I posted a cake pops tutorial last January and have gotten so many questions in the comments section, usually the same few repeatedly, that I’m having trouble locating them to reply when a new one is posted anywhere other than at the very end. An FAQ is long overdue, and I hope to address all the concerns and questions I have received over the last year and a half so that my readers have somewhere to go to resolve their problems and get their questions answered.
I have made many batches of cake pops, balls/truffles, and cupcake bites, but I have NEVER done anything creative like Bakerella so if you’re looking for inspiration, check out her site. This post is solely meant to help you with the basics. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, leave it in a comment or email me at vraklis@yahoo.com and I’ll add it to this post. Thanks!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is my chocolate cracking?
A: I have found mine cracks if I overheat the chocolate before dipping, or if I freeze the cake balls/pops very long before dipping. Make sure you very gently heat your chocolate–you never want it to get hot but just barely warm enough to melt.
The surest way to keep your chocolate from cracking is to place your styrofoam block in the refrigerator, or even better, the freezer, and place each pop on it after dipping. This is a pain, but if you have a lot of issues with cracking, this will prevent it. However, don’t leave your pops in the freezer too long. Just let them sit long enough to get hard, then remove. If they get too cold, they will sweat when you remove them from the freezer.
The fix: if your chocolate does crack, just spoon some melted chocolate over the crack, making sure to cover it well. It won’t be pretty, but it will keep the cake ball contained and will still be delicious. If you are using sprinkles, that will help disguise it.
Q: My chocolate is too thick to dip. What’s going on?
A: You most likely overheated your chocolate. Chocolate is temperamental and needs to be heated very gently. I’m extremely careful when microwaving chocolate, stirring it very well every 15 seconds (after the initial 30 seconds-1 minute, or whatever your package says) so that the residual heat does the melting instead of doing it all with the heat of the microwave, which will overheat it.
The fix: stir in some vegetable or canola oil until thinned to the desired consistency. Your chocolate will dry softer than it would have, but it will still be firm enough to hold the cake ball inside.
Q: What chocolate melter are you using in your video? Could I use a crockpot instead?
A: It’s a Wilton Chocolate Melter Deluxe, which is no longer for sale. Wilton has upgraded the pot to a “Chocolate Pro,” available for purchase here. I don’t actually use mine for melting the chocolate as it takes a long time and I’m impatient, but after melting it in the microwave, I like to pour it into the melter and set it on “warm” to keep the chocolate from solidifying during dipping. I do find I need to shut it off every so often to keep the chocolate from getting too hot.
I have not tried using a crockpot to melt chocolate, but a reader, Sherry, says that she always melts her chocolate in the microwave and then puts it in the crockpot on the lowest setting to keep it warm while she dips.
Q: Why are my cake balls falling off the sticks?
A: This could be due to many things. Most likely, you added too much frosting. Start with less and add more as needed. Depending on the moistness of the cake you are using, you may not need any at all to get the crumbs to hold together. I usually use 1/3 to 1/2 cup, even with moist cakes, because I prefer the sweeter flavor to those without any frosting, and that isn’t so much that they are mushy. Second, make sure the cake balls are cold before you start dipping. I’ve noticed if I leave my tray of balls out while I’m dipping, by the time I get to to the last ten or so they are starting to slide off the sticks because they aren’t as cold. Third, make sure you dip the sticks in chocolate before inserting them into the balls (is it just me, or does that sound kinky?). This will ensure that the balls adhere to the stick.
Q: What is almond bark? And can I use regular chocolate instead?
A: That is just what we call candy coating around here. It’s also called “chocolate flavored bark” and “vanilla flavored bark.” It’s basically chocolate, white or regular, that has palm kernel oil added so that it dries to a nice, hard finish without having to temper it. You can use any type of chocolate you wish, whether it’s the real stuff, the white stuff, chocolate melting wafers, or candy melts like Wilton has. If you use real chocolate, add a tablespoon of vegetable shortening or oil per pound or bag of chips (12 oz) and melt them together.
Q: How can I color my white candy coating?
A: I have used powdered icing color with success, but regular icing gel color makes it seize up. You can do it this way, and just add oil to thin the chocolate back out (I have done this), but the best thing to use is oil-based colors made specifically for candy, such as these. Check out your craft stores, like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, or if you have a local cake supply store, they might have them as well. These same stores usually offer colored candy melts as well, so that you don’t have to color them yourself.
Q: I find cake balls too sweet. Is there something I can use besides frosting?
A: Certainly! All you needs is a binder to keep the cake crumbs stuck together when you roll them into balls. I have a co-worker that uses peanut butter in her chocolate cake balls and lemon pie filling in her lemon cake balls. Other ideas would be pudding, cream cheese, softened butter, bittersweet or semisweet ganache, sour cream, mayonnaise, jams & jellies. Just be careful and add a little at a time, as many of these would go further than frosting and you probably wouldn’t need very much.
