10 Tips for Perfect

Cake Pops
FEBRUARY 3, 2014 by DUSTY ROGERS 22 Comments01
I’ve been making cake pops for baby showers and
birthday parties for the past five years, and I’ve
learned a few helpful tips and tricks along the way.
Before I dive into them I should clarify – these tips
are for hand-rolled cake pop truffles (the original
kind) on a stick, although many of these tips can
also apply to the newer kind of cake pops made with
cake pop machines and baking pan molds.

10 TIPS FOR PERFECT CAKE POPS

If you’re interested in kicking it old-school like me

and prefer to roll your cake pops by hand, the first
step is to bake a cake (9×13″), let it cool, and then
crumble it up in a large bowl. The next step is to
mix crumbled cake with a can of frosting – this
makes your truffle-like filling.

Tip #1: Don’t use too much frosting! I actually start

with about ¾ c. of frosting (or ½ a tub) and add more
as needed. I don’t think I’ve ever needed more than
1 c. of frosting (or ¾ of a can) per 9×13″ cake. The
more frosting you add the softer your batter/cake
pop filling will be. You don’t want the balls to be
too soft or they will slide around on the stick.

Tip #2: Refrigerate your bowl of batter at this point

before forming it into balls. It will firm up your
batter, making the balls easier to roll, and it will help
keep the sticks more secure. You can refrigerate for
a couple of hours, or overnight.

Next. roll your (refrigerated) batter into quarter sized

balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax
paper.

Melt chocolate coating per package directions.

Tip #3: I recommend either using the candy melt

circles (found at specialty baking stores or the
baking section of JoAnns, Michael’s, etc.) or
“CandiQuik” brand chocolate coating (in grocery
stores near the chocolate chips) for your cake pop
coating. It’s made to serve as the “shell” for a truffle
or cake pop so it sets up much nicer than almond
bark, chocolate chips, or other melted chocolate
options. The finished product also won’t melt in
your hands if you touch it like regular chocolate will.

Now it’s time to turn your cake ball into a pop by

inserting a lollipop stick into one end, about halfway
through.
Tip #4: Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of
the melted candy coating before inserting it into the
cake balls. Return cake pops to wax paper lined
cookie sheet.

TIP #4: DIP LOLLIPOP STICK INTO MELTED CANDY COATING BEFORE
INSERTING INTO CAKE BALL.

Tip #5: Wrap your cake pops on the cookie sheet up

with cling wrap and place them in the freezer for at
least an hour or two to firm them up. I recommend
doing it overnight if you have time, just to break the
overall cake pop process up.

Once firm or frozen, remove one cake pop from the

pan at a time and carefully insert the ball end into
the candy coating, holding it by the lollipop stick
end. Cover cake ball in candy coating and softly tap
and rotate cake pop until the excess chocolate drips
off. (Be careful not to tap the cake pop too hard or
the ball may fall off the stick.)
Tip #6: It is SUPER DUPER important not to get any
water in your melted chocolate – water will turn your
chocolate gross and clumpy.

Tip #7: I work with the chocolate candy coating in

small batches, melting 3-4 squares of chocolate in a
coffee mug at a time. I like to use a coffee mug
because it’s narrow and tall, so a few squares of
melted chocolate are deep enough to dip my cake
pop into. I also use a spoon to help get the
chocolate all around the cake pop (including slightly
up onto the stick) and to smooth some of the excess
chocolate off.

Tip #8: You can use the above tap and rotate
method for your chocolate coating until it cools if
you’d like a perfectly smooth cake-pop finish, but I
like to coat my cake pops with sprinkles. Not only
does it look cute, but it also hides any imperfections
in your coating so you don’t need to worry about
getting it perfectly smooth. If you’re opting to go
the sprinkle route, you need to apply the sprinkles
before the candy coating dries all the way. I tap and
rotate my cake pop initially after dipping to get the
excess chocolate off, and then I apply sprinkles
when it’s close to hardening up, continuing to rotate
the cake pop until the coating is done moving, so
the sprinkles don’t shift around or glob up in one
spot.
 SPRINKLES ALWAYS GETS THE VOTE OVER PLAIN IN OUR FAMILY!

Tip #9: Poke cake pops into a rectangular piece of

styrofoam (seen in the photo below) to dry
completely. This will prevent them from having a
flat side or the candy coating pooling up on one
side.

Tip #10: Don’t wait until the last minute to make

your cake pops – make them up ahead of time and
freeze them! I’ve been freezing cake pops for years,
and it’s such a lifesaver as it gets close to our party
date to have one less thing to worry about. I’ve
frozen cake pops for up to 3 months and they still
taste (and look) as delicious as they day I made
them. Thawing time is only a couple of minutes!
Although cake pops are time-consuming, they’re
incredibly simple to make, so don’t let this
deliciousness on a stick intimidate you. With these
10 tips you’ll be a pro in no time.

How could I forget? The most important tip: enjoy

with a smile!

TIP #11: ENJOY WITH A SMILE!