;-). The sky is the limit but my favourite ones are :
- Vanilla cake
- Coconut cake (this will be featured in this recipe) since its is one of our favourites
- Chocolate cake
- Red velvet cake
- Carrot cake
- Vegan Lemon cake
Cathleen says
These cake pops are beautiful!! And they were a huge hit! Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Jenny says
Love this cake pops recipe. It’s perfect for any time you are feeling festive. It’s tasty and visually pleasing.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I really needed a cake pop recipe as it was getting too expensive to buy from Starbucks for my little one. Now that I can make my own, the whole family gets to enjoy it.
Natalia says
So yummy!! Thank you for the easy instructions. We loved them and they were no leftovers. I will remake it again. Love the combination of coconut and vanilla.
Lauren Michael Harris says
the kids and I had so much fun making these cake pops. They turned out so good - they are already asking when we can make them again!
Tammy says
Love cake pops..they are so fun and festive! These are perfect to give out as well to neighbors and friends ^_^
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli says
Such pretty and delicious-looking cake pops! These would definitely be the highlight of a birthday or celebration. Thanks for sharing!