If you don’t want to add anything, here’s what you do: make my favorite chocolate cake, process it to crumbs in the food processor and then wad up balls of the crumbs and roll! This particular recipe sticks together with nothing added! The pops end up tasting more like cake than candy, although the texture is still more dense since the crumbs are compacted. Here is the picture of the inside of a cake pop made this way:
Q: Do I have to use a cake mix?
A: No, make a scratch cake if you wish! I prefer the taste of pops made with a cake mix, and since it takes so much time to make the pops themselves, making the cake from a mix is just a shortcut, but not required.
Q: How should they be stored?
A: Store them covered in the refrigerator. I prefer to remove mine at least a couple hours before serving to serve at room temperature, but they can be served cold and really should be if your climate is very hot or humid. Here in Kansas, I don’t have to refrigerate them and if I’m making them the day before serving, I won’t put them in the fridge at all.
These are “Cupcake Bites,” which you can learn how to make here.
Q: How far in advance can I make them? Can I freeze them?
A: You can make them a month in advance, if you like, because yes you can freeze them! Once the chocolate is hard, there is no risk of the chocolate cracking from freezing the pops/balls and removing them. If you freeze them, be sure to defrost them in the refrigerator 24 hours before servings so that they won’t sweat when you serve them. They sweat like crazy if you take them straight from the freezer, especially in the summer. If you don’t wish to freeze them, I’d recommend making them no more than a week in advance and keeping them in the refrigerator.
Q: Why are my sticks getting yellow and oily?
A: I have had this happen only once, when I used a real buttercream (made with mostly butter and eggs) instead of American (powdered sugar-based) buttercream. I think if there is too much fat in your cake ball mixture, it will seep into the sticks over time and turn them yellow. Try using less frosting next time. Lately I’m using only about 1/3 cup per batch.
Q: Can I use something besides chocolate or candy coating for dipping?
A: I have not personally tried anything else, but one reader had success using a chocolate glaze, and another (thanks, Praveena!) had the brilliant idea of using royal icing for her friends that do not like chocolate. (Royal icing dries hard so you’d want a very thin layer.) If you wish to try the aforementioned glaze, here is the recipe Michelle used and shared with me:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Put cream and corn syrup into pot and heat until it just starts to boil. Then remove from heat add chocolate chips, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Then stir until combined. A note from me: this is basically ganache with corn syrup added and will get quite firm when cold. I’d recommend keeping the finished pops in the fridge to keep them intact.
Q: What is your most popular flavor, and are there other recipes you can share?
A: I found a slew of recipes on Wilton.com but have no special ones of my own. I’ve only tried three flavors myself: chocolate, white, and red velvet. Chocolate is the best and red velvet is the most popular (because of Christmas and Independence Day). White isn’t bad, but just not as good as chocolate, but I did like it a lot when I filled the centers of some white cake balls with a bit of wedding cake frosting–it was for snowball cake truffles at a Christmas eve party but the taste was like wedding cake truffles–pretty cool! I almost always mix my cake crumbs with homemade cream cheese frosting, but have also used mocha buttercream, white celebration frosting, and ganache. It really doesn’t matter what frosting you use–it’s all good.
Q: What size sticks to you use, and where can I find them?
A: The ones I usually get are about 4″ long, but you can use any length you wish. I get mine at Walmart in the cake decorating supplies section, but you can also find them at craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby, or cake & candy supply stores.
Q: Do I have to use a food processor to crumble the cake?
A: This is my preferred method, especially when your cake has some dry edges, because it gives you uniform crumbs that easily mix with the frosting, but I’ve also used my hands and it gets the job done.
Q: I’ve noticed that some of my cake pops start leaking oil once the chocolate is set. Why is this happening?
A: I usually have 1 or 2 pops or balls per batch that leak oil, and for me it is always because 1) a miniscule spot on the ball didn’t get covered with chocolate or 2) I left an air bubble in the chocolate before it set, which creates a weak point that can’t contain the pressure of the filling so that it eventually starts to squirt out. If there is any spot not covered, the oil will separate from the cake mixture and start leaking out (I’ve even had the cake ball mixture itself squirt out!), so be thorough when you’re dipping. Also, make sure you poke any air bubbles you see before the chocolate hardens so that the liquid chocolate will fill in the space before it sets. I usually use the ones that spring leaks for “taste testing” since I always like to enjoy one or two of them from each batch, but if you want to fix it, you can: dab off the oil and spoon on a little bit of chocolate onto, around, and a little beyond the area where the oil has touched. If you don’t spread the chocolate further than where the oil was, the oil will follow the same path out and will leak again, despite having been recovered. You need a tight seal and that means chocolate on chocolate with no oil on the surface. Also, if you use sprinkles that have sharp edges, be careful and don’t use a lot of force because if they poke through to the cake beneath the chocolate, oil will start to leak out from the area once the chocolate is set.
