Learn how to make homemade cake pops completely from scratch, with no box cake mix or canned frosting. Combine homemade vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream and dip in white chocolate for a sweet treat kids (and adults, too!) always go crazy for. Watch the video tutorial for all my best shaping tips.
See my chocolate cake pops recipe, too.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a video.
Have you ever seen a child peering into the food display case at Starbucks? I’m not an expert, but I’m willing to bet that 9 times out of 10, the child will ask for a cake pop. This is definitely the case with my own kids, anyway! There’s just something so irresistible about those Starbucks cake pops—a perfectly portioned treat on a stick in eye-catching colors and shapes, topped with sprinkles. It’s hard to say no to something this tempting!
I first began making homemade cake pops when I wrote Sally’s Candy Addiction. In fact, this recipe is published in that book. I wanted to share it on my website as well because I’ve received lots of questions about making from-scratch cake pops.
One reader, Debby, commented: “Made 160 vanilla and chocolate cake pops for my daughter’s graduation party! They turned out great! Many asked where we had purchased them. They looked amazing and tasted awesome, too! Thanks, Sally, for your rolling advice, tips, and techniques. It was nice that you could prepare them ahead of time and freeze them. ★★★★★”
One reader, Luisa, commented: “My first time making cake pops and they were perfect! My kids and their friends loved them. This recipe is going to be a staple in our house for special occasions. ★★★★★”
Taste the Homemade
The difference between these cake pops and others you may have tried is that these are 100% homemade. There’s no box cake mix or canned frosting, which results in a totally unique cake pop experience. You can actually TASTE the homemade.
Today I’ll go over all my tips, tricks, and secrets to crafting the perfect pop as well as the homemade vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream used inside. There’s lots of ground to cover so let’s pop right to it. (Couldn’t help myself!)
How to Make Homemade Cake Pops
Since we’re leaving the box cake mix and canned frosting on the store shelves, we’ll need to take extra time to prep both from scratch. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Make a 1-layer vanilla cake and let cool.
- Make vanilla buttercream frosting.
- Crumble cake into frosting and mix.
- Roll the mixture into balls.
- Dip in melted chocolate.
- Top with sprinkles and let dry.
- EAT!
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the cake in advance, because it needs to cool completely before you crumble it into the frosting. I always make the cake the night before, then finish the cake pops the next day.
My recipe for vanilla cake is very straightforward. It’s basically a scaled-down version of my favorite vanilla layer cake. I encourage you to use the correct size pan for the cake. This cake is too large for a typical 9-inch cake pan. You’ll need to use a 9-inch springform pan because it rises quite high. Or you can use an 11×7-inch pan instead. A 10-inch springform pan would work as well.
Besides lollipop sticks, a mixer, and the correct size pan, you don’t really need much else to get started!
Then make the vanilla frosting. The difference between this and frosting out of a container is the TASTE; you can tell these cake pops are special and it’s because you started with from-scratch components. This frosting recipe yields *just enough* to barely moisten the cake crumbs. Any more than that and the cake pops would be greasy.
Now it’s time to crumble the cake and mix with your frosting.
(Crumbling the cake into the frosting sounds super weird when you think about it and that’s exactly what cake pops are—super weird when you think about it. It’s cake and frosting mixed together to form a truffle-like ball. Pop a stick in it and dunk into coating. Yep, it’s weirdly delicious and awesome and you need to embrace it.)
Once the two are mixed together, it’s time to roll the mixture into balls.
3 Success Tips for Shaping & Dipping Cake Pops
Success Tip #1: It’s easier to roll the cake + frosting mixture into perfectly round balls if it’s cold. So what I do is roll the balls right after the two are mixed together. They’re pretty misshapen because the cake + frosting mixture is super moist—and at room temperature. Chill the balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. After that, give them another quick roll to smooth out the sides. When they’re cold, they’re easier to smooth out and form perfectly round shapes.
Now let’s dunk! You can dip the cake balls in melted white chocolate, which is what I prefer for the best taste, but that stuff is pretty expensive. And you need a good amount for all 40 cake pops! If desired, you can use candy melts/candy coating instead.
- A 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup is the perfect depth for dipping the cake pops.
- You can used colored candy melts or tint the white chocolate with gel food coloring.
Success Tip #2: To ensure the cake ball stays secure on the lollipop stick, dip one end of the stick into the coating first (just about 1/2 inch down). Then insert the coated end into the center of the cake ball. This helps the cake ball adhere to the lollipop stick.
