Cake Pops! Tips for Beginners

/ Jodi

chocolate-dipped-german-chocolate-cake-pops

Cake Pops!  Tips for Beginners.

I adore cake pops!

Because… really…  what could be better than a bite-sized morsel of cake dunked in chocolate?  And then maybe adorned with sprinkles?!

They are delicious and pretty and cute; but until this past weekend, I had never tried to make them.

I wanted to practice for an upcoming event or two, so I read and researched and asked around and gave them a whirl this past weekend.

white-and-gold-elegant-cookie-pops

They are really not that difficult, but there are a few tricks to success.  I thought I would provide a few tips that helped make mine turn out delicious and beautiful!  At least that is the consensus I got from the party I took them to as “practice” pops.

cake-pops-german-chocolate-before-dipping

To make cake pops, bake a cake mix – whatever you favorite flavor is.  Then follow these tips for success.

  • Freeze cake – even if overnight.  It allows you to plan ahead and also adds to the moisture of the cake.  Simply place baked  cake – crumbled, broken pieces, or all in one piece – in a large Ziploc bag in the freezer.
  • 1 boxed cake mix  makes approximately 3 dozen cake balls.
  • When ready to assemble, defrost the cake and crumble to fine crumbs with your hands in the bag.
  • Add only enough frosting (ready made works perfect) to add a bit of “glue” for forming and holding balls together.  I used 1 heaping tablespoon – that is it!  This allows your cake balls to truly taste like cake.
  • Scoop crumb mixture with a small scoop to form uniformly-sized 1 inch balls.  Then roll with your hands to round ball.
  • Melt chocolate candy melts in microwave in a deep cup that is not too wide to allow for ease of dipping.  It only takes 1 1/2 – 2 minutes.
  • Dip tips of sticks into candy melts and insert into cake balls.
  • Refrigerate or freeze for at least a half hour or several hours.
  • Remelt chocolate at 30 second intervals until desired consistency.
  • Dip cake balls on sticks into chocolate candy melts.  Allow excess to drain.
  • Place on parchment paper if using with stick up, and sprinkle with jimmies or edible glitter.
  • Stick into styrofoam if using cake ball up and decorate as desired.
  • Make ahead up to 3-5 days if needed – no more than 7 days.  (there are horror stories of moldy cake balls made too far ahead of time)
  • I found this site – Heavenly Cake Pops – to be extremely informative.

Have fun and enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

58 thoughts on “Cake Pops! Tips for Beginners”

  2. This is fantastic Jodi! Thanks so much for sharing your tips 😄 I too have never made cake pops although I’ve always wanted to. I really appreciate all your tips of success! Fabulous pictures, they all look super delicious great job!! 😄😄

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  9. Oh god, I LOVE Cake Pops. I’m not “the baker” of the household, and since Kate has the gluten thing now, sh’e not baking the things she used to…so maybe I’ll try these myself. Thanks, Jodi!

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  11. oh my goodnessgracious! perfect, my grandkids are coming for the weekend and I needed an idea for my daughter’s birthday cake, so they could assist! whooooot! solved, thank you Jodi.
    cake pops, and I’ve got the perfect gluten-free recipe for them. 😉

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  21. You make everything seem so EASY! I’m sure I’d be a Pinterest Fail on this one, lol. One question though, do you dip into the melted chocolate a second time after they come out of the freezer? I kind of did a double take on that step. Just in case, ya’ know? 😉

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  25. Thanks for these tips! I love cake pops, and your recipe is easier than the one I used. (My mom tried to make cake pops once, and she was pleased with the final product but said that it took her an hour to crumble up the cake! I have never figured out how in world it took her that long. Maybe she was using a toothpick?)

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