Additional info: the glitter you see on the snowball (or wedding) cake truffles and on the July 4 cake balls is edible and is called “Disco Dust.” I used “rainbow” on the snowballs and hologram silver (mixed with rainbow) on the July 4 balls, and it is available in a wide range of colors. I recommend rainbow, as it goes well with any color. I purchase mine at Cake Stuff! in Wichita, KS, but you can find it online as well.
Related posts: Step-by-step cake pop tutorial, instructions for making cake pops with leftover cake, Cupcake Bites recipe.
Veronica's Cornucopia 
Wow, thanks for this! I have made cake balls once and loved them. I have been wanting to make more recently and love the ideas here. The tips are VERY helpful!
As a side note, have you ever tried smores-on-a-stick? If you like smores they are great.
http://melaniescrafts.blogspot.com/2010/06/smores-on-stick.html
We make them all the time now for the kids classes at school. We use different sprinkles and sometimes use only sprinkles. We use white chocolate too. You can make them color appropriate for any holiday. They are great. I keep them in the fridge initially, but they definitely need to be brought to room temperature before eating. Otherwise the marshmallow is too hard and doesn’t taste as good.
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Thank you for the link–I’ve never tried them but they look so cute and are so easy! Great idea!
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Pingback: Cake Pops « Recipe Rhapsody
Where can you get the sticks?
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I get them at Walmart in the cake decorating supplies section, and you can also find them at hobby stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. Here in Wichita, Cake Stuff also has them. I updated the FAQ to include this information-thanks!
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Very thorough! =) This is where the non-baking side of me springs forth and says ‘that looks like waaaaay too much trouble.’ But I applaud and admire you for being so fearless!
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Great tips! I sent my mom your last post with the cupcake cake pops and she loved them as much as I did!
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This is awesome! Now I want to go home and make more, even though after making 60 I said I wasn’t going to make any more for a few more months!
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This is so incredibly helpful, Veronica! Would you believe I still have never made cake balls?! I’m bookmarking this for when I do though. And I love all your pictures — your cake balls are so pretty!
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Thank you so much for this…you answered the questions I was looking for help on!! All in one place!
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Pingback: Vegan Dark Chocolate Cake Pops « Veronica's Cornucopia
Incredible ” teaching” ! I had this brainy idea of making JUST ONE batch of cake pops and ended up posting a mess on Facebook that “whoever said making cake pops was easy” told a story! However after reading your site, I realized why my chocolate was too thick and what I can do. You helped me solve my problem and gave me a solution…way to go! I may not abandon cake pop making after all!
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Pingback: Cake Pops « Veronica's Cornucopia
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Hi, I just wanted to add a suggestion…I use paraffin wax to thin the chocolate, this way it still hardens when it cools down, we don’t refrigerate them at all and never have any cracking… also the favorite flavor at my work is brownie, they are so moist they don’t need anything added, we also use cream cheese for the red velvet and carrot cake, and I have made the carrot cake with no icing and it still turns the stick yellow I believe its from the oils in the mix.We use chocolate ganache in the choc ones. The white cake seems to taste raw so we don’t make them. Thanks for sharing your ideas too.
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Thanks, Theresa, I appreciate your input and am sure many others will benefit from your advice!
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Where do you find the wax? And how much do you use?
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I bought some once, I think it was either on the baking aisle or by the canning stuff (seasonal). Not sure how much you would use–I’d Google it.
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I did too, but i went looking for it the other day and couldn’t find it. I’ll trying the canning isle. Never thought of that.
Today i made some and used a little crisco and it made them sticky a little. Which i don’t like since the reason for making them is a no mess treat for my 21/2 year old son.
We first started getting this cake pops at Starbuck’s and fell in love with them. The ones there are cover with white chocolate i’m almost sure.
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Yeah, I really prefer using candy coating rather than adding oil or shortening to chocolate, as it makes a very soft outside and it starts melting at a lower temp. I don’t mix anything into the coating–it’s perfectly blended so you get a hard and dry outside.
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Love your tutorial. I bake my homemade Red Velvet Cake last night in a 9×13 pan. I used the recipe from MS. Let the cake at room temp for the night. I think that was the first mistake. I should have found you before and I would have put the cake in the fridge. The next morning crumble by hand the cake. Again this does not work well. I had to use almost 2 cups of my homemade cream cheese frosting to be able to roll balls otherwise they were crumbly. Now when we cut thru the pops they are so moist, almost wet. I like the taste but not the texture. Then was a nightmare to coat with chocolate. The stick would come off because it was too moist inside. I ended rolling them with no stick. Now I have cake balls and not cake pops. Also I found that I needed a lot of chocolate for 50 balls. That is really expensive.
