How to Make Cake Pops: 30 Tips and Tricks

30 Tips and Tricks on How to Make Cake Pops

How to Make Cake Pops

Happy Thursday! Today is Day #4 of the Craftaholics Anonymous 3rd Birthday Party. And as you know, every birthday party has cake, right? Well this one does too….in the form of cake pops! Here are some amazing Tips and Tricks for How to Make Cake Pops. I used lots of these tips when I made my first set of cake pops. {more on that in a minute}

*adapted from this popular thread on Craftaholics Anonymous Facebook page when I asked you how to make cake pops!

How to Make Cake Pops

1. “Buy un-glazed donut holes at your local donut shop and use those for the cake :)” – Emily M.
2. “I buy the lollipop sticks at Wal-Mart or any craft place should have them.” – Jodi M.
3.Freeze the pops for AT LEAST an hour before dipping in your coating. That will help keep the  from falling apart.” – Meg R.
4. “You can get the sticks at Walmart in their cake aisle. My friend makes cake pops all the time and here is what she does: bake a cake following the recipe, let it cool, crumble it and add frosting til it’s a sticky consistency (i used 3/4 a container). Form balls, add sticks and freeze. After they are good and cold, maybe even frozen, dip them. They stay together so much better when frozen.” – Andrea F.
5. “Don’t dip them, spoon the coating over them.” – Rebecca O.

6. “I get my sticks at either Michaels or Joanns, and don’t forget to use a 40% off coupon.” – Shelly T.

Cake Pops

cake pops
These are my first ever cake pops! They are funfetti cake, made from a mix, with about 1/2 cup handmade cream cheese frosting mixed with the crumbed cake. {my tip: only use the inside of the cake, no edges or dried out pieces} I rolled the cake/frosting mixture into balls {I used a cookie scoop to measure out the cake mixture}.  Added some shortening to pink candy melts, then dipped the stick in the candy melt and then stuck in each ball. I used a styrofoam block to keep the balls upright in the freezer for about 20 mins. Then I added more shortening to the candy melts and dipped the balls. As you can see, I really stink at dipping!! hehe They were really fun to make and tasted fantastic!  I made them for my friend, Jen’s baby shower.      {PS that is the very first photo i have edited in photoshop. woop!}

7. “It’s funny you should ask how to make cake pops- I tried them for the first time this past weekend. Don’t use just any chocolate to dip them- the colored discs worked well for me. My problem was I couldn’t get the coating “perfect” enough.” – Bear Rabbit Bear
8.Mix a little bit of shorting in the chocolate your using for frosting to help thin it out and coat better. Also use those chocolate wafers that are for melting. You can find them at any craft store {I’ve found them at JoAnn’s and Hobby Lobby}, the sticks can be found there too. Freeze the balls before dipping and don’t mix too much frosting with the cake when making them, if they get too moist, they’ll fall apart.” – Amber L.
9. “You can find the sticks at Hobby Lobby or any craft store. My only suggestions are to make sure to freeze your cake pops after you mold them before you dip them and stick one end of your stick into your melted coating and place in your cake ball then freeze for a bit. That way they won’t fall off the stick while you are dipping them. Good Luck!” – Casey E.
10. “Dip the stick in melted chocolate before putting it in the cake ball…it helps it stay on the stick better.” – Cindy R.
11. “A C Moore or any craft store sells those lolli pop sticks and the pops themselves are VERY easy! Good luck” – Brittany G.
12. “Dip the stick before putting into the cake. Freeze between steps…it helps keep the shape. I actually only use half a container of frosting, don’t want it too moist.” – Kate B.
13. “I know it’s the cheat way… but I bought the “bake pop” kit at BB&B. I love the size of them and how easy they are to make! You can get the sticks at Joann, Michael’s or any craft store that sells cake and candy making goodies.” – Cecily O.
14.Get a diorama styrofoam kit from Wal-Mart cause it’s crazy cheap and you get five of them, use that to hold the pops. I also thin out the chocolate with Crisco if it’s too thick. Don’t freeze the pops – leave them in the fridge and work in batches of 5-10 at a time. When you dip the ball into the chocolate don’t dip it in and out cause it will loosen the ball from the lollipop stick. Also – and this is my last tip :) if you have a small table top fan, it helps to dry the chocolate faster.” – Cupcake Wishes and Birthday Dreams

