Discover the easy process of creating Chocolate Cake Pops using homemade cake and frosting made from scratch. It’s rich and delicious for a fabulous bite size treat.

Chocolate Cake Pops in a jar with sprinkles.
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With easy step by step instructions, anyone can make homemade Chocolate Cake Pops. They are absolutely delicious and perfect for parties and celebrations. I have been making these for years without a cake mix and using a homemade cake recipe.

If you love sprinkles but would like vanilla cake pops, also try Birthday Cake Pops. And for more chocolate flavor, Brownie Cake Pops are a must try.

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Each cake pop is the perfect bite size treat for birthday parties, holidays and more.
  • The recipe is easy enough to make any time of year and one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes.
  • The rich chocolate flavor is hard to beat and so decadent. You can taste the difference with homemade cake and frosting.

Ingredients

Ingredients for chocolate cake pops - flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, butter, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk.

Chocolate Cake

  • All Purpose Flour. Make sure that you spoon the flour into the measuring cup for accuracy and don’t scoop it.
  • Granulated Sugar. Just regular white sugar.
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. I like Hershey’s but you can use what you prefer.
  • Baking soda. Best Baking Soda Substitutes
  • Butter. It needs to be melted and cooled. I prefer butter instead of a cup vegetable oil.
  • Large Eggs. Room temperature so they will combine easily and bake evenly.
  • Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract.
  • Buttermilk. What is Buttermilk
  • Very Hot Water. It’s important that it is hot!

Chocolate Frosting

  • Unsalted Butter. Use unsalted butter and let it come to room temperature, so it’s softened.
  • Confectioners Sugar. You may need to sift to remove any lumps.
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. Helps to give the frosting the perfect chocolate flavor.
  • Heavy Whipping Cream. I love to use heavy whipping cream to make frosting because it is so rich and flavorful.

For the Cake Pops

  • Chocolate Candy Melts. Candy melts are easy to melt and make each cake pop look smooth.
  • Sprinkles. Optional but so cute!
  • Lollipop Sticks. Find these at your local craft store or on the baking aisle.

Find the complete list of ingredients at the bottom of the page.

Variations

  • Topping. Instead of sprinkles, you can use chopped nuts.
  • Sprinkles. Change the color of the sprinkles to match any occasion.

Step By Step Instructions

  • Step 1. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then spray a 9-inch round or square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. 
  • Step 2. Next, use a large mixing bowl and whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and ¼ tsp salt until combined. 
Melted butter and eggs added into the cale batter.

Step 3. Melt the butter and add to the dry ingredients mixture. Then add eggs, one at a time, until combined.  Mix in the tsp vanilla extract.

Buttermilk and hot water mixed into the batter.

Step 4. Once combined, reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the buttermilk and hot water to the wet ingredients.

Cake baked and cooling.

Step 5. Finally, pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-27 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake needs to cool completely at room temperature on a wire rack.

Butter beating beat in a bowl with a mixer.

Step 6. While the cake cools, make the frosting. Add the butter into a mixing bowl and beat on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes. The butter should be light and fluffy. You can use a standing mixer with paddle attachment or handheld mixer.

Powdered sugar and cocoa powder added to bowl.

Step 7. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until well combined.  Add in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon, at a time, until the frosting is a good consistency. You may not need to use all of the heavy cream.  Once all the ingredients are combined, beat for 3-4 minutes until creamy. 

Cake crumbled in a large bowl.

Step 8. Now, it’s time to crumble the cake. Remove from the pan.  Go ahead and remove the outside layer from the cake and discard.  Crumble the remaining cake into a large bowl. Add the frosting to your crumbled cake mixture and stir to combine.

Cake balls formed and placed on a baking sheet.

Step 9. Form the mixture into cake balls. It will make between 24-36 cake balls (depending on their size). Place on a lined baking sheet. I like to use a cookie scoop to make sure that each one is the same size.

Cake pops with sticks inserted.

Step 10. Use a small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  Continue to heat in 30 second intervals. You will need to stir between each one until the candy melts are fully melted. Then dip each cake pop stick into the melted candy and insert into the cake balls about halfway into the balls.  Then place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Melted candy melts in a bowl and cake pop being dipped.

Step 11. After the cake pops have chilled, dip into the melted candy melts.  Make sure to cover the cake pop completely.  Then allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.

Sprinkles added to the cake pops.

