Go On and Gobble Up These Adorable Turkey Cake Pops

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and it’s time to talk turkey — cake pops, that is. Whether you prefer your birds with feathers and wattles, or want to recreate that famous main dish, we’ve got the perfect pop for you. Our reco: try the classic round version first, then the sculpted sweet for a truly terrific Turkey Day.

Turkey Cake Pops

Level: Easy

What You Need

Instructions

1. Prep the Pops

First thing’s first: you’ve got to make your dough. Mash a baked cake (you can use any recipe you love) and combine with with buttercream (either Swiss Meringue or American buttercream work great). Then roll the dough to make little spheres.

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.

2. Give ‘Em a Dip

To get a light brown color for your turkeys, mix a bag of white candy melts with about ¼ bag of light cocoa candy melts. Melt the candy wafers and stir them until the colors are well combined.

Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into the candy melts and stick them halfway into the candy pops. Dip the pops into the candy melts. Place them upright in a cake pop stand or a styrofoam block until dry.

3. Make the Turkey Tail

When your cake pops are dry, spoon the remaining melted candy coating into a piping bag fitted with a small writing tip. (You can also just make a tiny cut in your piping bag and work without a tip.)

Place four pieces of candy corn on parchment or wax paper, so they’re fanned out with the white tips touching. Pipe your melted candy coating onto the white candy corn tips.

Lay a cake pop onto the piped candy corn tips and let it dry. The candy corn will solidify to the cake pop and form the turkey tail.

4. Design the Face

Pipe a tiny dot onto the back of the candy eyes and stick them onto the turkey.

For the beak, use scissors or a knife to cut the yellow stripe off a piece of candy corn. Pipe a dot along the orange base and stick it just under the eyes.

Now it’s wattle time! Pipe a dot of icing on a heart-shaped sprinkle, then place it upside down on the cake pop so the pointed end is touching the side of the beak.

Gobble, gobble, he’s gonna taste great! For more festive flair, serve these guys alongside a whole turkey cake.

Roasted Turkey Cake Pops

Level: Easy

What You Need

Instructions

1. Make Your Pop Dough

Mash up your favorite cake recipe and mix the crumbs with buttercream, using the same ratio as the turkey cake pops above (1 tablespoon buttercream to every 2 cups cake), until well combined.

2. Shape the Cake Pops

Use a cookie scoop to portion the cake pop dough uniformly. Roll the dough into a ball, then gently press it into an oval. Make the shape of one end smaller, almost like a tear drop. (Just don’t make it too pointy!)

Scoop another portion of dough, roll it into a ball and cut it into eighths. Mold each piece into smaller droplet-like shapes. These are going to be the turkey legs. Each cake pop will need two, so one ball of dough will make enough for four turkey cake pops. Make as many legs as you need.

Once all your turkey bodies and legs are shaped, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.

3. Melt the Candy

As the dough chills in the fridge, turn your attention to the candy melts. Use a ratio of 2 parts orange to 1 part brown and melt them together. Stir until the colors are well combined and streak-free.

Use Paramount Crystals to thin out the candy coating if needed. Once it’s at the consistency you like, set it aside to rest at room temperature for at least 5 minutes before dipping.

4. Attach the Legs

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for a couple of minutes. Dip about ⅓” of a lollipop stick into the candy coating and insert it halfway through a turkey body.

Use a toothpick to dab candy coating on either side of the cake pop’s pointed end and attach two of your turkey legs (make sure the pointed ends are facing outward). Place the pop into a cake pop stand or styrofoam block and let the candy coating set. Repeat with all of your cake pops.

5. Prep the Candies

Before you dip the turkey pops into the candy coating, make sure you have the candy and oats ready for use: Grab some bone sprinkles and snap them in half, then set out a bowl of red round sprinkles and another bowl of rolled oats.

6. Dip

Dip your entire cake pop into the melted candy coating and gently shake off the excess. Use a toothpick to pierce any air bubbles that form.

7. Decorate

Right after you dip, gently push half a bone sprinkle into the point of each turkey leg. Let the cake pop dry. Repeat with all of your cake pops.

Once dry, use a toothpick to dab more candy coating along the bottom of the bird and add rolled oats to look like stuffing. Finish by adding the red sprinkle cranberries. Repeat with all your cake pops, let ’em dry and let your guests dig in!