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?Â
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?Â
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:Â 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 
I have tried making cake pops and am able to dip it in the melted chocolate ok. I am having trouble with piping the chocolate to make designs. I had piped a small drop of melted chocolate on my cake pop in hopes of attach a suger pearl to it. But by the I finish putting a dot on the cake pop and putting down my piping bag and picking up the pearl, the dot of chocolate had already harden and I cannot ahere the pearl to the chocolate. What am I doing wrong? So you have any suggestions as to why that is happening and what should I do? Thanks!
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Piping chocolate is tricky b/c it cools quickly. When I made the Christmas trees on mine, I had my husband shake the sprinkles on while I pipes the zigzags so that they’d go on immediately. You might need a helper to put the pearl on as soon as you put on the dot. Also, your chocolate might not be warm enough. If you are using a disposable bag with just the tip cut out, you can put it in the microwave and heat it for a few seconds every time the chocolate at the tip starts to get too cool.
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If you use the chocolate glaze recipe above for dipping & put in fridge to set as you suggest, will they be ok to stand @ room temp once they have hardened? I can leave them in fridge up until about an hour before my daughter’s party (which will last 2 hrs) & would like to display them on table throughout party. Will they stay hard bc they have already set or will they begin to melt? Thank you!! I’m making Minnie Mouse cake pops & this glaze sounded great.
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What I know of that glaze, is that it’s hard when cold, and like frosting at room temperature. They wouldn’t melt unless is was very hot, but it would be more like eating cake with frosting rather than hard chocolate.
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Pingback: cake pops « miki's kitchen
Hi I have been making cake balls and freezing them before coating them with chocolate, when do you think that I should take them out before coating. I have been having alot of cracking. I am in Australia and it is summer so I have the air conditioner on I heat the chocolate slow and , I think it is the freezing. I need to do this as I can not keep up with the orders.
What do you think.
Regards cherita
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Basically, you want your cake balls to be cold, but not frozen. It shouldn’t take long to get them cold after placing them in the freezer-maybe 15-30 minutes? I don’t know for sure, you’d just have to check on them. If you have to freeze them before hand, I would place them on a tray, cover with plastic wrap, and defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using. I’ve not tried this but it should work.
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Hi Cherita ,
I am in Australia as well and need to freeze cake pops, did you try Veronica’s suggestion ? Also do you freeze you cake pop’s with sticks in them ?
thanks
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Hello, I have been making cake pops for a long time and have never had an issue with cracking. I only ever put mine in the fridge for 30 mins before chocolate dipping (I am in NSW) the cracking is probably from the frozen cake expanding while it’s defrosting. If you need to freeze I would suggest letting them defrost in the fridge before dipping, as Veronica said.
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What recipe can I use that will allow the cake pops to last the longest at room temp. I have a lot to do and they are going in gift bags so I need them to last a few days after the party as well. I’m so concerned with food poisoning!
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It doesn’t matter, whatever recipe you use, the pops will last several days at room temperature, if not weeks. (I think the longest I’ve tested is a week.) They seem to be miraculously shelf-stable, most likely b/c sugar acts as a preservative.
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Mine have lasted up to two weeks before I throw them out.
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I made cheesecake pops/balls the other day to send to my brother in Japan. I ended up not sending it because my mother scared me saying the cheesecake in the cake pops can go bad since it’ll take a week for the package to arrive and I wouldn’t be able to control the temperature. Do you think cheesecake pops have a shorter shelf life because of the cream cheese and sour cream in it?
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Yes, I would be wary of that as well. Cheesecake is usually kept refrigerated and doesn’t have as long a shelf life as cake, so I wouldn’t have shipped them to Japan. I don’t know if I’d ship them anywhere…but maybe within the US during the coldest months. That’s just my oppinion-I really don’t know from experience.
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I’m pretty sure the post office has refrigerated packaging that you can get at a fair price. If you wanted you send something and keep it cool..
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Hi Veronica, great blog!!!
if I am using cake-mix for my cake pops, box says to use 3 eggs, to make them “lighter” can we use only the egg whites? or does it have to be the whole egg?
thanks!
Lorena.