15.“I use almond bark and a little crisco to make my chocolate runny. Plus the crisco makes it shine a little. All my friends love my cake balls/pops more than any other gourmet pops they’ve tried.” – Jessica C.
16. “My first attempt I cheated since it was for a special occasion – I used marshmallows, stuck them on a stick, froze them and them dipped them in melting chocolate – they turned out wonderful!”
17. “Michael’s, Joann’s, and Walmart are good for sticks. The first two allow coupons! I prefer the cake pops that are made with crumbled cakes and frosting!! They just have a taste and texture that is all melty! Also if you use a colander to dry them or card board with holes made in it with a screwdriver or pencil.” – Sarajane L.
18. “If you have a dollar tree, you can score I think like 250 pop sticks for $1.00 :)” – Terri F.
19. “If you follow Andrea’s idea I would suggest drying out the crumbs first otherwise you get them too moist and then the moisture might leak out of any teeny tiny holes in the coating. I speak from experience with that. You can dry them on a cookie sheet in a low temp oven, stirring occasionally to expose the moist stuff on bottom.” – Linda F.

Tips and Tricks for Cake Pops on Craftaholics Anonymous
image from Bakerella {as you can see, she’s got mad dipping skills!}

20. “To keep your melting chocolate at an even temperature, you can line the bottom of a bowl with a heating pad set on medium-high and place the melted chocolate in another bowl over it. It keeps the chocolate at the perfect temperature!” – Skye M.
21. “Check out the video on cakebot.com about cake pops. It is a great video and it made my cake pops turn out awesome. I use cookie frosting in the tubes from Walmart to decorate the pops once they are dry. Working in small batches once the sticks and balls are cold helps immensely.” – Suzanne D.
22. “I used Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts. The best were the glazed chocolate ones. Their glaze is different from Krispy Kreme (those did not work well at all). Watch a couple youtube videos for tips and tricks; the 15 to 20 minutes you spend watching some videos will be worth it in the end. Also, don’t wait until the event to do them the first time. Try it once or twice to really see what you are getting yourself into.” – Lisa C.
23. “I like the Bakerella site. There are a ton of ideas on there. Her book is awesome as well. When I make them I use my favorite chocolate cake recipe. I use my food processor to make the cake fine, much faster than by hand. I use a standard cream cheese frosting to mold with. I use candy melts to dip them in because I can get the color I want. Make sure there are no holes in the melts or else the cake will try to ‘escape’ from the inside. Not pretty.” – Bobbie M.
24. “Instead of worrying that the chocolate dip doesn’t look perfect, just melt some different color chocolate in one of those squeeze bottles and “artistically drizzle” all over the pops. I got 2 small Wilton bottles that are very squeezable that I can dip in hot water or microwave. Most people will never notice that the base layer isn’t perfect. Cause, hey, it’s chocolate!!!” – Stacy G.
25. “I REFUSE to use Wilton’s chocolate that you buy at Walmart, Michaels, Joanns, or Hobby Lobby. First I thought it was me, but my friend is a pastry chef and she came over to help me and she said that she can never get it to work either. It doesn’t ever get liquid-y enough and it the cake pops don’t turn out too pretty. It’s a little tougher, but I suggest using real chocolate. You will need a candy thermometer though. I can’t think of the brand I used but it started with a “G” and I believe I bought it at Sam’s. Also.. leave yourself a while to make them… it takes a good day! ; ) Oh, not sure if this was mentioned, but if you are dying your chocolate make sure you don’t buy water based dye… water thickens the chocolate! < learned that the hard way!” – Cherished Bliss
26. “I make them for a living. Use only 1/2 a container of frosting and refrigerate before forming. Dip sticks in chocolate then halfway through each ball, then freeze till the chocolate hardens. Dip in melted chocolate discs and sway the stick back and forth over bowl to get excess chocolate off and make a smooth ball. Freeze upward so the top isn’t flat. Let sit out until shell hardens then freeze until cold; this prevents the shell from cracking. Don’t freeze to long or the cake inside will sweat and break the shell.” – Kayla K.
27. “The Wilton’s chocolate discs. I found that if you melt them on the stove top until they are consistency you want and then shut off the heat they stay at a good consistency if you leave them on the heat. Also: AVOID water at all costs. Even the tiniest drop will make your chocolate seize into a big glob. I learned from my mistakes.” – Jennifer G.
28.I use almond bark instead of the discs. I get it at Walmart in the baking aisle. I have used Carmel frosting with a Cinnabon cake mix and chocolate coating.” – Allie C.
29. “Use a floral foam block to allow dip to set. I plan to do more in the future, so my husband drilled some holes in a wooden block large enough for the lollipop sticks to stand on its own. This way the floral foam block doesn’t start to lose its hold after being “punched” a few times.” – Joanna L.
30. “I don’t like the flavor of the bake and crumble methods. I use a Baby Cakes cake pop machine and Pillsbury batter. I pipe the batter into the wells from a Ziplock baggie then I dip my stick into candymelts (Wilton’s) stick it into my cake less than halfway. Then I stick the white stick into a small saran wrapped rectangle of styrofoam (do not poke all the way through. Freeze it for a few minutes. Then pull them out and dunk into candy melts and gently tap the excess off.” – Sarah T.

