Description
These Birthday Cake Pops are a fun and easy treat perfect for parties and celebrations. Made with moist yellow cake mixed with creamy homemade frosting, dipped in white or milk chocolate, and decorated with colorful sprinkles, they offer a delightful bite-sized dessert that’s both visually appealing and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Decoration & Coating
- 6 ounces white chocolate candy melts
- 6 ounces milk chocolate candy melts
- Assorted sprinkles
- Lollipop sticks
- Styrofoam block for display
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan to prevent sticking.
- Mix Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Cake: Allow the cake to cool completely within the pan before moving on to frosting.
- Make Buttercream Frosting: Beat the softened butter until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add Powdered Sugar: Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure smoothness.
- Incorporate Milk and Vanilla: Add milk and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture, beating until smooth and creamy. Adjust consistency with more milk or powdered sugar as needed.
- Add Salt: Stir in a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
- Crumble the Cake: Break the cooled cake into a large bowl, crumbling it finely.
- Combine Cake with Frosting: Add the frosting to the crumbled cake and mix thoroughly until evenly combined. If mixture feels too dry, add a tablespoon of milk at a time.
- Chill Mixture: Refrigerate the cake and frosting mixture for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
- Form Cake Balls: Roll the chilled mixture into 1-inch balls using a cookie scoop or hands, placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Freeze Cake Balls: Freeze the cake balls for at least 30 minutes to firm up for dipping.
- Melt White Chocolate: Melt the white chocolate candy melts according to package directions until smooth.
- Insert Lollipop Sticks: Insert a lollipop stick halfway into each frozen cake ball carefully to avoid breaking.
- Dip in White Chocolate: Dip each cake pop into melted white chocolate, tapping off any excess coating.
- Add Sprinkles: Immediately sprinkle with assorted sprinkles before the chocolate sets.
- Set Coating: Place dipped cake pops on parchment paper and allow the chocolate coating to set for about 30 minutes.
- Repeat with Milk Chocolate: Optionally, repeat the dipping and decorating steps using melted milk chocolate candy melts with different sprinkles.
- Display: Insert finished cake pops into a Styrofoam block for easy display and serving. Optionally, add decorative ribbons or papers around the sticks for extra flair.
Notes
- You can customize the cake flavor by using other boxed cake mixes if desired.
- Chilling the cake mixture before rolling helps prevent sticking and makes shaping easier.
- Freezing the cake balls before dipping prevents them from falling apart in the melted chocolate.
- Use a Styrofoam block or a similar foam base to hold the cake pops upright while the coating sets.
- Experiment with different chocolate colors and sprinkles to match party themes.