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Using egg whites only is fine! However, be aware that you are only omitting 165 calories from the whole recipe by omitting the yolks, so it’s not going to change the calories per pop a whole lot.
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What if i used to much frosting in the cake. It’s my first time :) its to runny to make balls ??? Could I bake more?
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There are two ways to fix this: bake another cake and add more cake crumbs until the consistency is right, or crumble up Oreos or another type of dry cookie and stir it in. The latter won’t necessarily give you a true cake pop feel, but it will still be delicious and much easier to dip than with all that frosting.
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I accidentally used too much frosting also. It’s my second time doing this, the first time was almost a disaster but I saved them. Could I use chocolate chip cookies? Like the one’s that are from nabisco in the “snack pack” bag? And how would they taste? I really don’t want to start from scratch.
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i tried to make the cake balls last night, but the chocolate was not going on smooth gicing it that smooth after dipping finish. what am i doing wrong. also if i was to dip just the cake balls not using sticks, they come out a mess. i need some help
jennifer
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Sounds like your chocolate is too thick, which happens when it is overheated. Be very gentle when heating chocolate and if it gets thick, thin it out with a little vegetable oil and that will help a lot. However, it’s best if you don’t add oil b/c the chocolate won’t dry as hard if you have to add it.
The happiest people don’t have the best of everything…they just make the best of everything.
________________________________
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Shortening works even better to thin the chocolate and will harden a little better than the oil when cooled. Just don’t use too much..a little less than a teaspoon is enough.
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I sed candy melts to coat them and some of them are cracking, and reason you can think of as to why?
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Your question is answered above in the FAQ.
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Pingback: How To Make Cakepops – Tips, Tricks, Advice, Links & Resources
Helpful information, thanks. I see your white ones are a “true” white…what coating did you use for these? If melts was that the original color or did you touch up to get the brighter white?
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Most of them I used vanilla candy coating/almond bark on, but for the July 4th ones I bought Alpine brand “super white” candy melts. That brand is very good, much much better than Wilton. I don’t know if you can get them online, but you can order them from my store-they ship nationwide. Here is their website: http://cakestuffonline.com/
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Hi Veronica–I LOVE your blog and helpful hints (and your NAME–my daughter’s name is Veronica!:-))! My question to you is: When I use candy melts to make cake balls, I always end up with the bottom of the balls being bare. Do you have this issue, and if not, what brand of coating do you use?? Also, are there any “gourmet” coatings that you would recommend for something that tastes unbelievable, and still is easy to work with?
…an avid cake-baller, Trish R.
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Thank you, Trish! You must have good taste in names, like my Mom. :)
Your issue with the cake balls happens to me too. It’s so annoying! It’s actually easier for me to make cake pops b/c of how hard it is to get an attractive fully-covered cake ball. But this is what I do to make sure it’s all covered. There’s two ways:
1) Dip as usual (I use a fork and tap off excess, then drag it across the edge of the bowl before using another fork to ease the ball onto wax paper) and then once the chocolate is set, check the bottoms and re-dip the bottoms of those that aren’t fully covered (usually all, because the fork scrapes it off).
2) Dip the bottom half of the cake balls into chocolate, then set on wax paper on a baking sheet in the fridge to keep them cold. Once you’re finished with the bottoms, pick them up by their chocolate bottoms and dip the top half in, dipping as far down as you can go to give more of an appearance that they were only dipped once, shake off the excess, then turn it right side up to dry. Of all the cake balls I pictured, the only ones I didn’t dip this way are the two chocolate ones sitting up against all the cake pops with the colored sugar on top. Those, I dipped the first way but the others I did this way. You can see the line line near the bottom where the top edge of the chocolate meets the bottom chocolate, but it’s not too bad.
