Learn how to make homemade cake pops completely from scratch, with no box cake mix or canned frosting. Combine homemade vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream and dip in white chocolate for a sweet treat kids (and adults, too!) always go crazy for. Watch the video tutorial for all my best shaping tips.
See my chocolate cake pops recipe, too.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a video.
Have you ever seen a child peering into the food display case at Starbucks? I’m not an expert, but I’m willing to bet that 9 times out of 10, the child will ask for a cake pop. This is definitely the case with my own kids, anyway! There’s just something so irresistible about those Starbucks cake pops—a perfectly portioned treat on a stick in eye-catching colors and shapes, topped with sprinkles. It’s hard to say no to something this tempting!
I first began making homemade cake pops when I wrote Sally’s Candy Addiction. In fact, this recipe is published in that book. I wanted to share it on my website as well because I’ve received lots of questions about making from-scratch cake pops.
One reader, Debby, commented: “Made 160 vanilla and chocolate cake pops for my daughter’s graduation party! They turned out great! Many asked where we had purchased them. They looked amazing and tasted awesome, too! Thanks, Sally, for your rolling advice, tips, and techniques. It was nice that you could prepare them ahead of time and freeze them. ★★★★★”
One reader, Luisa, commented: “My first time making cake pops and they were perfect! My kids and their friends loved them. This recipe is going to be a staple in our house for special occasions. ★★★★★”
Taste the Homemade
The difference between these cake pops and others you may have tried is that these are 100% homemade. There’s no box cake mix or canned frosting, which results in a totally unique cake pop experience. You can actually TASTE the homemade.
Today I’ll go over all my tips, tricks, and secrets to crafting the perfect pop as well as the homemade vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream used inside. There’s lots of ground to cover so let’s pop right to it. (Couldn’t help myself!)
How to Make Homemade Cake Pops
Since we’re leaving the box cake mix and canned frosting on the store shelves, we’ll need to take extra time to prep both from scratch. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Make a 1-layer vanilla cake and let cool.
- Make vanilla buttercream frosting.
- Crumble cake into frosting and mix.
- Roll the mixture into balls.
- Dip in melted chocolate.
- Top with sprinkles and let dry.
- EAT!
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the cake in advance, because it needs to cool completely before you crumble it into the frosting. I always make the cake the night before, then finish the cake pops the next day.
My recipe for vanilla cake is very straightforward. It’s basically a scaled-down version of my favorite vanilla layer cake. I encourage you to use the correct size pan for the cake. This cake is too large for a typical 9-inch cake pan. You’ll need to use a 9-inch springform pan because it rises quite high. Or you can use an 11×7-inch pan instead. A 10-inch springform pan would work as well.
Besides lollipop sticks, a mixer, and the correct size pan, you don’t really need much else to get started!
Then make the vanilla frosting. The difference between this and frosting out of a container is the TASTE; you can tell these cake pops are special and it’s because you started with from-scratch components. This frosting recipe yields *just enough* to barely moisten the cake crumbs. Any more than that and the cake pops would be greasy.
Now it’s time to crumble the cake and mix with your frosting.
(Crumbling the cake into the frosting sounds super weird when you think about it and that’s exactly what cake pops are—super weird when you think about it. It’s cake and frosting mixed together to form a truffle-like ball. Pop a stick in it and dunk into coating. Yep, it’s weirdly delicious and awesome and you need to embrace it.)
Once the two are mixed together, it’s time to roll the mixture into balls.
3 Success Tips for Shaping & Dipping Cake Pops
Success Tip #1: It’s easier to roll the cake + frosting mixture into perfectly round balls if it’s cold. So what I do is roll the balls right after the two are mixed together. They’re pretty misshapen because the cake + frosting mixture is super moist—and at room temperature. Chill the balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. After that, give them another quick roll to smooth out the sides. When they’re cold, they’re easier to smooth out and form perfectly round shapes.
Now let’s dunk! You can dip the cake balls in melted white chocolate, which is what I prefer for the best taste, but that stuff is pretty expensive. And you need a good amount for all 40 cake pops! If desired, you can use candy melts/candy coating instead.
- A 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup is the perfect depth for dipping the cake pops.
