This Vanilla Cake Pops Recipe is a copycat of Starbucks’ birthday cake pop. This little treat is a delicious combination of vanilla cake, frosting, and pink candy coating.
If you’re planning to make these bite-sized treats for a party, be sure to try my easy red velvet cake pops (VIDEO) or my no-bake oreo cake pops (VIDEO)!
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
If you’ve ever been to Starbucks you most likely saw their famous pink “birthday cake pops” through the glass of sweet goodies or on their official menu. This Vanilla Cake Pops recipe is the perfect way to create these amazingly moist and yummy pops at home.
- TASTE: These cake pops are sweet and chocolaty. The cake has a distinct vanilla flavor and the pink chocolate makes these pops taste like birthday cake.
- TEXTURE: The cake in these pops is so moist. And the hard outer candy shell is delicious.
- TIME: This recipe takes a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- EASE: This cake pop recipe is so easy to make. It used box cake mix and melted chocolates for the coating.
What you’ll need
Ingredient Notes
- White cake mix– This will require eggs, water, and oil to make.
- Vanilla frosting– White frosting is best.
- Candy melts– You can use any color you like, but pink matches the ones at Starbucks.
- Crisco shortening– This makes the candy coating on the outside shine.
- Cake pop former– 1 1/4 inch in diameter (or a small cookie scoop) can be used.
- Sprinkles– I used white nonpareils, but you can use whatever you like.
- Lollipop sticks- Any kind you like.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute cream cheese- If you haven’t got frosting, you can also use cream cheese to make the crumbs stick together.
- Add flavoring- You can make the cake have a lemon flavor with lemon extract and lemon zest. Or use mint extract, caramel extract, or banana extract.
- Substitute coconut oil- To get that shiny sheen on the cake pops outer layer, you can use coconut oil in place of the shortening.
- Substitute the sprinkles- Instead of sprinkles, uses a melted chocolate drizzle, coconut shreds, or ground-up nuts.
How to Make Vanilla Cake Pops
- Bake the cake. Bake the vanilla cake an check for doneness with a toothpick. Let it cool and remove the outer brownish layer with a knife.
- Crumble the cake. Crumble the cake into small pieces and stir in the frosting.
- Make the cake balls from the crumbs. Form the crumbs into cake balls using a tool or your hands.
- Prep the pop sticks. Dip the end of a cake pop stick into melted candy melts and insert the stick halfway through each cake ball.
- Freeze them. Freeze the vanilla cake pops for 15 minutes.
- Dip and sprinkle the cake pops. Pour melted candy melts into a tall narrow cup and dip each cake pop into the candy melts. Then tap off excess candy and sprinkle with nonpareils.
- Allow to solidify. Place the finished vanilla cake pops into a block of styrofoam so that it can cool and stiffen.
Pro Tip: If your candy coating is too thick after melting, add some kind of shortening such as Crisco or coconut oil to thin it out.
Recipe Tips
- Mix the frosting and cake well- A good way to know if the frosting and cake crumbs are well combined is by compressing a handful and checking to make sure there’s no more marbled frosting visible.
- Remove and discard the outer layer of the baked cake– It tends to be drier than the rest of the cake, therefore it can cause the cake ball to fall apart.
- Carefully coat the pops- When you dip the cake pop into the candy coating, don’t swirl the cake pop around. Instead bring it straight down, dip, and slowly bring it back up, so it doesn’t break apart.
- Tap the pops after dipping- After the cake pops have been dipped into the melted candy, quickly tap the hand that’s holding the cake pop to help release any excess candy melt.
FAQs
A cake pop is pretty much a baked cake that is crumbled into fine pieces, then it is mixed with frosting. After that, it is compressed into a cake ball. Then it is placed on a stick and dipped in melted candy melts.
Avoid big temperature changes. If your cake pops cracked, the most common reason for this is that the cake pops were too cold and the candy melts were too hot. When the two come in contact the sudden temperature change can cause a shock to the candy melts and eventually crack the shell.
Serving Suggestions
These Vanilla Cake Pops are moist and sweet with a delicious chocolatey coating. They are delicious with other cake pops, cookies, cakes, and coffee.
- Cake pops: Serve these vanilla cake pops with some Chocolate Cake Pops, Oreo Cake Pops (VIDEO), or Red Velvet Cake Pops (VIDEO). Or try these Red Velvet Cake Balls.
- Cookies: Pair them with some Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies (VIDEO), Chewy Nutella Cookies, or White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.