For my vanilla and chocolate coating, I generally use whatever cheap candy coating I find at the supermarket by the chocolate chips. The only one I wouldn’t reccomend is CandiQuik. I didn’t have a good experience with that brand. I also do not like Wilton’s candy melts. They get thick, even when you are careful not to overheat them. The brand I LOVE is the one I get at my cake supply store, Cake Stuff. It’s Alpine and I wasn’t able to find it for sale online, but Cake Stuff takes phone orders and ships nationwide. It tastes really good (better than Wilton) and melts beautifully, and it comes in every color you could want. Their number is 1-877-CAKESTUFF (1-877-225-3788)
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Yes, I have dipped the bottoms before, but the idea of dipping the tops again after to give it a smooth finish is great, and somerhing i hadnt thought of! Thanks!! :)
I will call and order some Alpine melts…I feel the same way about the Wilton melts. I generally use “Make ‘n Mold,” just because it’s available at AC Moore and comes in lots of colors–but i always like to try new coatings & combinations! I am going to try out your Favorite Chocolate cake recipe soon, too! Thanks so much for sharing!
Trish
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This has been my biggest challenge so far. I dipped some red velvet tonight and tried a multitude of different methods. I had the best results with the “double” dip method. The hardest part is doing the second dip and not getting chocolate all over your fingers or dropping the ball back in the chocolate (yes that did happen!) I liked the smooth appearance of these. Thanks Veronica!
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I know, I really detest dipping things in chocolate. Such a pain, but the end result is so worth it. Glad that method helped you out!
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Glad to help! :)
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You should use a teaspoon to spoon the melted chocolate over the bottom as the ball is upside down when you are di[[ing it in. this should also coat it more evenly.
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Hi Veronica! I love your blog! I’m going to attempt to make cake pops this weekend for my son’s 4th birthday. My problem is I don’t know how I’m going to transport them (about 50 of them) from my house to the location where we’re having his party. Do you have any helpful hits for this?
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Thank you! When transporting, I personally just package them all up individually, then lay them inside a container, sack, or box and hit the road. Depending on the weather, I might put them inside a cooler. The individual packaging protects them from becoming damaged by touching other pops. Some people create stands for them but I never have. If you want to try that, I’d just Google it to see if any one has a tutorial on it.
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Hi, I was wondering where you got the styrofoam block? We don’t have any lying around the house and I want to make these! They look delicious!
Thanks!
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You can put a colander upside down and stick your pops in the holes–I’ve seen that method around lately and think it’s genius! I got my block at Walmart in the craft section where they have the artificial flowers. Just don’t get the green kind-it crumbles too easily.
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I’m making these for my granddaughters wedding candy buffet. Here’s my problem: it’s an outdoor wedding in August & temperatures could reach 100* or more. Can I use royal icing to coat the pops (because the chocolate would probably melt)? & if so, should I frost with buttercream before coating with royal icing?
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OH boy, that’s a hard one. Yes, you could use royal icing, but it gets VERY hard and might be difficult to bite into. Try it with one and see if it will work. I’d suggest tapping off as much as possible to keep it thin. My only other idea is if you do them in chocolate, keep the pops in coolers and take them out in small batches to serve.
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Hi, I dipped my pops in milk chocolate. I had put veg oil to thin it out. My white chocolate pops were nice and solid, but the milk chocolate pops stayed a little softer. Why didn’t the dipped milk chocolate pops firm up like the white chocolate pops? Is it the veg oil?
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I have had the same experience-if you add oil, the chocolate just won’t set as hard. I am very careful not to overheat my chocolate so it doesn’t get thick and require thinning with oil. I don’t recommend Wilton candy melts as they tend to get quite thick, even if you’re super careful.
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hi, I tried cake pops at starbucks about a year ago and have been making them ever since. I use wilton chocolate its been working but i was wondering whats the best chocolate that melts thin so I wont have to use oil. Also after i dipped my cake in chocolate it started to sweat…would u happen to know why?
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Pretty much anything but Wilton! lol. I honestly just use whatever candy coating I can find (sometimes it’s called “almond bark”) on the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips. All brands I’ve tried except CandiQuik and Wilton melt nice and thin for dipping (as long as you’re careful not to overheat it) and I’ve never had to add oil to them. As for your pops starting to sweat, I have no idea. I’ve never had them sweat as soon as they were dipped–only when I froze them after dipping and removed them from the freezer.
