Hey, friends!
Over the last couple months, my mom, my sister and I have made so many cake pops. We’re making some for my cousin’s wedding reception and we’ve been getting in a ton of practice. This recipe is definitely more complicated compared to recipes that I usually post, but they taste so good and are definitely worth the extra work!
how to make chocolate cake pops
- Make single layer chocolate cake
- Make just enough homemade chocolate frosting
- Crumble the cake
- Mix the two together
- Form into cake balls
- Dip the cake balls in chocolate
what to do if your cake ball falls off while dipping
One thing that has caused me the most trouble with this recipe is if the cake pop falls off the stick when you’re dipping it. If this happens, just pull it out with a spoon or fork and let the cake pop set on the parchment paper. It’ll taste just as good!
Quick tip: If you want them to turn out looking nice, I’d recommend getting these plastic sticks from Walmart. You can easily wipe them off if they get chocolate on them when you’re dipping and sprinkling them.
time for the recipe!
chocolate cake pop recipe
Ingredients
chocolate frosting
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2-3 tsp heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
coating
- 32 oz candy melts or pure chocolate
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch pan (round or square) or 9-inch springform pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot water, and whisk everything together until combined. Make sure there are no pockets of dry ingredients hiding.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. This isn’t a lot of butter and it will get stuck on the sides of the bowl, so you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to really help get it creamed. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of heavy cream/milk, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until it really comes together. Add another teaspoon of milk/cream if it looks a little too thick.
- Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps. Turn the mixer on low and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
- Measure 1 scant Tablespoon of moist cake mixture and roll into a ball. Place balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.
- Melt the coating in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (best for dunking!). Use a microwave or you can use a double boiler and pour some at a time into the liquid measuring cup. Let the coating cool down for a few minutes before you begin dipping. If it’s too hot when you dip, the coating will crack.
- Coat the cake balls: Remove only 2-3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. (Keep the rest cold!) Dip a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert into the center or the cake ball. Only push it about halfway – 3/4 through the cake ball. Dip the cake ball into the coating until it is completely covered. Make sure the coating covers the base of the cake ball where it meets the lollipop stick. Very gently tap the stick against the edge of the measuring cup to allow excess coating to drop off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block or box (as explained above). Repeat with remaining cake balls, only working with some out of the refrigerator at a time. The cake balls must be very cold when dipping!
- Coating will set within an hour. Store cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
now, it’s your turn!
Have you had cake pops before? Chocolate or vanilla cake? Comment below with your answers!
So I have zero baking ability…but if I did, I would totally make them! They look so amazing and I love your photos of them!
Chocolate cake, definitely. 😁
Ooo, these look tasty! Cake pops are just so fun, and there’s so many ways to make them different and unique. Thanks for this recipe, Pearl!
pearl how did you know i’m craving cake pops so bad? 😭 i really want to try this!!!! i just wish i had some baking ability to help me out xD