Success Tip #3: The best way to allow the coating to dry and set—without ruining the perfectly round cake pop—is to place them right-side-up in a large styrofoam block or even a box. I used a box, as pictured below, for this batch. I just poked little holes into it.
Easy and cheap:
If you’re topping with sprinkles (always recommended!), add them now before the chocolate sets. I used rainbow sprinkles on the white chocolate and white sprinkles on the light pink-tinted white chocolate (like Starbucks!).
Cake pops dry/set within an hour or so.
Cake Pop FAQs
Cake pops are an ideal celebration-worthy treat to make ahead of time because they freeze beautifully. I simply freeze them in a large zip-top freezer bag or freezer-safe container after they’ve fully dried. They can stay in the freezer for up to 6 weeks, then thaw them overnight in the fridge.
Tinting the coating brings a fun POP of color! I usually stick to just white + one other color. Again, you can use colored candy melts for the coating or you can tint the white chocolate with gel food coloring. Then of course you can mix up what sprinkles you use!
Check out my recipe for chocolate cake pops here. You can also switch up dunking in white or dark chocolate.
If your cake pops have some cracks on them, the melted chocolate could have been too hot. Let the melted chocolate or candy coating sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool down before dunking the cold cake balls into it. That usually helps!
Homemade Cake Pops
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 36 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 40 pops
- Category: Cake Pops
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade vanilla cake pops with vanilla buttercream from scratch—no cake mix or canned frosting! Follow my thorough instructions, tips, and video tutorial for best results.
Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk (or buttermilk)
Frosting
- 7 Tablespoons (99g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 teaspoons heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating
- 24 ounces (678g) candy melts (or white chocolate bars)*
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamed, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and milk to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Give the thick batter a quick stir with a spatula to ensure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Pour and spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30–36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top begins browning too quickly in the oven, loosely tent with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and mix on low speed to combine. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
- Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps. Turn the mixer on low speed and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
- Scoop 1 Tablespoon (about 20g) of cake/frosting mixture and roll into a ball. Place balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or freeze for 1 hour to set the shape. Re-roll the chilled cake pop balls to smooth out, if needed. Place the tray back into the fridge, as you’ll only work with a couple at a time.
- Melt the chocolate or candy melts in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (best for dunking!) in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted and smooth. You can also use a double boiler on the stove, if you prefer.
- Coat the cake balls: Remove just 2 or 3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. Dip the end of a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert the coated end into the center of the cake ball. Only push it about halfway through the cake ball. Dip the cake ball into the coating until it is completely covered. Make sure the coating covers the base of the cake ball where it meets the lollipop stick. Very gently tap the stick against the edge of the measuring cup to allow excess coating to drip off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block or box (as explained in the blog post). Repeat with remaining cake balls, working with just a few out of the refrigerator at a time. The cake balls must be very cold when dipping!
- Coating will set within an hour. Store cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: I always make the cake 1 day ahead of time. Cover and keep at room temperature. You can store the undipped cake balls in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 6 weeks. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator, then continue with step 9. You can also freeze the finished cake pops for up to 6 weeks once the coating has fully set. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Springform Pan (a 10-inch springform pan or 11×7-inch pan will work, too) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Measuring Cup | Lollipop Sticks | Americolor Food Coloring
- Coating: You can use candy coating/candy melts, or chopped white chocolate. I typically use Ghirardelli brand white chocolate melting wafers. Semi-sweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate baking bars work, too. Coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl or glass liquid measuring cup, along with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to help thin it out. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each 20 seconds, until melted and smooth. Keep warm over a double boiler.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’ve been making cake balls/pops for a few years now and I’m so excited to try your recipe, I always prefer things made from scratch. I only have a 10in-springform pan, what would be the time you recommend to bake for?
Hi Julie, we’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it will be slightly shorter since the cake layer will be thinner. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Hope you enjoy it!
I want to use this recipe to enter into a contest, do these cake pops have to be refrigerated?
Yes, we recommend storing them in the refrigerator for up to a week, although they can be displayed at room temperature for a few hours.
What kind of container do you freeze them in? Do you lay them down? Please telle more about freezing and transporting them to a party. Thank you!!
Hi Barb, any tupperware or storage container would be great. You can lay them down since the coating will be set. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before you plan to bring them to a party!
HELLO! Would there be a way to make these without using egg? I am making them for my daughter’s birthday and I know of one person with an egg allergy. Just curious! Thank you!
Hi Ashley, we haven’t tested this cake recipe with any egg substitutes. If you’re interested, here are all of our naturally egg-free recipes.