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can I make cake pops from a cholcolate chiffon cake? I’ve already got them in the freezer but now I am wondering if the oil in the cake will somehow ruin my pops. Thank you for your attention. i had a ball reding all your notes! bye.
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I have no experience with chiffon cake so you will just have to try it and see. However, if your only concern is the oil, I would not worry. Most cakes have oil and the one time I tried to make cake pops, it was a disaster. Oil is good when it comes to cake and cake pops. :)
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thank you. I’ll make the cake pops for Easter and then I’ll let you know how it went. Happy Easter!!!!!. bye.
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Hi Veronica, Thanks so much for you blog, it is great! I looked through the FAQ and didn’t find the answer to my questions. I used real Belgium chocolate to dip, and after they set in the fridge I noticed that there are tiny white dots on the chocolate. Not sure if they are bubbles or what? Do you know what could have caused this? Thanks. I used this chocolate because I do not like the taste of Wilton.
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Though I can’t be sure without seeing your pops, it sounds like the fat in your chocolate “bloomed” (called fat bloom or chocolate bloom) due to not tempering it properly. I’ve never tempered chocolate because it seems too involved, and that’s why I prefer to use candy coating (no tempering required). Here is a blog I found on this, I hope this helps you:http://www.giverslog.com/?p=4334
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Thanks so much for the help. Yes i think that is what must have happened. The chocolate did get very hot. How much does that candy coating cost that you buy from the cake supply store? The almond bark that you find in the grocery store tastes ok?
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It’s kinda pricey…I think it’slike $5 for a pound but I can’t remember for sure. They will let you know when you call. Yes, the almond bark is great. Well, it doesn’t taste refined like real chocolate, it tastes more junky if you know what I mean. Not in a bad way at all. Just sweeter, I guess.
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Thanks a lot for sharing all this info!!!
Can I freeze only the cake balls and insert the sticks + dip later? What will be the best way to freeze and defrost them?
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I don’t know the best way, but this is how I would do it. I would freeze them on a tray until completely hard, then put them in a Ziploc bag (to decrease space taken up) until the day before I plan to dip. Then set them onto a tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Then proceed with the recipe as if you’d just refrigerated the balls and are ready to stick the sticks in. I wouldn’t freeze them with the sticks in but you have to figure out what works for you.
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my cake pops came out of the stick when I dipped them in the candy melts :(
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This can happen for a few reasons: 1) the pops were not cold enough 2) the sticks weren’t dipped in chocolate before putting them in the cake balls 3) too much frosting was added to the cake. You don’t want the consistency to be too soft or they’ll fall off the stick too easily.
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By covering it before refrigeration, do u mean covering it with plastic bag and ribbon?
And if you cover them that way then do you need to stick it in a styrofoam block…?
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Yes, or just putting them in a container. But I prefer to individually wrap them to protect each individual pop because putting them together will cause scuff marks. I usually wrap them, then put them in plastic container(s). You could stick them in the block, but that’s not necessary and will take up a lot of room in your fridge.
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Good!
because i dont have a styrofoam block you see, and I really couldnt see how i would carry these to school (and people are going to kill me if i dont try these out)
thanks for the tip about wrapping them
and thanks for replying :)
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and one more question…
can i use bamboo sticks of the same size instead of lollipop sticks..because i have tried searching for them everywhere but i couldnt find them (at least not where I live)
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You can use whatever you want! In fact, that might work even better than lollipop sticks if you plan on storing your pops before serving b/c the oil in the pops sometimes will spread down into the lollipop stick since it’s made of paper and make it look yellow. Yuck!
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Cool xD
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I have a suggestion in general!
I don’t care for the chocolate coating. It’s just too much..
So, I decided to try powdered sugar.
They are amazing!
I used white cake mix and vanilla frosting.
When I was done mixing and putting them into balls, I just put them in a small bag with powdered sugar and shook them a bit. Mmmm. Very yummy.
Maybe you should try them. :)
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Thanks for the suggestion! That method reminds me of muddy buddys/puppy chow the way you shake the mixture in powdered sugar at the end. :) Does the powdered sugar stay on or does the moisture in the cake balls make it dissolve over time? I would imagine the powdered sugar would have to be applied just before serving.