Couple questions:
1- do you use a lot of chocolate to coat also?
2- what recipe do you prefer for your balls?
3- what icing recipe is the best?
Waiting to hear from you. Thanks. Hélène
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1) I don’t use real chocolate, I use the cheapest chocolate bark/candy coating I can find. It is located near the chocolate chips and is sold in rectangular packages weighing well over a pound and usually costs $4 or less. To me, the quality of chocolate doesn’t make a difference here–cake pops taste great no matter how cheap the ingredients are.
2) I stick with the basic cake pops and prefer using a chocolate cake mixed up with any frosting. The frosting doesn’t seem to make a difference in taste for the cake–what you taste is the cake flavor, not the icing. I almost always have cream cheese frosting in the freezer so I defrost a little to use for the cake pops. I have also used chocolate ganache, chocolate frosting, and mocha buttercream and to me they all tasted the same so I bet even canned frosting would be OK.
3) This is my personal favorite: https://veronicascornucopia.com/2010/10/28/celebration-frosting-a-giveaway/
You might benefit from checking out my cake pops tutorial (https://veronicascornucopia.com/2010/01/20/cake-pops-2/). Good luck on future cake pop adventures!
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how did you make those cupcake bottoms…? Did you use a mold, cupcake papers or silicone? I am sure they are the mini sized.
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Hi Aubrey! There is a link to a tututorial on making cupcake bites at the end of this post–I did use a mold.
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i tried making the cake balls from the refridgerator and after i coved them they started to sweat really bad so i took them all and mushed them up again and plan on rolling the them back out and starting again. the thing is i need 150 for sat night…alot of sights are saying they wont sweat if i let them come to room temp before dipping and other sights say they need to be refiderated before dipping….please hep
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I agree with Jennifer (below), I think the problem must have been refrigerating the mixture before rolling it into balls. My balls have never sweated (lol!) before dipping so I have to think that must be the difference. Good luck!
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i did refrigerate them before rolling them out.. i wanted to decorate them like baseballs and basketballs so i need to pipe on them and cant have them wet….i also want to wap them in plastic so the sweating is a problem…
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I made this today and I rolled the balls just after I mixed the cake with the frosting and I did not get any sweating. I DID get sweating on the plastic wrap so I just replaced it, but the cake balls themselves are not sweating. Maybe making them after refrigerating the mixture is the problem?
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oops I meant to reply to Stacy sorry about that! :)
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Hey Veronica…I’m asking ANOTHER question on your FAQ page, ha :) Have you ever tried marshmallow creme to bind? Just a thought, and maybe it wouldn’t be heavy enough, but thought it sounded good…
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Nope, but it sounds like a great idea to me! I imagine it might be harder to mix it up with the crumbs since it’s very sticky. Let me know how it works for you if you try it.
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I’m hoping someone can help. I am wanting to make these, but, I have someone that is allergic to chocolate. I am looking for something else to dip them in. Any ideas? Thanks!
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I don’t think that the almond bark is real chocolate, but either way there is a white candy coating that you can use as well. I’m sure Veronica can share exactly what it is. In fact I think that info is up in one of the questions above somewhere.
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This question is answered above in the FAQ, but I like Jennifer’s suggestion of the white coating. As for the almond bark, it is real chocolate, but has a lot of other stuff in there too, so she probably would still have a reaction to it.
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Oh it is ok, I am mixing up something else I read then, I actually went through all your questions and answers because I wanted to make sure I got it right the first time haha!
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I guess I should say it’s technically real chocolate since it has real chocolate in it, but it’s not pure chocolate. :) You must have seen someone’s question about it on my original cake pops post and I listed the ingredients. I’m too lazy to go back and find it to copy it, but it’s one of the first questions on there.
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Sorry I must have missed the answer above, my apologies. I’ll go back and read again.
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Hi,
I love making truffles I like to know what can I use for cake to become round and not broken when I deep it in to chocolate
Thanks
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Drop the cake ball in your melted chocolate, then lift out with a fork, tapping off the excess before placing on wax paper. The bottom usually needs to have a little extra chocolate put on it after it hardens because the fork causes there to be thin spots. You can also turn the cake ball over when you place it on the wax paper, so that when it hits the wax paper the for marks are on top, and then twirl the chocolate on top with your finger, but it won’t be a perfectly smooth ball. I like that way, though, because the bottom is perfect and doesn’t have to be recoated with chocolate. One other way I do it is to hold the balls, or put a toothpick through the top, and dip each 1/2 way, place it on wax paper and let it harden, then turn the balls over and dip the top. You can see a seam when you do it this way, but it’s not too bad.
