Discover ways to make home made chocolate cake pops fully from scratch, with no field cake combine or canned frosting. Mix wealthy chocolate cake with one of the best chocolate buttercream, and coat in melted chocolate for a deal with that may make your tastebuds pop! Watch the video tutorial for all my finest ideas.
See my vanilla cake pops recipe, too.
I initially revealed this recipe in 2018 and have since added new photographs and a video.
Chocolate cake + chocolate frosting + colourful sprinkles = essentially the most cute deal with! At present we’re making chocolate cake pops as a result of, after I shared my vanilla cake pops, I obtained so many requests for a chocolate model! Your want is my command.
This recipe was a Sally’s Baking Problem again in 2018, and readers have cherished them through the years:
One reader, Sophia, commented: “Such an superior recipe—these are principally Starbucks dupes and tremendous yummy! I made the cake pops for a pal’s birthday however my household nearly ate all of them earlier than I may give any to her, LOL. ★★★★★”
One reader, Jen, commented: “This recipe was nice! Made them for my son’s birthday celebration and had a number of individuals ask for the recipe! My son even mentioned they had been higher than Starbucks! ★★★★★”
By the best way, in case you’ve ever eaten store-bought cake pops—these style completely completely different. They’re from scratch. There’s no cake combine, there’s no canned frosting. You possibly can really TASTE the home made.
I’ve loads of step-by-step photographs, a video tutorial, and plenty of success ideas at the moment as a result of I would like you to grasp each instruction earlier than it’s your flip to make them. In spite of everything, the method isn’t troublesome—you’re actually simply baking a chocolate cake and making frosting after which mixing them collectively. However issues simply get a bit specific relating to rolling, lollipop-sticking, and dunking/dipping. If you may make bread bowls, you possibly can deal with cake pops. (They’re extra enjoyable to eat too… sprinkles!)
Learn how to Make Chocolate Cake Pops
Since we’re ditching field cake combine and canned frosting, we’ll must take a bit additional time to prep each from scratch. Right here’s an summary of the method:
- Make a 1-layer chocolate cake and let cool.
- Make chocolate frosting.
- Crumble cake into frosting and blend.
- Roll the combination into balls.
- Dip in melted chocolate.
- High with sprinkles and let dry.
- EAT!
Fast tip: At any time when I make cake pops from scratch, I all the time start the night time earlier than. I make the cake, cowl it, and let it sit out at room temperature in a single day. I additionally put together the frosting, cowl, and refrigerate. This manner the whole lot’s able to go the following day.
Make a 1-Layer Chocolate Cake
It would seem to be the change from vanilla cake pops to chocolate cake pops is straightforward. Exchange some flour with cocoa powder, proper? And vanilla frosting with chocolate frosting? I want! Chocolate is an advanced soul and requires a bit finesse, that’s why my vanilla cake and chocolate cake recipes are so completely different! I baked a pair single-layer chocolate muffins earlier than stopping with this one.
Behind the Scenes: Recipe Testing
The primary few started with creamed butter + sugar. My favourite chocolate muffins and cupcakes sometimes depend on oil for the fats as a result of (1) moisture and (2) the flavour of butter actually isn’t needed as a result of chocolate overpowers it anyway. My preliminary thought with cake pops, nonetheless, was that I wanted a barely drier cake to get one of the best texture for cake pops (as a result of it is going to be combined with frosting). Effectively this was simply an enormous mess from the beginning, as a result of dry cake is gross.
That being mentioned, you’ll want oil for the cake. And some different fundamentals like cocoa powder, sugar, flour, and eggs. Sizzling water can also be a should. The new liquid encourages the cocoa powder to bloom and dissolve. After I make chocolate cake, I often attain for warm espresso (as an alternative of scorching water) as a result of espresso accentuates the chocolate favor—however that’s not as essential right here. As a result of we’re simply crumbling the cake and mixing with chocolate frosting.
By the best way, you possibly can completely get pleasure from this chocolate cake by itself. For those who ever want a single-layer chocolate cake—use this recipe. It’s so good. Deep and darkish chocolate taste. Tremendous moist. Tremendous wealthy. High with chocolate buttercream, whipped cream, peanut butter frosting, or crimson wine chocolate ganache.
What was a bit tougher than testing the proper single-layer chocolate cake was determining how a lot frosting I wanted. An excessive amount of frosting and the cake pops are moist and greasy, whereas too little frosting means there isn’t sufficient to bind the cake crumbles. After numerous trial and error, I lastly discovered the proper quantity… and it’s not a lot, as a result of the chocolate cake is already so moist.
Crumble the cake into the bowl of frosting and sure, you’ll really feel very bizarre doing this. You simply made this stunning chocolate cake and can now break it up right into a bowl of frosting. As a result of that’s what cake pops are—cake crumbs and frosting.
As soon as the 2 are combined collectively, it’s time to roll the combination into balls. This half is EASY. I discovered the chocolate cake pops a lot simpler to roll into balls than my vanilla model. This combination is simply sooo clean! Your arms will get a bit sticky, however simply roll with it. 😉
Suggestions for Selfmade Chocolate Cake Pops
Success Tip #1: Make Smaller Cake Pops: For those who roll the cake pops too massive, they’ll wobble off the lollipop stick as a result of they’re too heavy. You want 1 Tablespoon of the cake pop combination per ball (about 20g). No extra, no much less. You’ll find yourself with 40 of them. Rather a lot—however these freeze superbly! And you’ll present them to anybody and everybody. Who doesn’t love a home made cake pop?
These cake balls want to sit back within the fridge earlier than we pop ’em on a lollipop stick. Why? They’re a lot too delicate proper now; they’ll fully crumble. Which jogs my memory… you do NOT should make these as pops. You may make them truffle-style by merely rolling them and coating in chocolate (identical to how we make Oreo balls). Both manner you get pleasure from them, chill the cake balls earlier than coating. I simply place them on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate them for a pair hours.