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The way I do mine is I just put the sugar on and put them in the freezer, since there is no chocolate to be cracked, haha. And that’s where I got the idea! I love puppy chow! But yes, if you let them sit out it will dissolve. If I make them that way I just eat them as a snack or something. Nothing too special haha. :)
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Cool, thanks!
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Your welcome! :)
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Try the chocolate from chocoley.com. The Bada Bing Bada Boom enrobing chocolate is great for cake pops. You don’t have to temper it. I just started making cake pops and I found this chocolate online. Thanks for the tip on not making the chocolate too hot… I had a few crack for the first time and I think that’s what may have happened.
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Thanks for the website-I’ll check it out!
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This was EXTREMELY helpful for me. I just did 250 for a church graduation banquet and they started cracking….:( I think I over heated the chocolate. I also like to use part chocolate with the melts for a better flavor. Have you done this? I make my own cream cheese frosting which I like better. Also, on a total side note, I go to church with your friend Jaci Hutter from Kansas. She recommended your blog. We live here in the Woodlands, TX :) Have a blessed day and thanks so much for all your helpful advise! I will check for you on FB.
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I’m so sorry I missed this comment until now! No, I’ve never mixed in real chocolate with the candy coating, but that is a good idea. I agree that using homemade frosting really makes a difference. That is so cool that you know Jaci! She’s a bestie. :)
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My cake is way too moist and won’t come out dough-y. I put too much icing. How do I change the consistency back to it’s original “cake” texture?
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You have three options at this point: 1) start over completely, 2) bake another cake and add enough extra cake to the mixture you have to get the right consistency, or 3)process some cookies in the food processor until fine and add to the mixture. The third option won’t give you a true cake pop, but if you use a cookie that compliments the flavor you’re using, like oreos with a chocolate cake, you should end up with something good.
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This blog is so helpful! I just started making Cake Balls and I have no problem dipping my chocolate balls with the chocolate melts, but when I change to my vanilla balls with white/vanilla melts, it’s a totally different story. I don’t think I am overheating it but it is just super thick and hard to work with. Have you found this with white/vanilla melts before?
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Yes, with Wilton brand. My only experience with melts is Wilton brand and Alpine brand (I haven’t been able to find it online, but you can order it from my cake supply store–their number is 1-877-CAKESTUFF (1-877-225-3788)). Wilton does get thick on me, but when I buy regular old cheap vanilla candy coating (aka almond bark, found in blocks along with chocolate coating near the chocolate chips in most supermarkets), it doesn’t get thick like that. You can thin it out by adding a teensy bit of coconut oil, shortening, or vegetable oil to it, but it will not dry as hard so only use as much as you have to to get it thin enough for dipping. I’d recommend trying the candy coating sold in blocks–it’s cheaper than melts and I have had great success with it.
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I know you talked about oil leaking thru cakepops when they are chocolate covered,but Is it normal for my cake pops to leak oil before dipping them in anything?
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How can they leak when there is nothing to leak through? Do you mean your balls are basically sitting in oil by the time you go to dip them? If so, it sounds like you are using too much frosting maybe.
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yeah they’re like sitting in oil by the time im going to dip them! and i used like 1/3 of frosting but it was homemade (cream cheese frosting) i dont even put oil only butter but just 2 teaspoons,maybe thats the problem… i dont know whats wrong! and i put the exact amount of oil instructed in the cake mix
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Weird! You shouldn’t have a problem-this is exactly how I do it too. You do refrigerate them before dipping?
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I know it’ odd! i do refrigerate them for like 2 hours or a little more.
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Maybe next time i won’t use a super moist chocolate cake mix. I’ll just buy a regular cake mix.
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It was probably a freak occurrence or something. Who knows!
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One more question…How much “small” cake pops *i’m using the Wilton cookie scoop 8.25 in long* would 1 bag of Wilton candy melts (12 oz) cover, because i’m making 50 for a party?
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I’m not certain as I’ve never used the Wilton melts except on a tiny batch of cupcake bites, but I’d get at least 2-3 bags. If you have leftover, you can stir nuts into it to make peanut clusters, dip pretzels in it, or pour it into a mold to set and reuse again.