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How the white cake pops soo white , when i made it in home it dont same color ???
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I used white icing and white cake from a mix. I use Pillsbury white cake mix and for some reason, it doesn’t seem to get as brown around the edges so that might have something to do with it. If you are crumbling up the entire cake with browned edges, bottom, and top, that would make it less white, especially if your edges are really browned. You could try cutting off the brown parts before processing. You’ll have less cake pops but the dough will be quite white.
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Hi Veronica, you are so sweet to share your tips and tricks. Do you happen to know which edible markers are the best for chocolate?? I am not having much luck with the WIlton brand.
I appreciate you talents and you kindly sharing your knowledge.
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Sorry, I have never used them on chocolate, only once on fondant for a cake, so I have no clue. Bakerella frequently uses them on her cake pops and I think she answers questions, so I’d recommend checking with her!
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My cake pops I made with the lavender color wilton candy welts, ended up sweating while in the freezer. Would you say the bark is better?
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I have never used the melts yet, but have heard complaints from others that they get very thick when melted and it makes it hard to dip. As far as I know, the only reason they would sweat is taking them from a very cold place to a warmer place, so I would assume they didn’t sweat IN the freezer, but started once you took them out. That’s why I don’t use the freezer. Did you put them in the freezer to set them or store them? If to set, just don’t leave them in quite as long. If to store, wrap them individually and place them inside something else, so that when you take them out, they don’t sweat but the container does.
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THe first time we made them we used store bought icing (warmed). It wasn’t so great. Ran everywhere and didn’t get dry enough to touch. We also used the melts from craft store. They didn’t melt so well. I had to add crisco. They did set up with the crisco in them, they didn’t taste so hot. Super sweet.
I think the best tasting ones are done with white Chocolate. I just hope that they will dry enough to package. That’s why i’d really like to find the wax to add to it.
I’ll let you know how it works. That is if i can learn to get my sticks to stay.
Wish me luck.
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Try using “paramount crystals”…they are available at most cake decorating supply stores
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I have made pops twice now and can’t get the sticks to stay in as i’m dipping them. I have let them set up over night and used chocolate to hold them. help please.
I do use icey in the cake mix, but not but two spoon fulls.
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Usually it would be too much frosting or they aren’t cold enough. Do you leave them in the fridge until you are just ready to dip? What is icey? Not sure what that is, so maybe that is the culprit? Are the cake balls very firm or kinda mushy even after chilled?
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Sorry i ment icing.
I took the baked cake (after cooling) and about two spoon fulls of icing and added it to my elec. mixer. when it was good and mixed together i stopped rolled them into balls. At this point i dipped sticks into melted chocolate and placed in ball. Then put in frig overnight. The next day melted more chocolate and when placing ball into melted chocolate the ball spins or comes off.
Should i wait until they have set-up before placing the sticks into ball?
The ball aren’t to soft, i don’t feel. They feel like any i’ve had that were bought from Starbuck’s (which is where i first saw them).
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Did you refrigerate before dipping? If so, my guess is that you added to much frosting (that’s what you meant by icey, right?). Start with 1/3 cup and if you need any more, add it a little bit at a time. Hope this helps!
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Yes that’s what a meant. lol
I did put them in the frig after making the balls. But i did place the sticks at that time too.
Do i need to wait and place sticks after they have set up?
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I read your response to Jennifer above and really am clueless now b/c it doesn’t sound like there should be a problem. You did dip the sticks in chocolate before sticking them in the balls? I’ve never put the sticks in before refrigerating so the only thing I can think of is to do it after refrigerating and see if that works better. Maybe the oil from the cake is going into the stick, making the cake pull away from the stick. But it shouldn’t do that if you dipped the sticks in chocolate before putting them in. So weird!
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I will try that for sure. I just went into the frig where i have some that i haven’t been coated yet and picked one up and the stick came right out. It doesn’t really even look like any chocolate was on the stick where it was inserted. I’m going to try it the way you said. After they’ve been in the frig.
Thank you for all your help.
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I made some cake pops using chocolate cake mix dipped in candiquik and found them too sweet, so I was going to try to make the cake pops using your recipe for you favorite chocolate cake since you mentioned you don’t have to add additional icing to the cake. I was going to try making 1/2 a recipe first. Will that be ok? I know some recipes, especially in baking don’t half, double, etc. well. Also, since the cake will not have any icing it shouldn’t crumble into pieces and fall apart once bitten into, right?
thank you:)
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Halving it could be tricky b/c it calls for 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk. It would probably be best to make it as is, then freeze one layer to use later either as a cake or for future cake pops, then defrost it before frosting or crumbling. There is a photo of a cake pop made with this cake, no icing, that I bit into to show the texture. It is not as sweet as a regular cake pop, but the texture is very similar and no, it doesn’t crumble or fall apart–it sticks together very well. I definitely recommend using a food processor to get fine, even crumbs, though, because that cake tends to have harder edges.
