vanilla cake pops
vanilla cake and vanilla frosting rolled into balls and covered in white chocolate
baked in October 2023
yield: 50 cake pops
prep time: 2 hours minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
difficulty level: medium
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk (or buttermilk)
Frosting
- 7 Tablespoons (7/8 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 teaspoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating
- 32 ounces candy melts or coating (or pure white chocolate)
- sprinkles
Directions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- 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 2 minutes.
- 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.
For 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 with the mixer running on low.
- Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
To assemble the cake pops:
- Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps.
- Turn the mixer on low and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
- Scoop 1 Tablespoon 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.
For the coating:
- 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.
- Remove only 2 or 3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time.
- Dip a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert 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 drop off.
- Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block or box.
- Repeat with remaining cake balls, only working with 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.
Nutrition
- Total calories: 10,127
- Calories per cake pop: 203