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Thank You so much for your help! I hope they turn out.
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Hi, this website is amazing, thank you so much for your support. I am in the UK and have decided to take a stand on Wilton candy melts and never use them again. I found them ok at the beginning but I was only using the dark chocolate ones, as soon as I ventured onto coloured melts I could not get the consistency runny enough. I’ve today used normal chocolate block and that has worked well for the coverage but the cake pops do not seem to have the desired crunch of the coating and they are not as firm as when using candy melts. Do I need to buy better quality chocolate blocks or is there a wilton alternative in the UK?
THANK YOU LOTS AND LOTS
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Hi Emma! I’m not sure if the UK has it there, but here in the US they sell “candy coating” packages near the chocolate chips and it works very well for me with a nice bite to it. They usually come in 1 1/2 lb-2 lb rectangle, flat packages. Otherwise, you might do a search–there’s a link to a good coating a few comments above this too.
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Hi, I’m in the uk and I use silver spoon’s chocolate cake covering. It has a thinner consistency and works a treat with Veronica’s directions. They do a milk choc and a white choc, you can colour the white choc with food colouring, but use one that contains no water otherwise the chocolate with stiffen completely.
I use the sugar flair colour paste. Xx
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I am making 60 cake pops for a friend for a shower Saturday. She is picking them up Friday. I did a trial run of the cake pops and they turned out great. However after 2 days at room temperature, the cake appeared to have sunken in and they looked misshaped. I would be mortified if she picked them up and they did this to her right before serving them. Any idea what I am doing wrong? Help!!!
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It sounds like your chocolate isn’t very hard. I would store them in the fridge until 30 minutes-1 hour before serving and they should be fine. If it took two days for them to look sunken, then keeping them in the fridge should preserve them well, keeping the chocolate hard enough that it doesn’t change shape.
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I’m making cake pops for my bridal shower. It’s on August 25th. I know you said it was okay to freeze them, but what should I store them in? I plan on putting them in individual wrappers tied with ribbon but will that be good enough to shove in the freezer? I’m not sure if cake pops can get freezer burnt haha, but I don’t want to take the chance! thanks!
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Hi Brittany – I have frozen my cake pops after they are wrapped and tied. I kept them in an airtight container and then a day before you are ready to use, put them in the fridge right in the same container you froze them in. Just be sure they are really dry before you package them.
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I agree with anonymous. I would keep them in a container to make sure no freezer taste gets in them. And do it just like they said, putting it in the fridge the day before. If you serve them straight from the freezer, they will sweat like crazy.
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I can make the cake pops that stand on the stick just fine, but I recently tried making cake pops that stood on the actual ball and every single one cracked on the bottom. Like a big crack. With oil seeping out big time. It seemed like because the ball was placed down, the chocolate was really thin on the bottom and busted through the chocolate while drying – both n the fridge and out on the counter. Suggestions or thoughts about how to fix it or why it happens?
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Your chocolate may have been too hot… that’s what happens every time my cake pops crack. Low and slow on the melting and maintaining that temp!
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I agree with Alice.
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We have just made some for the first time tonight. Four blocks of melted chocolate didn’t quite cover them all so we tried melting a Mars Bar into the last of the chocolate…we stretched a lump over each lolly, put them in the fridge and…voila!! Toffee and chocolate coated cake pops!
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Very cool-sounds great! :)
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I’m going to make cake pops for my daughter in laws baby shower and she is allergic to dairy. I found cake and frosting mix that has no milk but I’m not having luck with a candy coating. I fond your page on Google search and after getting a few great ideas I discovered you must live in Wichita! I’m live in West Wichita :-)
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Nice to meet you Becci! I’m in west Wichita as well. :)
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I am making about 150 cake pops on sticks for table favors for my daughters wedding in 2 weeks. From what I got from all of the questions and answers is that I can make the dough balls and freeze them. Take out about 24 hours before dipping and then once defrosted, dip the sticks into the chocolate and insert them in the pops and then coat and decorate them? Once they are completed, I can put them into their own little gift baggies tied or twisted shut and then store in the fridge? I just want to make sure I do this right (hopefully the first time since I am down on the wire now). Thanks!