- You can used colored candy melts or tint the white chocolate with gel food coloring.
Success Tip #2: To ensure the cake ball stays secure on the lollipop stick, dip one end of the stick into the coating first (just about 1/2 inch down). Then insert the coated end into the center of the cake ball. This helps the cake ball adhere to the lollipop stick.
Success Tip #3: The best way to allow the coating to dry and set—without ruining the perfectly round cake pop—is to place them right-side-up in a large styrofoam block or even a box. I used a box, as pictured below, for this batch. I just poked little holes into it.
Easy and cheap:
If you’re topping with sprinkles (always recommended!), add them now before the chocolate sets. I used rainbow sprinkles on the white chocolate and white sprinkles on the light pink-tinted white chocolate (like Starbucks!).
Cake pops dry/set within an hour or so.
Cake Pop FAQs
Cake pops are an ideal celebration-worthy treat to make ahead of time because they freeze beautifully. I simply freeze them in a large zip-top freezer bag or freezer-safe container after they’ve fully dried. They can stay in the freezer for up to 6 weeks, then thaw them overnight in the fridge.
Tinting the coating brings a fun POP of color! I usually stick to just white + one other color. Again, you can use colored candy melts for the coating or you can tint the white chocolate with gel food coloring. Then of course you can mix up what sprinkles you use!
Check out my recipe for chocolate cake pops here. You can also switch up dunking in white or dark chocolate.
If your cake pops have some cracks on them, the melted chocolate could have been too hot. Let the melted chocolate or candy coating sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool down before dunking the cold cake balls into it. That usually helps!
Homemade Cake Pops
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 36 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 40 pops
- Category: Cake Pops
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade vanilla cake pops with vanilla buttercream from scratch—no cake mix or canned frosting! Follow my thorough instructions, tips, and video tutorial for best results.
Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk (or buttermilk)
Frosting
- 7 Tablespoons (99g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 teaspoons heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating
- 24 ounces (678g) candy melts (or white chocolate bars)*
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and milk to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Give the thick batter a quick stir with a spatula to ensure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Pour and spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30–36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top begins browning too quickly in the oven, loosely tent with a piece of aluminum foil.
- 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. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and mix on low speed to combine. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
- Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps. Turn the mixer on low speed and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
- Scoop 1 Tablespoon (about 20g) of cake/frosting mixture and roll into a ball. Place balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or freeze for 1 hour to set the shape. Re-roll the chilled cake pop balls to smooth out, if needed. Place the tray back into the fridge, as you’ll only work with a couple at a time.
- Melt the chocolate or candy melts in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (best for dunking!) in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted and smooth. You can also use a double boiler on the stove, if you prefer.
- Coat the cake balls: Remove just 2 or 3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. Dip the end of a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert the coated end into the center of the cake ball. Only push it about halfway 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 drip off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block or box (as explained in the blog post). Repeat with remaining cake balls, working with just a few 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.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: I always make the cake 1 day ahead of time. Cover and keep at room temperature. You can store the undipped cake balls in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 6 weeks. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator, then continue with step 9. You can also freeze the finished cake pops for up to 6 weeks once the coating has fully set. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Springform Pan (a 10-inch springform pan or 11×7-inch pan will work, too) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Measuring Cup | Lollipop Sticks | Americolor Food Coloring
- Coating: You can use candy coating/candy melts, or chopped white chocolate. I typically use Ghirardelli brand white chocolate melting wafers. Semi-sweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate baking bars work, too. Coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl or glass liquid measuring cup, along with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to help thin it out. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each 20 seconds, until melted and smooth. Keep warm over a double boiler.
I made these for my daughter’s baby shower, and everyone raved about them. They put Starbucks to shame! Your recipes are always perfect!
How would I go about making a chocolate chip version?
Hi Vandana, you can mix some mini chocolate chips into the batter before baking the cake, or else directly into the cake crumbles-frosting mixture. Let us know how it goes!
3rd time making and a hit each time. Makes me about 50ish cake balls. So easy to prep ahead of time by freezing the cake portion and then defrosting in fridge before dipping. I use dye free sprinkles in the cake mix and then add in another half bottle in the mixing with the frosting (when you break the cake all up). Big hit!
how many chocolate bars should i use?