- Cakes: Serve them alongside a slice of New York Style Cheesecake, Tiramisu Cake (VIDEO), Chocolate Mousse Cake, or Chocolate Honey Cake (Spartak Cake).
- Beverages: Enjoy these homemade cake pops with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Brown Sugar Boba, Iced Caramel Macchiato, or Hot Chocolate.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: Make these ahead of time and store them in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place. They can be coated when you are ready to serve.
Storing: Store the cake pops at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. Refrigerating will cause condensation to form over the cake pop.
Freeze: You can freeze these cake pops individually wrapped for up to 3 months, but the candy coating will be mushy and melted when it thaws because of the water in the ice. It’s better to freeze the uncoated cake pops and coat after they thaw.
More Delicious Cakes!
This recipe was originally posted on Apr 30, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
Full Recipe Instructions
Vanilla Cake Pops (Starbucks Copycat)
Equipment
- 1 Tall narrow cup
- 1 Cake pop former 11/4 inch in diameter or small cookie scoop
Ingredients
- white nonpareils
- 1 box Pillsbury classic white cake mix
- 2 Tbsp Pillsbury creamy supreme vanilla frosting
- 12 oz Pink Wilton candy melts
- 1 1/2 tsp Crisco shortening coconut oil works too
Instructions
- Bake the white cake according to the package and let it cool down to room temperature.
- Cut the cake into 4 pieces and peel away the browned outside layer of the cake. I peel off the outer layer because it tends to be too dry to form the cake pop.
- In a large bowl, crumble the cake with your hands. Add 2 tbsp of vanilla frosting to the crumbled cake and mix with a spoon or your hands.
- Shape the cake into balls and place them into the cake pop former. Make sure the cake ball is a little bit bigger than the size of the press. Once the cake ball is pressed tightly, remove the extra cake from the sides and roll the ball with your hands to smooth any imperfections.
- Melt about 1/4 cup of candy melts in a small bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals to avoid overheating the candy.
- Dip the tip of each cake pop stick into the melted candy and poke it into to ball about half way through. Place each cake pop onto a baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the rest of the candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl. Make sure you melt them in 30-second intervals with mixing in between. Once it's melted well, add 1 1/2 tsp Crisco shortening and mix well with a whisk or fork. Then pour the melted candy into a tall narrow cup.
- Once the cake pops have been in the freezer for 20 minutes, dip each into the cup and tilt to the sides slowly to make sure the entire cake pop is covered. Then slowly pull up the cake pop. (Don't swirl the cake pop) Hold the cake pop in one hand and tap your wrist so that all the extra melted candy drips off into the cup.
- Sprinkle the cake pop right away so that the sprinkles stick to it before the candy hardens.
- Place in a Styrofoam block and let it stand for about an hour.
Notes
- Store the cake pops at room temperature. Refrigerating will cause condensation to form over the cake pop.
- Mix the frosting and cake well- A good way to know if the frosting and cake crumbs are well combined is by compressing a handful and checking to make sure there’s no more marbled frosting visible.
- Remove and discard the outer layer of the baked cake– It tends to be drier than the rest of the cake, therefore it can cause the cake ball to fall apart.
- Carefully coat the pops- When you dip the cake pop into the candy coating, don’t swirl the cake pop around. Instead bring it straight down, dip, and slowly bring it back up, so it doesn’t break apart.
- Tap the pops after dipping- After the cake pops have been dipped into the melted candy, quickly tap the hand that’s holding the cake pop to help release any excess candy melt.
Nutrition
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Mariah says
I used coconut oil in place of the Crisco and what a great flavor it had. I also used white chocolate chips in place of the candy chips. For half the batch I added a little almond extract to the cake and I really enjoyed the flavor it lent. Thanks for this super easy and fast recipe!
Abby says
I don’t have a cake pop former but I think that I can shape them with my hands. Will that work?
simplyhomecooked says
Yes that will most definitely work Abby 🙂 I’m just a perfectionist, that’s why I use the cake pop former to get the perfect sphere shape.
Abby says
ok thanks
Abby says
I do not have styrofoam blocks. And I don’t have enough time to get some. What can I use instead?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Abby, if you have a shoebox, try poking small holes into it and placing the cake pops in each hole.
Marni says
You can try an egg container. Turn upside down and poke hole in each egg slot
Debbie says
Hi. Could I use a straw instead on the candy stick? I am doing a woodland theme for my daughter’s baby shower and have birch wood themed straws.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Debbie, I think a straw should work fine.