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Hi Chandra,
I did almost 100 cake pops for my granddaughter’s baby naming and here’s how I did it. I made the cake, mixed with frosting, formed the cake pops and refrigerated them for about an hour or so. Then I dipped the sticks in melted candy melts or whatever chocolate you use and put them into the cake balls. Again chill so the sticks are adhered.
After this process, I dipped and decorated, bagged and tied them and then froze them in an airtight container (I love Lock & Lock for this – super airtight). Then about a day before you’re using them, put them into the fridge and try and keep them there until the last minute.
If you dip them when they’ve been frozen, you run the risk of having them crack after you dip them. I’ve done it this way a few times and they were great.
One extra tip… make sure your dipping chocolate is not too hot cause that will cause cracking as well.
Good luck!!
Alice
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Make sure to chill them really well (or overnight) before you bag and tie them!!
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thank you very much I will do it that way! say a prayer and wish me luck
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Pingback: How far in advance can I make Cake Pops? - CupCakes
So I want to make cake pops for my sons birthday this weekend, would they go bad if I start 4 days early
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Nope, 4 days is fine!
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With halloween coming up, I wanted to make eyeball cake pops but was wondering if I could use a plastic fork as a “candy stick” instead? Also I wanted to use red velvet cake but inject some icing into the ball also, do you think that would make it too sweet?
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I think that’s a good idea! Make sure the part where the fork tines meet the cake that it is completely covered or oil will leak out there–this will be harder than with a lollipop stick b/c you have all the tines. I’m not the best person to ask about “too sweet” b/c nothing is too sweet for me. However, if these are for kids, I’m sure they’d agree. :)
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I am thinking of making these for a party coming up in a couple weeks and I have a lot of things to make so I was hoping to make these ahead of time and freeze them. I am going to do the vegan variation with shortening and chocolate chips over cake, although we’re going to to some in white chocolate too (obviously those will not be vegan). My cookbook says that they’ll freeze for a month but I see on your directions your advise against freezing because they’ll sweat…what are you thoughts? Should I not make these ahead?
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Yes you can freeze them–check the FAQ about half way down–this question is addressed. :)
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I have a question. I have made cake balls/pops before for Holidays and special occasions. But I am going to start selling them in a few local stores/boutiques. Do you know how long they can be left on the shelf to purchase before going bad? I plan to make as many as I can ahead of time and freezing then thawing out in the fridge like suggested above. Also, it was mentioned that if the balls are covered in chocolate and then frozen they won’t crack. Is it ok then to freeze them with all the decorations on them? Just clarifying. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank You!
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I have frozen them decorated, wrapped in cello bags and tied with ribbon. I put them in the freezer in an airtight container. Then I thaw them in the fridge. I have kept them a few weeks in the fridge but I am not sure how long they can keep at room temp.
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I really can’t answer this as I haven’t kept them at room temperature for more than two days at most. Honestly sugar is a preservative and it really does take a while for sugary sweets to go bad. I guess the best thing is to just do an experiment and see how long they last before going bad, testing every day. Never froze them decorated but my guess it would be OK if you packaged them carefully. Good luck with your adventures in selling them-sounds like fun!
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Do you have a recipe for make the cake pop truffles? They look great and my sons bday is Tuesday so I would love to make these
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Yes, it is linked to in the first sentence of this post, just click that and it will take you straight to the tutorial and recipe. He will love them!
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hi veronica,
i’m in the u.k and have just bought a baking mould where you just make up a cake mix, pour it in and bake. The cake is then cooked into balls ready to decorate. The big problem that i had was that as soon as i started putting them on the sticks ready to ‘ice’ they started sliding off their sticks. Is this because its just a cake on a stick rather than it being mixed with frosting. I did your trick of cooling them first aswell as making sure i dipped the stick in the chocolate first. Any tips you have will be gratefully received. I am planning on making these and giving them as Christmas presents to my friends and family. hope to hear from yo soon. thanks, sorrell.
