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Close up of a pink cake pop with a bite taken out showing the moist interior crumb. (how to make cake pops)

How to Make Cake Pops: The Ultimate Starbucks Copycat Guide

Master how to make cake pops with this Starbucks copycat recipe. Featuring a moist, bright pink vanilla cake center and a glossy candy coating finished with white nonpareil sprinkles.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 20 cake pops
Course: Desserts, Snacks
Cuisine: American
Calories: 185
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • 1 box (432g) Vanilla Cake Mix Or homemade equivalent
  • 1/4 tsp Pink Gel Food Coloring Concentrated for bright crumb
  • 1/2 cup (115g) Cream Cheese Frosting Acting as the binder
  • 16 oz (450g) Pink Candy Melts For the glossy shell
  • 2 tsp (10ml) Coconut Oil Refined, for smooth dipping
  • 2 tbsp (30g) White Nonpareil Sprinkles For decoration

Equipment

  • 20 Lollipop sticks White paper sticks
  • 1 Styrofoam block For drying the pops
  • 1 Deep glass bowl For dipping

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Bake the vanilla cake according to package instructions, adding the pink gel food coloring to the batter to achieve a bright pink hue. Allow to cool completely.
  2. Remove browned edges and crumble the pink cake into fine pieces in a large bowl.
Assembly
  1. Mix in the cream cheese frosting until the mixture reaches a dough-like consistency. Roll into 1.5-inch spheres.
  2. Place spheres on parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Dip the tip of each lollipop stick into melted candy melts and insert halfway into the cake balls. Chill for another 15 minutes.
Dipping
  1. Melt remaining candy melts with coconut oil. Dip each pop vertically, tap off excess, and immediately add white nonpareils.
  2. Place in a styrofoam block to dry completely until the coating is hard and glossy.

Notes

Do not dip frozen cake pops or the coating will crack.
Use gel coloring instead of liquid to keep the cake texture dense.