We never met a cake — any cake —we didn’t love. But cake pops hold a special place in our hearts. From the kids’ parties to fancy weddings, these little cuties are always the bite-size life of the party. And besides looking adorable, they’re practical too, since they’re so easy to display, serve and eat. Plus, with a sturdy candy coating, they’re totally foolproof for making ahead and transporting. Keep reading for tips on how to dip your cake pops.
Candy Coating 101
Candy coating is similar to tempered chocolate but it melts at a higher temperature. Shopping for it can seem a little confusing since candy coating has a bunch of nicknames including “candy melts,” “chocolate bark,” or even just “chocolate.” But it’s actually pretty easy to recognize in the store; look for bags of bright-colored discs in a rainbow of hues, and you’re on the right track.
Candy-Coated Cake Pops
Level: Easy
What You Need
- Candy melts
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave
- Lollipop sticks
- Cake pop dough
- Cookie scoop
- Toothpicks
- Cake pop stand or styrofoam block
Instructions
1. Make the Cake Pop Dough
Mash up a baked cake (you can use any recipe you love) and combine it with buttercream.
Pro Tip: For every 2 cups of cake, use 1 tablespoon buttercream. Adjust this ratio until you have a doughy consistency you can roll into a ball.
When done, use a cookie scoop to create identical cake balls and place them in the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes.
2. Melt the Wafers
To melt, fill the bowl with candy wafers. Microwave for 1 minute at 50 percent power, then stir. Even if it doesn’t look like anything has happened, stir to move the wafers around to avoid scorching them. Microwave again for 30 seconds at 50 percent power, and stir. Repeat at 30 second intervals at 50 percent power until the wafers have completely melted. Add more wafers to fill the bowl, if you wish, but don’t forget to stir at every 30 second interval.
3. Thin the Coating, if Needed
If the candy coating seems too thick, you can fix that by stirring in some paramount crystals, which are made from the same oils contained in candy wafers. Add a tablespoon of paramount crystals at a time to the warm candy coating and stir until the crystals melt completely. You want your melted candy melts to have a loose, fluid consistency , kind of like a can of paint. Since different colors and brands of candy wafers behave differently, this may take a bit of experimenting. Just keep fiddling until it feels right!
4. Pause
To avoid cracks in your finished pops, it’s usually best to let the candy coating rest for about 5 minutes after heating and before dipping. The closer to room temperature the coating is, the better.
5. Insert the Stick
Dip about â…“” of the lollipop stick in the melted candy coating, then insert the stick into a cake ball until it’s about halfway into the ball. Dipping the stick in candy coating first helps “glue” the cake ball and the stick together, and also helps prevent the ball from sliding down the stick later.
Insert sticks in all the cake balls before moving onto the next step. If it’s warm in your kitchen, pop the “naked” cake pops in the fridge for a few minutes before proceeding.
6. Get Dippin’
OK, this is the legit fun part: dipping your cake pops! Hold the cake pop upside down. In one motion, dunk it into the candy coating until you see the coating cover the entire ball and meet the stick. Then lift up the pop and encourage the excess coating to flow back into the bowl by making an up-and-down motion with your arm. Now turn the pop right-side-up and give it a little twist, rotating the pop at an angle to help the coating settle evenly around the cake ball.
7. Tidy Up
Use a toothpick to help guide any excess coating off the cake pop near the stick if needed. You can also use a toothpick to puncture any noticeable air bubbles in the coating.
8. Let Them Dry
Stick your finished pop in a cake pop stand or styrofoam block, then repeat the process until all of your pops are coated. Now stand back and admire those beauties until the coating is completely dry and hard. This timing will vary depending on the brand of candy melts you use, but is usually between 10 and 30 minutes. You can always pop the pops in the fridge if you’re in a hurry.
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I would like to make these and sell them for different fundraisers. I went to school to be a pastry chef. So I would live to try to make them.
Why do my cake pops fall off the stick when I dip them in the candy melts? I put them in the fridge to harden before dipping. Thank you.
Are you dipping the stick in the melts and then inserting the stick into the cake? Maybe the candy melts are too thick, thin the melted candy. You also have to turn the cake pops when coating them, if you dunk and pull them out they’re going to pull off. Be gentle, you’re putting cake on a stick, not as easy as candy apple coating
Want to learn
Omg hahahaha, some of t those reply’s are so funny!
My problem is getting the roundness more precise. And I don’t want to show them to you cause dang! Hahaha!
those cakeside looks good. I don’t see you posting any of yours. I just join if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything
Learning how to coat cake pops
These cake pops look like trash🤣
Wow so you just woke up and chose rudeness today
that disrespectful comment makes you look like trash
those cakeside looks good. I don’t see you posting any of yours. I just join if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything
Can you mix candy melts to make other colors?
You can actually color white candy melts & white chocolate with GEL or another oil based food coloring. Dont use liquid food coloring bc it will make your chocolate seize up!A good tip for white choc/candy melts is to thin them out with coconut oil or shortening bc they do tend to “gunk up” waaay more then any other color. Start with a TBSP and go from there. Thin your chocolate to your liking to make for easier dipping😉
Is there something besides paramount crystals to thin the melts? I can’t find it in town and don’t have time to order. Thanks!
You can use vegetable oil or whatever lol you have except Olive oil. Just add about 1/8 or 1/4 tap then stir, only add more of it is still too thick.
You can also use coconut oil
You can also melt paraffin wax into them too. I use the paraffin wax when I make goodies that’s gotta be coated in chocolate. It will thin it out plus leave a glossy shine to it.
I use vegetable shortening to thin out candy meltd
Hello,
Can you colour the candy melts with gel food colouring?
Thanks!
No, it will seize your coating. Too much water in it. There are oil base and powder base colors out there that you can use.
Wow, sure wish I read this post before yesterday! 🤦 I tried to add gel food coloring to my white melting chips and it was a nightmare!
I wouldn’t, but they also make colored chocolates just for dipping purposes!
I do them all the time, but sometimes they come out bumpy so i dip them a second time and theyre better…also it helps to put a decoration on them and that will hide the flaws. I see the purple ones on the Crafty adds and i don’t think I have ever had ones look like them…I wish!!! I cant figure out how to attach a pic, sorry!