Hi Jess! Chocolate baking bars are usually 4oz, so you would need 5 baking bars.
We loved this recipe so much when we made cake pops, my son wants it for his actual birthday cake. What would be the closest to your cake recipes? We’re looking to make a 9×13″ cake we can decorate as a treasure map
Hi Simone, I would recommend trying either this yellow sheet cake or this vanilla sheet cake recipe. The yellow cake recipe has a slightly heavier crumb than the vanilla cake, which is quite light and fluffy, so it is more similar to the cake made for the cake pops. Let us know what you try!
Hi there. I love making these but if I freeze the balls and dip them the chocolate cracks. How can I avoid the cracking please
Hi Amanda, if the temperature difference between the cake pops and the melted chocolate is too much, then they will often crack. Leaving the cake pops at room temperature for a few minutes before dipping is a great solution. Hope this helps!
I have a question. Is it ok if i make the cake pops on saturday when they are for monday morning?
Hi Harriet, yes, you can store the cake pops in the refrigerator for up to a week. There are some more make-ahead instructions in the Notes section immediately following the recipe, if you want to see some other suggestions for making them ahead. Enjoy!
After rolling the balls can they sit overnight in the fridge?
See recipe Notes! You can store the undipped cake balls in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 6 weeks. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator, then continue with step 9.
Hi! I LOVE your recipes – think I can adapt this cake pop recipe to be pistachio?
Based on your pistachio cake I’m thinking just sub the 2 1/3 cups flour for 3/4 cup pistachios and 1/2cup + 3/8 cup flour?
Hi Hillary! We haven’t tested adapting this recipe to be pistachio, but let us know if you try! You could also use our pistachio cupcakes recipe for a smaller batch of pistachio cake to work with.
I really like your lemon layer cake, do you think I could use that with the buttercream cream cheese frosting to make into cake pops?
Definitely!
Hi! Am I better off making the lemon layer cake and frosting to make lemon cake pops or should I make this recipe and add lemon to it?
I would think the lemon cake would make too much quantity wise?
Hi Hillary! The lemon cake recipe would make a lot of cake pops. You could try adapting this recipe instead. We haven’t tested anything but you could try replacing some of the milk with fresh lemon juice. Perhaps add the zest of 1-2 lemons, too.
How do I keep them upright
Hi Sally! If I am trying to half the recipe (my family doesn’t quite need 40 cake pops lol), what size pan would I use for baking?
Hi Tabatha! An 8 inch pan– regular cake pan, not a springform pan– should be large enough for half of the recipe. Same temperature, and use a toothpick to check for doneness. Enjoy!
This recipe looks delicious! How many does this recipe yield? I need to make 7 dozen!
Hi Lisl, this recipe yields 40 pops.
I made these, the taste is amazing, but by the time they dried, they all fell to the bottom of the stick. What did I do wrong?
Hi Kathy, It sounds like the cake balls were simply too moist/heavy and/or that there may not have been enough oil to thin out the white chocolate coating, making the topping to heavy. Both are easy fixes– try adding the frosting only a little at a time until the mixture comes together. A little more oil in the white chocolate will thin it out so it’s much easier to work with when coating. We hope this helps!
This recipe was great I made it with white chocolate, but eventually it ran out so I did the rest with semisweet chocolate it worked just as well. It took a long time to coat but it was worth it.
I was wondering how I could do an icing sugar glaze instead? My chocolate was too think to coat the pops!
Hi Kirra, sorry to hear you had trouble with the consistency. We haven’t tested a glaze coating, but we’d be happy to help troubleshoot for next time. You can try microwaving your chocolate in even smaller time increments – that will help promote more even heating and should prevent the chocolate from chunking up. Be sure to stir between times in the microwave. You may also have to reheat it after every few dunks to keep it from seizing up. We like thinning out the coating with a little vegetable oil if needed, too. It works particularly well when using white chocolate. Hope this helps!
Sally is the dough supposed to be a little gooey? i feel like i messed up somewhere.
Hi Nikole! The video tutorial above should give you a good visual for the consistency.
Hi Sally! If I am using Meltems how much veggie oil do I add to thin it out?
Hi Scarlett, start with 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil and then add more if needed to help thin it out further.