Originally published on July 11, 2023
Recently, my daughter went to Starbucks and bought my almost 2-year-old granddaughter one of their cake pops. As she gave it to her, she told her it was a special treat. Well, kids and elephants have one thing in common—they never forget! The next trip to Starbucks, my granddaughter immediately asked for a “special treat.”
I’d long seen recipes for cake pops but never had any reason to make them. I definitely wasn’t interested in any of the recipes that called for a cake mix and instant frosting—ugh. Now that my granddaughter considered them special treats, it was time to try my hand at it.
After a little searching, I found this recipe which called for a homemade cake and frosting. It was definitely a culinary home run! Since I’ve never had a cake pop from Starbucks myself, I can’t make a comparison—but what I can tell you is these cake pops are like eating the most decadent fudgy truffle on a stick you’ve ever had. 🙂 It’s a good thing the recipe makes 36 cake pops because my husband would have eaten most of them before my granddaughter visited. And I would have helped him do it!
Now, the cake pops are reasonably easy to make—but, having said that, there are many time-consuming steps involved. It’s definitely a labor of love, but who doesn’t love their grandchildren?
Chocolate Cake Pops
Ingredients for the Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup very hot water (must be steaming hot!)
Ingredients for the Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbl. heavy cream
Assembly
- 15 oz. chocolate or white chocolate melting wafers (I used Wilton’s Candy Melts)
- Sprinkles or Oreo cookie crumbs for decorating optional
Recommended Equipment
- 1 1/2-tbl. cookie scoop
- 3 empty cardboard egg cartons
- Skewer to make holes in egg cartons
- Lollipop sticks
Directions for Cake
Preheat oven to 350o F and prepare one 8” round cake pan by lightly greasing with baking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
Add melted butter and stir until combined.
Add egg and egg yolk and stir well. Be sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl periodically.
With mixer on low speed, add vanilla and then buttermilk, stirring until combined.
Add hot water, stirring until ingredients are well-combined and smooth. Batter will be thin.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on 350o F for 30 to 35 minutes (took 36 minutes in my oven) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in pan before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling. Meanwhile, prepare frosting.
Directions for Frosting
Place butter, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and then cocoa powder until completely combined.
Slowly stir in heavy cream until frosting is smooth and creamy. Increase speed to medium/high and beat for 30 seconds.
Assembly
Once cake has cooled completely, use your hands to crumble the cake into a large bowl (don’t mash the cake, just break it into pebble-sized pieces).
Add frosting and use mixer on low speed to stir together until mixture is mostly combined. It will be smooth and not “piecey.” If you pinch the dough together between thumb and forefinger, it should hold together.
Scoop dough by level 1 1/2 tablespoons and roll between your palms to make a smooth ball. Place on wax-paper lined baking sheet, not letting the cake pops touch, and repeat until you have rolled all the dough. I was able to form 36 balls. Transfer to freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. Do not freeze longer than 30 minutes as this may cause the chocolate coating to crack.
When cake pops have nearly finished chilling, prepare chocolate by melting according to package directions (I like to pour the chocolate into a 1-cup measuring cup or coffee mug for dipping) and portion out any sprinkles you’d like to use.
Flip three cardboard egg cartons upside-down and use a skewer to pierce a hole in the center of each cup. Make sure lollipop (cake pop) sticks will fit snugly in the hole.
Remove cake balls from freezer.* Take one lollipop stick and dip the very end in chocolate, then insert halfway into the cake pop.
*Depending on how warm your kitchen is and how fast you work, you may need to remove the cake balls several at a time rather than all of them at once. I found that my cake balls softened up fairly quickly.
Turn the cake pop upside down and dip gently into the chocolate, covering the entire surface of the cake. Allow excess chocolate to drip back into the cup then insert the stick into your holder. Immediately add sprinkles/cookie crumbs if using.
Repeat until all cake pops have been dipped. Allow chocolate to harden before removing and enjoying or storing.
Fran’s Notes
Store your chocolate cake pops in an airtight container either in the fridge or at room temperature. They’ll last longer in the fridge—up to 10 days. They can sit at room temperature for about three days. You can also freeze them.
Source: A recipe from Sugar Spun Run