What alterations would you make to this recipe for high altitude baking? Thanks!
Hi Molly, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Thank you so much for this recipe! All the tips and tricks were super helpful and the cake pops came out AMAZING.
I would love a recipe for cake pops that you bake in a silicone mold but that have more of a wet cake pop consistency when they are done baking.
Hi Julia, we haven’t tested this recipe in a silicone mold so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do give it a try.
Hi Sally, I have made these many times and they are the best cake pops in the world. Starbucks has nothing on these. I was hoping to make the cake for them tomorrow(wednesday), and then form and dip on thursday. If I wont be serving them until sunday, should I put them in the freezer once dry on thursday and then put in fridge saturday to thaw for sunday? Or do you think they would be good just keeping in the fridge until sunday?
Hi Jean, the cake pops stay good in the refrigerator for up to a week, so no need to freeze them between Thursday and Sunday. So glad you love them!
I made your cake pops for my daughter’s gender reveal party. Since the cake batter was tinted for the reveal, I had to double dip the coating but the pops held up and didn’t fall off the stick. I had watched mutliple You Tube videos and had 4 fails before trying your recipe. I just wanted to thank you for a great recipe and the perfect proportion of icing to mix in to achieve the proper consistency for dipping. The cake pops were a big hit with everyone experiencing the reveal personally as they took their own bite. We received lots of compliments on the taste as well as the appearance. Every recipe I’ve tried on your site has been wonderful, and your instructions are so helpful. thanks so much. BTW, it’s a girl.
Congratulations, Lauri! We’re so thrilled to hear that this recipe was a success for you, thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Am I able to use the homemade strawberry cake recipe for strawberry cake pops?
Hi Shariesa, we haven’t turned our strawberry cake into cake pops yet – but you definitely can! Keep in mind that one 9 inch layer will make about 40 cake pops so you can cut the recipe in half if you would like. For the frosting go by feel – add it in slowly until you get the perfect consistency. You’ll want to significantly decrease the amount of frosting as the cake is pretty moist already. Let us know if you give it a try!
The mission was a success. About 5 Tbs of the icing did the trick! Thanks for the advice!!!
I love the recipe! I made mine ahead and froze them. How long do they stay good after being decorated and stored in the fridge
Hi Katlyn, you can store cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Enjoy!
Hi! Quick question… How long do they last at room temperature? Or do they need to be refrigeranted? I was planning on giving them as gifts. Thank you
Hi Lis, Store cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Would you be able to tell me how long the cake pops can be unrefridgerated? For example, if I dipped them on a Thursday or Friday…can I leave them at room temperature until Saturday?
I’m wrapping the pops in cellophane for a party and don’t want condensation to form in the wrapper. I also prefer not to wrap them the day of the party. Thank you for your help!
Hi Sherrie, If you use candy melts and the room is cool, they should be ok for a day or two! Keep in mind real chocolate will melt easier.
I made your red velvet cake (amazing) for my husbands birthday this week and due to unforeseen circumstances, it has only been the two of us here this week. I hate to waste that wonderful cake and thought about mixing it up to make cake truffles (pops) for Christmas. Could I freeze them until Christmas? If so should I freeze before or after dipping? TIA
Absolutely! See recipe notes for freezing instructions.
do you think i could use this recipe but instead of chilling the dough and then rolling it into small balls, put the room temp dough into a silicon mold?
Hi Julia, we can’t see why not! You’ll want to chill after putting in the molds.
Do you have any experience or thoughts on using any substitutions for prepared icing to make the dough? I’ve read about milk and would presume that a bit of butter/shortening might work to prevent added sugar (and effort).
Hi Jessica, you can use store bought frosting with this recipe. You may need to tinker with the amount a bit since it’s usually a bit thinner than homemade buttercream.
Hi Sally I made cake pops just last night from scratch myself I found your recipe and compared them I love your trick to hold the pops in place I just placed them on the cookie sheet which worked well but now that I know, I also used cake flour is regular flour better? Thanks
Just made this with the kids, and the recipe is great. We followed all the tips, which were super helpful. The cake pops aren’t perfect to look at (that’s our bad), but they taste delicious! The recipe was easy to follow, which made it especially fun to do with kids. Thanks!
Omg this was amazing! i used this for my sons gender reveal. hes now 50 years old. time flies doesnt it!!?!. my husband left us when we were young so preparing this really boosted my ego but the wrong way. somehow this recipie gave me rabies but thats ok. i think it might be becuase of the flower but it is wat it is. thanks for this amzing recipie sarah this helped my life.