Step 12. Finally, place the stick of cake pops into a block of Styrofoam. This will allow the candy to dry. Add the sprinkles immediately before the candy dries if using sprinkles.

  • Step 13. Continue until all the cake pops have been covered.  Once all the cake pops are dry, they are ready to serve and enjoy!
Cake pops topped with sprinkles.

Storage

Store the leftover cake pops in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

Can You Freeze Cake Pops?

You might be wondering, can you Freeze Cake Pops? Yes, cake pops can be frozen up to 3 months. Place inside an airtight container.

Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight when ready to enjoy.

Pro Tips

  • Adjust the consistency. If the melted candy melt is too thick, thin it out with a small amount of vegetable oil or coconut oil.  Add it slowly to the melted chocolate.  
  • Make in advance. I like to make the cake the day before preparing the cake pops. This ensures that the cake has cooled completely before crumbling it to make the cake pop mixture.
  • Don’t make the cake balls too large. If they are too big, they will be heavy and fall off the stick.
  • Chill before using. It’s important to allow the cake balls to chill before coating in melted chocolate. This will ensure they don’t fall apart.
  • Add candy melts to the stick. This helps to make sure the cake ball is really secure. Don’t skip this step!
  • Dry using a Styrofoam block or cake pop holder. This will ensure you don’t get any indentations, and the cake pops stay smooth.
  • Add sprinkles before the candy melts dry. They won’t stick if you wait to add the sprinkles.

If You Like This, Try More Easy Cake Pop Recipes

Please give this a try and let me know if you love it! Leave a comment and star rating.

Chocolate Cake Pops

5 from 1 vote
Discover the easy process of creating Chocolate Cake Pops using homemade cake and frosting made from scratch. It's rich and delicious for a fabulous bite size treat.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Freeze: 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 24
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Calories 209

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake:

For the Chocolate Frosting:

For the Cake Pops:

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Instructions

For the Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9 inch round or square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
  • Stir in the melted butter and eggs, one at a time, until combined.  Then mix in the vanilla extract until combined.
  • Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the buttermilk and hot water.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-27 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature.

For the Frosting:

  • Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Reduce the speed of the mixture to low and add in the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until well combined.
  • Add in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon, at a time, until the frosting is a good consistency. You may or may not use all the heavy cream.  Once all the ingredients are well combined, beat for 3-4 minutes until creamy.

For the Cake Pops:

  • Remove the cake from the pan.  Remove the outside layer from the cake and throw it away.  Crumble up the remaining cake into a large bowl.
  • Add the frosting to your crumbled cake and stir everything together until well combined.
  • Shape mixture into about 24-36 cake balls (depending on their size) and place on a lined cookie sheet. I used a cookie scoop to ensure that each one is approximately the same size.
  • Put the chocolate candy melts in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  Then continue to heat in 30 second intervals stirring between each one until the candy melts are fully melted and creamy.
  • Dip each cake pop stick into the melted candy and then place them into the cake balls about halfway into the balls.  Then place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (do not freeze for longer than 15 minutes).
  • After the cake pops have been chilled, dip each cake pop into the melted candy melts (you may need to re-melt it if it has solidified some).  Make sure that the candy covers the cake pop completely.  Allow the excess melted candy to drip off back into the bowl.
  • Then place the stick of cake pops in a block of styrofoam while the candy dries and solidifies. Add the sprinkles immediately before the candy dries.
  • Continue until all the cake pops have been covered.  Once all the cake pops are dry, they are ready to serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Store the leftover cake pops in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 
If the melted candy melt is too thick, thin it out with a small amount of vegetable oil or coconut oil.  Add it slowly to the melted chocolate.  
Generally, I make the cake the day before preparing the cake pops to make sure that the cake has cooled completely before crumbling it to make the cake pop mixture.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 209kcal, Carbohydrates 27g, Protein 2g, Fat 11g, Saturated Fat 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0.3g, Cholesterol 36mg, Sodium 145mg, Potassium 58mg, Fiber 1g, Sugar 21g, Vitamin A 283IU, Vitamin C 0.01mg, Calcium 15mg, Iron 1mg

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Desserts on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you create delicious desserts on a budget and do not require a ton of time. Together, we are going to make something sweet that the entire family will love!

5 from 1 vote

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  1. Kathy says:

    5 stars
    So delicious and really easy to make. They turned out great!