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Thank you:) I will try it this weekend. I’ve never freezed cakes before… Will the taste and/or texture be altered once it’s defrosted? What’s the maximum amount of time you would recommend leaving cakes in the freezer before having to use them?
Thank you again…
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The taste and texture will not be altered, no. I freeze almost every cake I bake b/c I like to make them ahead of time to make the final preparations less stressful. What I do is wrap them with plastic wrap and place in original pan so they have a nice flat surface to rest on to keep them flat while freezing. Once frozen, you can remove if you need the pan and place the cake on the freezer shelf or rack. If I’m going to freeze them for more than a few days, I cover the tops of the pans with foil. They should be fine for a month wrapped this way, though I’ve read elsewhere that they are good up to three months. I’ve never froze cake for more than a month so I can’t vouch for it. Good luck!
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I just found this FAQ which will be super helpful for my next batch of cake pops I’ll be making today, but I do have a question that hopefully someone can answer. I made a batch yesterday (for a baby shower on Saturday) and put them in my outside freezer after I dipped them. Unbeknownst to me, my freezer isn’t freezing anymore (it’s pretty much like a very cold fridge) so I’ve ended up with sweaty pops. My question is…what can I do to save them? If I leave them out, will the sweat evaporate? Should I try wiping them? Oh, and btw, I used vanilla candy melts to coat. Thanks!! :)
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The one time I took pops directly from the freezer to the counter when they weren’t individually wrapped, the sweat never evaporated–it just made a slimy surface. It’s best to either wrap them before freezing/refrigerating (the sweat will happen on the wrapper, not the pops themselves) or bring them gradually to room temperature by putting them in a fridge for several hours before bringing them to room temperature in a cool, not hot, environment. In your case, I’d probably put them in the fridge to help dry the sweat as much as possible. The fridge is good at drying things.
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Thanks so much for these FAQ’s and A’s, Veronica! I’ve never made cake pops before & will be doing some today for my girls’ birthday party tomorrow. Here’s hoping/praying that they turn out well the first time! lol
I also had some questions as to what I could mix into the cake crumbs to make them stick. Some of the things I was wondering about were chocolate chips and mini m* m’s… but I believe after reading the posts above, I’ll need to still use the icing (or something that has adhering qualities), then only add a few m&m’s or choc. chips if I use them at all. Might have to try use those for decorations *after* dipping/coating them.
Then I had originally had q’s about what best to use to dip. I wanted to use the melted chips, but wasn’t sure if it would harden w/out cracking, etc… tips above also helped with that. So again, thanks tons for these Q/A’s! Most helpful!! Have a great weekend! =0)
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hi,
I made wonderful cake pop and I make my own brand (Toma’ Cake Pops) but one think i don’t now why its happing , the white chocolate same time will broken when it will dry why??
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I read on how you store them but if I wanted to put the pops in a cello bag when would it be good for me to do that. I’ve made chocolate bars before and put them right in the bag after they were hardened and put them back in the refridgerator and they got all wet and had to rebag them.
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What got wet, the bag or the chocolate? I always bag my pops at room temperature and if making them in advance, refrigerate them. I’ve never had a problem with them getting wet when removing them from the fridge. When you have something bagged, the package might sweat, but the item itself shouldn’t sweat at all unless it’s not tied very tight.
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Hi, when you put the luster dust or disco dust on the snowballs did you sprinkle on when wet? Thank you!
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Yes, it sticks much better that way.
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I’ve read all the tutorials….but my cake pops are STILL falling off the stick!! S.O.S :0(
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There could be many reasons for this: if they are too big (I make mine quite small, just about an inch wide), they are not cold enough, the chocolate on the sticks you inserted is not set before you start dipping, you use too much frosting (I only use about 1/3 cup per batch), your chocolate is too thick and you have to tap too hard to get the excess off (a little oil will thin it out). Could it be any of those things?
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Thanks for the info, I’m a complete newbie! So, a question on storing. If my garage is pretty cool, would it be advisable to store there for about a week, or few days, without separate cello bags on each one, but covering the top of the styrofoam/peg board with a large plastic container? Or would you always use cello bags? Also, can you store in the fridge like this or would it sweat without any cello bags? My thoughts were to have them in styrofoam/cups open at the party, so people could pick up and eat right away. Also, I will be decorating with edible pen marker faces. Any advice on using this medium? I’m worried storage w/o sweating and running the marker on the faces. Thank you!
