Pretty much any food you put on a stick is great. Candy apples, fudgesicles, and of course, cake pops. I adore cake pops because they’re bite-sized and you have endless options for decorating.

This wasn’t my first time making cake pops, and I always run into a few problems, but they turned out really yummy which I’m happy about! A big problem I ran into the first few times was making sure the ball stayed on the stick, and getting the icing to look smooth. I’ll give tips on how to do this in the directions.

Normally I’d like to make my own cake batter, but most of the work in cake pops is in the icing and they’re being mixed and coated anyways so packaged cake mix will do just fine.

Bakerella is the ultimate master of cake pops and I envy what she can do with them, you should definitely give her page a visit!

Ingredients

• 1 box cake mix, bake as directed on packaging
• 1 16 oz can of chocolate frosting
• 3 cups of candy melts (you can get these at most bulk stores or baking shops)
• 40-50 lollipop sticks
• Parchment paper
• 1/2 cup assorted sprinkles

Method

If you’re making cake pops for the first time, it can be frustrating, so come at these with patience.

Once your cake has cooled completely, crumble it up into a large bowl. Gradually mix in the can of icing with a fork (or your hands), making sure it doesn’t become too soft. You can always save some icing for later.

Roll mixture into “quarter-sized” balls, placing carefully on cookie sheet coated in wax paper.

In a deep bowl, heat up the candy melts in the microwave, for 30 seconds at a time of medium-high heat, until they are completely melted and runny.

Dip the top of each lollipop stick into the melt, and stick in the top of each cake ball, just more than halfway through to make sure it won’t fall off.

Place cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes so the cake balls and dipped lollipop sticks can solidify. This is an absolutely mandatory step because it makes coating them so much easier!

Once they’ve firmed up, you may have to re-melt the candy melts (same deal, 30 second intervals). Carefully dip each cake ball into the candy coating, covering the ball completely. Use a spoon if you need to, just make sure it’s not too bulky. Gently tap excess into bowl and wait for dripping to slow a little before taking the cake pop away.

Place cake pops either in a stand, styrofoam block or cullender turned upside down. If you want sprinkles, it’s best to have a bowl beside your dipping bowl so you can roll the pops in it directly, or just sprinkle on top for a light cover.

Let them dry completely, then show off to your friends! Once you try the recipe a few times you can experiment with different cookie cutters and styles too, but I haven’t been that brave yet!

A few of mine fell off the stick overnight, but you can still pull them off as cute little cake balls!