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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LaQuita Collier says
I made these as one of several treats for Christmas to give to friends and they were delicious! Thanks for posting the video and recipe.
L. Collier
simplyhomecooked says
You are very welcome! So happy to hear you loved these cake pops 🙂 Glad that they were part of your Christmas treats! Thank you for your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my food blog 🙂
Karina says
Hi, I was wondering what we can use instead the small cookie scoop you mentioned in the video. Please help.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Karina, I’m guessing you are referring to the meat baller that I use to scoop and shape the cake pops. If you don’t have that you can just use a regular cookie scoop and roll it in your hands. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂 I hope you love this cake pop recipe 🙂
Grace Stewart says
Omg Thank you so much for sharing this recipe it taste exactly like the starbucks ones!!
simplyhomecooked says
Wow Grace I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing your positive feedback 🙂
H Riley says
So easy to make, and taste just like the real Starbucks ones! I’ve been craving these since I had them in St Louis last year and these have made me very happy!!
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! Riley, that makes me so happy to hear! 🙂
Kayla says
Hello I have a question I saw that you used white cake mix but added the whole egg instead of just egg whites is that what I should do for these ?
Thank you 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kayla, yes stick to using the whole egg. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Renata says
oh my god i love it. I’ve eaten a lot at starbucks
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Renata! 🙂
Kerri says
Hi! If I wanted to make these in advance and freeze/refrigerate them – what would be the best process? Refrigerate them before they are dipped in chocolate?
Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kerri, once you put the cake pop sticks inside the rolled cake balls, you can keep them refrigerated for up to a week in an airtight container. I hope that helps answer your question.
Calvert says
I’ve never made cake pops before and I was wondering if I could shape them with my hands instead because I don’t have a cake pop mold?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Calvert, you can definitely shape the cake pops with your (clean) hands instead of using a cake pop mold. It just takes a little bit longer to get a perfect shape when using your hands. I hope you enjoy the cake pop recipe!
Mya says
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Just wondering what the shortening does and if it could be made without it, I have all of the supplies besides that one 🙁
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Mya, the shortening thins out the candy coating so that it’s easier to coat the candy. I would recommend shortening however you can use some coconut oil or vegetable oil. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy these cake pops! 🙂
Amy says
My boys LOVE these from Starbucks and my son just asked if I could make some for his birthday (Feb 14th!) class party. Just a quick question though: could I use a couple tbsp buttercream instead of pillsbury frosting? 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Amy, you can definitely use buttercream instead of the vanilla frosting 🙂 I hope your boys love this recipe and happy early birthday to your son!
Jules farr says
Can I sub shortening for anything else?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jules, yes you can substitute the shortening for coconut oil.
Jessie says
So excited to try these! I’m having a hard time finding a cake pop former. The biggest one I’ve found is 1.75” diameter. Do you know where I can find one?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jessie, I hope you enjoy this recipe! I use 1 1/4in diameter cake pop former. Technically, I use a meat baller (makes it easier). I have a link to the exact one I use. If you scroll down toward the bottom of the post under “equipment for cake pops” you will find the link there. If you have any other questions let me know 🙂
Arnela says
Please help!! I just finished the recipe and my candy melts came out so thick, I had to throw them all out. I’m making these for my daughters first bday Saturday and really want to remake them tomorrow. I did use butter instead of Crisco shortening. I’m hoping that’s where my mistake was. Would this be a reason my candy melts are coming out so thick? Also, I don’t have a cake ball tool so my circles were off.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Arnela, I highly recommend using Wilton’s dipping aid chips. They do wonders for thinning out candy melts.
Robin says
Hank you for sharing your tips. Do you have a recipe for Starbucks chocolate cake pops also?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Robin, my pleasure! I have a recipe VIDEO for no-bake oreo cake pops that tastes very similar to Starbucks chocolate cake pops. Here is the link https://simplyhomecooked.com/oreo-cake-pops-video/
Vic says
Do you think I could use a cake pop maker to use these instead of baking a cake and buying a former? Thanks in advance!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Vic, I have never used a cake pop maker for this vanilla cake pop recipe so I can’t really say how it will turn out.
Jill says
Hi Dina! Do you think I could freeze these after they set? I would like to make them for my daughter’s birthday party this weekend but I won’t have time the day of. Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jill, I don’t recommend freezing them since they can build up some moisture and become a little soggy. If you are making them for this weekend you can actually just place them in an airtight container at room temperature. They can be stored for over a week. I hope that helps 🙂
Maria Malaveci says
Kept telling my kids I would make them some as they love the ones at Starbucks. They turned out perfect. The only thing confusing was in the video it says to bake the cake for 45 min and the max on the cake box is 38.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for leaving such awesome feedback Maria! I’m so happy to hear that the vanilla cake pops turned out perfect! In regards to the time on baking the vanilla cake, it might vary depending on the brand of boxed cake mix.
renata souza says
eu preciso fazer este em casa
Shannon says
So great! Thanks for sharing! 🙂 I was only able to get 16 cake pops though and half of the pink coating cracked. Any suggestions on how to keep them from cracking?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Shannon, sometimes the candy coating cracks when the cake pops sit in the freezer for too long and gets dipped into the hot melted candy right away. The temperature shock often can cause it to crack. Try freezing the cake pops for a little less time next time 🙂 Hope that helps.
Anderson says
muito bom adorei a receita