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As long as there’s no danger of mice sneaking in after the smell, that would totally work! I’m afraid they would sweat if you put them in the fridge without bags. I have never used the marker, but I would be worried about sweatting making it run too. I can’t offer advice from experience, but I personally would use the marker on room temperature, dry pops, and serve them soon after.
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Thanks for the help! I made sugar skull cake pops for Dia de los Muertos birthday party and they were cute! I’d send you a pic, but not sure how. I used the cello bags, just easier! One note, just fyi for any of your fans, I used a duncan hines moist mix, and added applesauce instead of oil, and they turned out so moist, I didn’t need to add any frosting. (some sites say it dries the cake, but I did not have that issue.) And the edible markers are a pain, more or less dotting the pops with color to make design, because the melting chocolate has too much oil, that it isn’t easy to write. But, I did make it work!
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How much apple suace in place of the il did u use?
All the packaging and stick issues are scaring me off for this first timer.
Have to bag 60 pops individually or ziplock all together do?
Sticks after frig or freezer, correct?
Use parafin instead of oil for frosting, correct? The melts are transfat
Has anyone used the Bake Pop pan?
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I answered this in your second comment a ways down (except for the applesauce part).
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You use the same amount that the box calls for oil, is my understanding, so if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil then use 1/3 cup apple sauce
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hi , i would just to like to understand why do we need to add oil or shortening to chocolate if they are not almond bark/ candy melts? do i still need to add oil into couverture chocolate or cooking white chocolate? Last question ! Do you think there is any way to slow down the
chocolate coating from melting , as i live in Singapore and the weather is really humid and hot , i tried leaving the cake pops out for 1 hour .I realise it really sweats alot and with the
individual packaging the chocolate drawings that i made on the pops starts to get muddle up
with the plastic( Sorry i’m not really sure if i’m describing it correctly) , so i am trying to find a
solution to it as i am gonna make this for my cousin wedding and the pops have to be out of
for the fridge for at least 3 hours .
Thank you so much for your FAQs i really learn alot from them ! :)
Sorry for posting so much questions .
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Oil helps make a nice shiny surface, but it isn’t required. I wouldn’t add it to white chocolate since it is so soft, and it would become too soft probably if oil was added. The only idea I have to keep the pops from melting so fast is to put them on trays resting on bowls of ice. I think it would be best if the entire surface of the trays was in contact with ice so you’d want some wide bowls if you tried this.
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Thanks for the idea !
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Veronica, I have made cake pops before and i do get the occasional leak or crack. This time around I noticed that they kept leaking. That is how I found your FAQ’s. As I went back to dip some more I noticed that my dipping chocolate has alot of air bubbles. Is there something I can do to get rid of them, or avoid them all together? Thanks for a wonderful FAQ’s page!
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Rosie, the only tip I can give you is to stir gently but I think the air bubbles are unavoidable. I just pop them with a toothpick if I find them after dipping, before the chocolate hardens.
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I made and froze my Bon-Bons for 2 weeks in a plastic freezer bag,when I removed them from the freezer I put them on my counter top to thaw out,they were so wet I hated to serve them to my guest.What should I have done ? Was I suppose to of taken them from the freezer bag first?Help!!!
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The trick is to thaw them slowly and if possible, keep them in a container while they do so. If they are in a container, or individually wrapped, the outside of the container or wrapper will sweat but the balls/pops won’t. Also, it can help to move them to the fridge for a day and then to the counter.
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I am excited to try and make my first batch of cake pops. I’m not much of a baker but these look really easy to make. I am just wondering is it possible to use a store bought cake icing to thin down and coat them or do you have to use an actual candy coating? I saw the section on royal icing and choclate glaze…I am thinking of using like a Betty crocker icing or something along that line if it is possible. Any suggestions?
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Another reader did exactly what you just asked about, heating icing until thin enough to dip the pops. It won’t dry hard and mess-free like candy coating but they’d def be easier to eat!
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As far as preserving cake balls, this has been the most helpful article I’ve found so I just wanted to say THANK YOU :)
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Hi there – Quick question… I am in the midst of making cake balls and have them in the refrigerator where they have been since last night. I had planned on dipping them tonight but am running out of time. Is it going to hurt to wait until tomorrow morning? How long can they remain in the refrigerator before dipping in the candy coating?
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Yes, freezing is fine, as long as you don’t dip them while they’re still frozen. Instead, lay them on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight to defrost them. That way they’ll be cold enough for dipping, but not so cold that it will make the chocolate crack. I’ve kept mine in the fridge for several days before dipping.
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One more question for you, concerning dough that is too wet. I only added half of the can of frosting, but as I tasted one, it had a mush texture. I still have half of the dough left and wonder what I can add besides more cake mix to try and make is less doughy. If I add flour, it will have a raw taste. The cake mix was butter pecan so adding cocoa might make it a strange color/flavor. Powdered sugar would make it too sweet! I will know better next time but don’t want to waste this batch if I can help it. Thanks so much for all of your help, it is appreciated, great site!!