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Did you put them in the fridge or wait for the chocolate to harden and fasten the balls to the sticks before dipping? That’s my only idea for helping them stay on teh sticks–if the chocolate isn’t hardened it will slide off. Also, yes, it could be harder to keep real cake balls on a stick. I hope it works out!
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Hi Veronica! I saved this recipe ages ago, and just made my cake pops for the first time this week. They were for a PTO event at my daughter’s school. We parents make treats for the teachers at Christmas time and the teachers each get to choose a couple dozen goodies to take home. Sort of like a cookie swap, only the teachers don’t have to do any of the work! Thank you for the great recipe and especially all the tips and photos. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off without all the hints!
I had a couple of questions, and some tips for other readers that I wanted to share.
First, I used a wire wisk to make my cake crumbs. I broke my cake into a couple of large chunks and put them in a large bowl, then mashed them up with a wire wisk, sort of like a one would use a potato masher. When the wisk got full of cake crumbs, I slid a knife through the wisk to push the crumbs back into the bowl, and kept mashing until I had fine crumbs. It was very easy, quick, and effective, and didn’t require any special equipment, and cleanup was a breeze. I just wanted to share that for those who don’t have a food processor, or the lazy cooks like me who have one but would rather not pull it out and have to clean it afterwards.
My other tip was about the size of the cake balls. Some of mine were a little too large, and they didn’t want to stay on the sticks after I dipped them. Smaller is definitely better, it seems!
Now for my questions: I noticed that I could only reheat my chocolate coating a couple of times before it started getting lumpy. I was using my microwave and a small glass bowl to heat the chocolate. When it started cooling and getting thick, I’d put it back in the microwave but could only do this once or twice, before the chocolate wasn’t any good any more. Any idea why?
Also… What’s a good method for putting sprinkles on the pops? I tried rolling my first pop in sprinkles, but that clearly resulted in way too many sprinkles! After that, I just sprinkled a few by hand onto each pop, but that was a pretty messy operation with nnonpareils bouncing everywhere! Is there a better way?
One other idea: I used flaked coconut to decorate the last dozen I made. They were very pretty on milk chocolate coating!
Thanks again for the recipe! So nice to make something different for one of these events and be the star! :)
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Thanks for your tip about using a whisk! I saw someone make her crumbs in a stand mixer too and beat her crumbs together with the frosting with it too, which is a lot easier but I just can’t bring myself to do it for some reason! I think because I need to feel it to see if I’ve got the right amount of frosting. And indeed, I do keep mine smaller too, about an inch wide, using a small cookie scoop to portion out the dough.
I can’t be sure about your chocolate, but my guess is it may be getting overheated when you warm it. I only melt mine once, then use my chocolate melter to keep it warm (I turn the warmer off and on so it doesn’t overheat b/c even the warm setting will get too hot for it if I leave it on the whole time). If I reheat the chocolate usign a bowl, I’m careful not to overheat it, and not melt it all the way before stirring. I use 50% power on my microwave and don’t let it go too long, letting the residual heat melt the chocolate while I stir so that I spend as much time stirring as it was in the microwave.
If you watch my video on my tutorial pageyou’ll see how I put on the sprinkles: wishiwereasleep@hotmail.com I do it over a paper plate so it catches them and then at the end I can either fold the plate to funnel them back into the sprinkles jar, or pick them up to put on more pops. Great idea for the coconut too!
Glad your pops make you a star! Now you are a pop star! :)
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My cake balls always crack when i put the sticks in , and also when I dip it in the entire ball falls in it sometimes and my candy melts get wasted too.. What should I do
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Sounds like your balls are too hard and big (LOL!!). The cake balls should never crack! They must be very dry. Use a little more frosting to get the right consistency. Also, only make them an inch big or they will be too heavy and fall off. Also follow the other steps in the tutorial.
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Great ideas! I use a small fondue to warm my chocolate and stir it often. If it get too hot I just blow out the candle and let it cool!
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Very smart!
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I made cake pops over the weekend for the first time with wilton’s candy melts (too thick) as I have also read here and also with morsals came out pretty good but was wondering if you could melt frosting and if so would it harden like wiltons or morsals? I love this site! Thank you
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