This cake recipe is amazing! I had about the amount of butter cream this calls for left over from a different project and gave these a go. I didn’t use all the frosting, just enough to bind it together like moist cake. My white chocolate was old and didn’t melt so I used 60% chocolate chips instead.
They were AMAZING. I scooped them with a medium pampered chef scoop and probably ate 8-10 myself together. They were addicting.
Thank you!
Great recipe !
Do you know the nutritional facts for this?
Hi Tahsa, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
it is the best thing i have ever had
Hi Sally! I would love to make half of this recipe for an event that doesn’t need 40 cake pops. If I cut this recipe in half, what pan would you recommend using to bake the cake in? Thanks so much!
Hi Hannah! An 8 inch pan– regular cake pan, not a springform pan– should be large enough for half of the recipe.
I have candy melts. The chocolate is chunking, not melting. Heating it in a plastic measuring cup in microwave.
Hi Jodie, you can try microwaving your chocolate in even smaller time increments. That will help promote more even heating and should prevent the chocolate from chunking up. Be sure to stir between times in the microwave.
This was a great recipe, easy to follow and worked well if you like the sweeter version of cake pops. Being my first time at making cake pops, I didn’t realize there are different kinds – this one, where you mix frosting and cake together so you get a truffle like consistency (definitely sweet), and the kind you just bake cake in a preset mold to get balls of cake you then dip. I prefer the latter, but this is a good and easy to follow recipe if you like that truffle like consistency.
Can’t wait to try these. Can I use almond milk as a substitute for dairy milk? I am lactose-intolerant. Thank you!
Hi Joanne, almond milk should work in a pinch.
This recipe for vanilla cake pops was delicious! The only issue I had was with dipping a fresh-outta-the-fridge cake pop into warm melted wafers. I made sure the melted wafers were not piping hot as suggested. Still. Sadly, nearly all of the cake pops cracked. I tried my best to camouflage the damage with designs as they were for my nephew’s 1st birthday party’s dessert table. Everyone still ate them with great pleasure, but I had to do a lot of (post) research into how to prevent cake pops from cracking to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Thank you for your recipe, though. At least the homemade vs cake box flavor was spot on. 🙂
Hi Millicent, thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! The coating can crack because of the temperature difference between the coating and the cake. You can definitely help prevent that next time. If you keep the shaped cake pops a little warmer– aka don’t put in the freezer or refrigerator for so long before dipping– the coating won’t crack. OR make sure that the coating isn’t too hot. Hope this helps and we’re so glad they were a hit at your nephew’s birthday!
Hi! I made this recipe before and it was amazing. However, my cake pops turned out too large and therefore too few. Do you know about how many grams of cake/frosting mixture should be used for each pop? I’d like to measure it out this time to ensure consistency and appropriate size. Thank you!
Hi Mallory, We haven’t weighted each cake ball to get an accurate weight. However we do suggest that you use either your tablespoon (what we use) or even a small cookie scoop to measure them out and then roll them so that they are uniform. You can even make a few this way and see what they weigh, and then match the weight for the rest of them.
Hello! I’ve made this recipe many times, and I LOVE THEM. But I wanted to do cream cheese frosting instead — do you know how many ounces or grams of frosting goes into the cake pops?
Hi Tram! You can absolutely use cream cheese frosting instead — we’re unsure of the exact amount, but you’ll want *just enough* to barely moisten those cake crumbs. Have fun experimenting!
Sally, is there an alternative pan size I can use to bake the cake instead of a 9in spring form? I just don’t have that on hand currently.
Hi Irena, you can use two 8 inch round cake pans or even an 11×7 pan instead. We’re unsure of the exact bake time for those sizes.
I don’t intend on using cake pop sticks, I’m doing something hallowwen-ey instead. How can i dip in the cake balls without using a stick? Think toothpicks are too small to use? In the end, I will stick a small fork on top.
Hi Michele, You can fully submerge your cake balls into the melted chocolate and then remove them. We love using a spiral dipping tool for this, but a fork will work also. You can see how this works in the video for peanut butter truffles.
I’m going to try these, I also was thinking of Halloween for my grandkids. I’m curious how you did yours for Halloween. I’m not real crafty.
Hi Shelly. Im turning the cake balls into eye-balls. Got candy eyes that i’ll glue on with chocolate. Im even painting the eye with blue food coloring. When done, i’ll drip blood (raspberry sauce) and stick a small fork in it.
Can I use chocolate cake batter and melted semisweet chocolate for this?
Hi Olivia, we’d recommend following this chocolate cake pops recipe for a chocolate version.