- Talking of chocolate, you possibly can dunk the cake balls into melted chocolate (white or semi-sweet), which is what I want for finest style, however that’s fairly costly. And also you want an excellent quantity for all 40 cake pops. As an alternative, you should utilize sweet melts/sweet coating and I give each choices within the recipe beneath, together with notes for every selection.
Success Tip #2: To make sure the cake ball stays safe on the lollipop stick, dip one finish of the stick into the melted chocolate coating first (nearly 1/2 inch down), after which stick the coated finish into the middle of the cake ball. This helps the cake ball adhere to the lollipop stick.
Success Tip #3: A 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup is the proper depth for dipping the cake pops. If I’m utilizing melted chocolate, like I did in these photographs, I soften it in a double boiler then spoon a bit at a time into the measuring cup. I don’t like dipping proper into the entire pot of melted chocolate. Let the melted chocolate quiet down for about 5 minutes earlier than you dip the chilly cake balls into it. (In any other case the coating may crack because it dries.)
Success Tip #4: The easiest way to permit the coating to dry and set—with out ruining the superbly spherical cake pop—is to position them right-side-up in a big styrofoam block or perhaps a field. I used a field, as pictured beneath, for this batch. I simply poked little holes into it. Straightforward and low-cost.
For those who’re topping with sprinkles (all the time advisable!), add them now earlier than the chocolate units. Cake pops dry/set inside an hour or so. Get pleasure from!
Chocolate Cake Pops
Prep Time: 2 hours
Prepare dinner Time: 26 minutes
Whole Time: 7 hours
Yield: 40 cake pops
Class: Cake
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Chocolate cake pops from scratch—made with home made chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, dunked in melted chocolate and topped with sprinkles! Comply with my thorough directions, ideas, and video tutorial for finest outcomes.
Chocolate Frosting
Coating
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch pan (spherical or sq.) or 9-inch springform pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt collectively in a big bowl. Put aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, and vanilla collectively in a medium bowl. Pour the moist components into the dry components, add the recent water, and whisk the whole lot collectively till mixed. Make certain there aren’t any pockets of dry components hiding.
- Pour the batter evenly into the ready pan. Bake for 25–27 minutes or till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear. Permit the cake to chill fully within 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 pace till creamy, about 2 minutes. This isn’t a whole lot of butter and it’ll get caught on the edges of the bowl, so you could must scrape down the edges of the bowl with a rubber spatula to essentially assist get it creamed. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of heavy cream/milk, and vanilla extract, and beat on low pace till included. Enhance to excessive pace and beat for 3 minutes till it actually comes collectively. Add one other teaspoon of milk/cream if it appears a bit too thick.
- Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on high of the frosting. Make certain there aren’t any massive lumps. Flip the mixer on low pace and beat the frosting and cake crumbles collectively till mixed.
- Measure 1 scant Tablespoon (20g) of moist cake combination and roll right into a ball. Place cake balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for two hours or freeze for 1 hour.
- Soften the coating in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (finest for dunking!). Use a microwave or you should utilize a double boiler and pour a bit at a time into the liquid measuring cup. Let the coating quiet down for a couple of minutes earlier than you start dipping. If it’s too scorching if you dip, the coating will crack.
- Coat the cake balls: Take away solely 2–3 cake balls from the fridge at a time. (Preserve the remaining chilly!) Dip one finish of a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert into the middle or the cake ball. Solely push it about midway to three/4 by way of the cake ball. Dip the cake ball into the coating till it’s fully lined. Make certain the coating covers the bottom of the cake ball the place it meets the lollipop stick. Very gently faucet the stick towards the sting of the measuring cup to permit extra coating to drip off. Adorn the highest with sprinkles and place upright right into a styrofoam block or field (as defined within the weblog publish above). Repeat with remaining cake balls, solely working with a number of out of the fridge at a time. The cake balls have to be very chilly when dipping!
- Coating will set inside an hour. Retailer cake pops within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward Directions: I all the time make the cake 1 day forward of time. Cowl and preserve at room temperature. You possibly can retailer the undipped cake balls within the fridge for as much as 2 days or freeze them for as much as 6 weeks. Permit to thaw within the fridge then proceed with step 7. You can too freeze the completed cake pops for as much as 6 weeks as soon as the coating has absolutely set. Thaw in a single day within the fridge.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 9-inch Spherical Pan, 9-inch Sq. Pan, or 9-inch Springform Pan | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Measuring Cup | Double Boiler | Lollipop Sticks
- Chocolate: You should use sweet coating/sweet melts, almond bark, or semi-sweet chocolate (or white chocolate). If utilizing almond bark or chocolate, chop it up earlier than melting. Soften it down with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to skinny out so it’s simpler to make use of as a coating. Preserve heat over a double boiler. You can too mood pure chocolate for the coating. My full tempering tutorial is in Sally’s Sweet Dependancy when you’ve got a duplicate.
- Cake Balls: Wish to skip the lollipop stick? Go for it. Simply dip the cake balls in melted or tempered chocolate to make scrumptious chocolate cake truffles. At any time when I dip truffles, I all the time use this spiral dipping instrument. Place the truffle within the chocolate and carry it out with the dipping instrument. Shortly flip it the other way up on a lined baking sheet. You possibly can see precisely how I do that on this video (scroll down for video): darkish chocolate chocolate rum truffles. Go to the 1-minute mark. That’s how I dip and neatly launch truffles. Really easy!
See Your Chocolate Cake Pops!
Many readers tried this recipe as a part of a baking problem! Be happy to e-mail or share your recipe photographs with us on social media. 🙂
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