Abby says
I have a birthday coming up in March and I wanted to make these. I just had one from the children’s hospital and they were delicious!!! I love these! Thank you for posting this recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Abby!
Hannah S. says
Could I use butter instead of Crisco?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Hannah, I’ve never tried it with butter, but I suppose it should work.
Haritha says
20 min..Do I need t wait till they come to room temp and one more once I bite the pops they are coming off from the stick easily…how to make hold to the pop stick…but they look are really awesome.
simplyhomecooked says
15-20 mins should be fine. Hmm maybe try to thin out the candy melts with a little extra crisco next time?
Haritha says
Hi
I tried yesterday for the cake pops it turned out good but some of them have little cracks…they are so nice glad I tried that.
Eggless cake pops????????????
Thanks
Haritha
simplyhomecooked says
Thanks Haritha! I think one of the reasons that cracks occur is when the cake pop ball it really cold and the candy melts are really hot. How long did you freeze the cake pops for?
Heidi Davison says
I just made these last night for a friend’s baby shower tomorrow. They turned out great! It was an involved process, especially keeping the melted chocolate at the right temperature and consistency, but I’m glad I stuck with it because they turned out super cute and tasty. I didn’t have any styrofoam, so I got an old shoe box and turned it upside down. I poked small holes in it and then pushed the cake pop stick through so it was secure. Also, my store didn’t have colored melting chocolate, so I just got white and added a few drops of red food coloring to get a soft pink color. It turned out just fine! Thanks again for the recipe! What would you think of me featuring it on my blog?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Heidi, that’s so great! Glad they turned out well 🙂 you are welcome to feature it on your blog as long as you credit me by linking back to this original recipe.
Kristin says
I don’t have styrofoam, what else can I use?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kristin, I’ve never tried using anything other than Styrofoam. In the comment section of this recipe Heidi used a shoebox. She flipped it upside down and poked holes into it. She said it worked well, so I would give that a try 🙂
Maddy says
I loved them! I made them 4 my birthday! Today!????????????
simplyhomecooked says
That’s awesome Maddy! Happy birthday 🙂
Autumn says
Would love to try these for Christmas but would like to do in advance. Any recommendations for storing them? Thank you-Autumn
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Autumn, finished cake pops can be stored at room temp for 3 days.
V says
I have frozen for up to a month thawed and decorated with no problem at all. Cake was fresh as could be.
simplyhomecooked says
Wow that’s great! Did you store them in an airtight container?
Hanna says
If I’m wanting to make these for a large group..can I get to the freezing step and leave them over night.? And then defrost a couple hours in the morning then dip and proceed.?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Hanna, I wouldn’t leave them in the freezer overnight. When they thaw they might have a different consistency after being frozen. Therefore they won’t dip in the candy coating as well. I think it’s best to just make the entire cake pops completely and let them sit at room temperature. They can easily sit in room temperature for a few days.
Alison says
I’m curious about freezing them and making them in steps also. Have you tried it yet, Vickie?
Vickie says
Do you think you could form them and freeze them for a few weeks before dipping and decorating? I am trying to make unicorn ones so want to be prepared and do it in steps rather than hours at a time.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Vickie, I’m honestly not too sure how they would turn out after being frozen for so long. Sorry I’m not much help.
Jasmine says
Hi, just wondering where do you get the cake pop former?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jasmine, I bought the cake pop former from amazon.
Alice says
Jasmine, I purchased this one from Amazon: Norpro 155 Stainless Steel Mini Meatballer
Julie says
Thanks for such quick response! I did those pops today and I used the beskivt recipe which uses 6 eggs and got 30 pops. I added frosting a little at the time and got just the right texture.
I used your technique to assemble them, thanks so much!
simplyhomecooked says
Julie thats so awesome! I’m so glad the pops turned out with homemade cake batter. Thank you for taking the time to write a review!
Julie says
Thanks for your recipe! Do you think a simple sponge cake like beskivt will work for this?
Thanks so so much
simplyhomecooked says
You’re welcome Julie! Its hard to say since everyone’s beskvit can be a little more moist or a little more dry. If you make the cake pops with your own beskvit, add the frosting a little bit at a time. Hope that helps 🙂
Bridget says
These cake pops were simply amazing. Great recipe and technique tips. They were a hit at the party!!
simplyhomecooked says
Bridget I’m so glad to hear the cake pops were a hit! Thank you for the great review.
Vanessa says
Hi is there a way to make the cake stick together better? Everything worked great except it was hard to keep the cake together
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Vanessa, try adding a little more frosting to the baked cake.