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This will change it from a cake pop to some other type of creation, but you could finely crush butter pecan cookies (food processor) and mix them in until your desired consistency is reached. That is the only thing I would try other than more cake.
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Hmmm a cookie cake pop then, lol Thinking of the enormous cookie cakes that are nothing like this but it could be good! Actually, I have made oreo balls with cream cheese and they had a similar texture. Thanks!
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Ditto Alyssa…BEST site to research on cake pops for sure. TY
I know the questions sound redundant being a 1st timer its kinda sinking in
All the packaging and stick issues are scaring me off for this first timer to create some Christmas pops. Just like anthing once you do it a hundred times and perfect it, its a cinch haha
1. Have to bag 60 pops individually or ziplock all together?
2. Sticks dipped in chocolate after frig or freezer, correct?
3. Use parafin instead of oil for can frosting, correct? How much parafin? The melts are all transfat, ick
4. Has anyone used the Bake Pop pan?
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1. If you put them all together in a bag without putting a treat bag over each, the surface of the pops will get scuffed and not look perfect. If you don’t care, then go for it.
2. Yes.
3. Yes, you can, but I don’t know how much. Google “chocolate parafin” to see how much is used in other recipes for dipping chocolate.
4. I haven’t, but am intrigued. It’s hard to imagine a light and fluffy ball of cake staying on the stick while dipping, but it must work if they’re marketing it! If you try it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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I have a question. I live in mexico and I make cake pops but don´t here is a little bit hard to found wilton products so I use another chocolate cover. My question is if I am doing something wrong because my pops get sticky and melts if i don´t put them on the freezer :Also i tried to decorate with royal icing but if I put them in the freezer, the royal icing gets sweat too: help me
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Isn’t it usually pretty warm in Mexico? The melting might be due to your climate. Did you add oil to the chocolate? You might have used too much. Or perhaps it’s the type of coating you’re using doesn’t set up hard and dry. I don’t use Wilton either, I just use the generic stuff. The thing about sweating is that if you take them directly from the freezer, they are going to sweat no matter what climate you live in. I prefer to not refrigerate them at all after making them, but if making in advance, I just refrigerate them because they won’t sweat as much when you take them out. If you are making them very in advance and freeze them, I always recommend putting them in the fridge overnight before taking out to come to room temperature so they won’t sweat quite so much.
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Thank u so,much,for all ur information…i started making cakepops…and they cracked…they leaked….so now i kno…..thank you
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Wondering how to prevent the tops of the cake pops from being flat after you dip them in chocolate. How do they set without putting them down on waxed paper? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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I bought a big flat block of styrofoam (from a craft store) to stand them on by the stick. I poked holes in it with a stick prior to making the cake pops and they stand in the holes just fine while the set :)
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How are your cake balls do perfectly smooth and rounded? I also can’t seem to get the cake pops correct. Each time it is a disaster!
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I use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough, then I just roll them between my palms. Nothing tricky. It helps to get the right consistency with the dough–too much frosting (I use about 1/3 cup per batch) could make them too soft and harder to shape.
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I make cake pops alot, but there is one problem I keep having. After I’ve made the balls using 1/3 cup of icing, and I dip my stick in the chocolate, as I am pushing the stick into the cake ball the ball gets a crack down the side. Ive tried not putting the stick in as far, but then it just falls off the stick. Am I rolling the balls too compact? or should I let the pops come to room temp first because I put the sticks in straight from the fridge. Any advice would be great! Thanks!
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What kind of frosting are you using? It sounds like you might need more b/c they definitely should not be cracking-they should be moist enough that they adjust to the intrusion of the stick without cracking. I roll my balls very compact-not loose at all, and I think that is best, so my only thought is maybe the type of frosting or cake you are using. If your cake is more dry, you might need more frosting. Or if your frosting gets very hard when refrigerated, it could be causing the problem.
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Thanks so much for this thread! It’s the best!
I just began doing my research on cake pops, and excited about making them. I want to do Red Velvet Cake Pops with the homemade cake recipe and cream cheese icing for the initial mix. With Valentines Day coming up, I have been inspired to use the heart ice tray molds to make heart-shaped cake pops. Have you or anyone ever tried using a cream cheese melt to dip them in or will that not harden like the chocolate will. I’m not against using chocolate or white chocolate. I just imagine them tasting so much better with a cream cheese dip rather than chocolate. Suggestions? :)
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What is “cream cheese melt?” Is this a fruit dip or something? If you want your white chocolate to have a cream cheese flavor, you can get a Lorann cheesecake candy flavor and mix it in. I’m not sure about the dip you mentioned b/c I don’t know what it is.
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