You can find the complete thread that these responses are taken from on the Craftaholics Anonymous Facebook page here. Stop by and join the active crafting community on Facebook! We are always talking crafts!

GREAT ideas on how to make cake pops! I used many of these tips and tricks when I made cake pops for the first time a couple weeks ago. One of my favorite tips was the donut hole suggestion from Emily. Think I’m going to have to try that sometime! Very clever!

happy crafting!

Linda

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Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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Comments

  1. 1

    I love this! Thank you for sharing… I’ve always wanted to make them but was never really confident on how to go about them!

    Sara

  2. 2

    Thanks for sharing Linda! These are some great tips!! I’ve made them a few times, but it’s nice to get some different ideas and see how other people deal with the same problems I’ve had.

  3. 3

    Wilton melts are workable as long as you use paramount crystals, I never have gotten shortening to work. The best candy melts are Guittard candy melts. There’s no need to add any shortening or paramount crystals to the Guittard melts.

  4. 4
    Terry

    I don’t worry about getting the “frosting” perfect. If they don’t look great, I sprinkle them with chopped nuts, coconut or colored sprinkles. It covers all imperfections!

    1. 4.1

      Thanks, Terry! I’ll have to try that next time! Thanks for stopping by!
      happy crafting,
      Linda

  5. 5
    Glenda

    Not much of a baker, but these look so yummy! Thanks for sharing!

  6. 6
    Sharon Helm

    Thanks for all the tips!! I think I will give these a try! Always wanted to, just wasn’t really sure how to make them!! :)

  7. 7
    Melanie

    freezing the cake balls after dipping can cause them to crack…experience speaking… The chocolate should be set before putting them in the refridgerator.

  8. 8

    I went to Target and bought a really small crockpot. After melting the chocolate discs in the microwave, I transfer it to the crockpot, which is kept on warm. This is when I add about 2 tablespoons of shortening. I have done hundreds this way, and it makes the process so much easier. My small crockpot holds two bags of chocolates. I make them at least 2-3 days before the party and keep them in the refrigerator. This overnight chilling is just as effective as freezing.

  9. 9

    DON’T use water or water based dyes. It will ruin the chocolate! I use a double broiler and that works the best for me, but always keep the burner on to avoid lumps, and always stir. Make sure you have enough freezer space. Some times frosting works to cover the pops but only if you use water and butter, but chocolate looks alot better.

  10. 10

    The key to the perfect coat is to work with tempered chocolate. I will keep the double boiler on a low simmer, then only scoop out a small amount to work with onto a sheet of wax paper or parchment. Work the chocolate around on the paper, like a batter fold, with a spatula until it feels thickened up. It needs to cool down a bit or it will just be a mess. Then spoon it over the ball and roll it around in the chocolate until you have a good coating. You can double coat if needed, but very carefully.
    Also, when working with any “chocolate” or melting candies – check the ingredients. If it doesn’t contain cocoa butter (which only real chocolate does) you NEED to add some shortening or it will seize up while melting and be worthless. I will add a spoonful or so per bag and that seems to do the trick. :)

  11. 11
    Jennifer

    Thank you for the tips. I thought I was going crazy because I could not get the chocolate melted right. Used melting in microwave, double boiler and a crock pot. Did not think about using shortening. Will have to try again.

  12. 12
    Bri Cintron

    Please follow my like page Bri N Dee Sweets on Facebook to see our cakepops! Thanks for the tips!