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Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Cake Pops

Cake Pops are an easy recipe and can be the ultimate deal breaker when deciding which snack to eat. They are very delicious and fun to make! These Cake Pops are also amazing for baby showers and birthday parties too.

A Fun and Delicious Snack

Image of 2 cake pops with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles being held next to each other.

If you love cake, you will love this cake pop recipe. These cake pops are very delicious and can be shared with friends and family.

Cake pops can even be made with different flavors of cake!

Image of all the simple ingredients of the recipe including candy melt, water, vegetable oil, vanilla cake mix, vanilla frosting, eggs, sprinkles, and lollipop sticks. A cookie cutter and a glass baking dish is also in the picture.

Simple Ingredients for Cake Pops

  • Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Eggs
  • Water
  • Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting
  • Candy Melts
  • Lollipop Sticks
  • Sprinkles
Image of 1 cake pop with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles being held.

Instructions for the Cake Pop Recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  2. Add the box cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and water into your bowl and mix.
  3. Pour the mix into the baking dish.
  4. Bake at 350°F for 28-33 minutes.
  5. Once done cooking, let cool for 20-30 minutes.
  6. Optionally, discard the crust on each side of the cake.
  7. Remove the cake from the baking dish, place it into a bowl, and crush it into fine crumbs.
  8. Add the store-bought frosting to the bowl with the cake and mix thoroughly.
  9. Once mixed, use a cookie scooper to scoop out 1-inch cake balls and place them onto a baking sheet.
  10. Empty the candy melts into a microwave-safe bowl, then heat it in the microwave until it liquefies.
  11. Take your lollipop sticks and dip the end into the candy melt. Take the lollipop sticks with the candy melt on the end, then stick them into the cake balls and wait for the candy melt to solidify.
  12. Once the candy melts on the stick has solidified, delicately dip the cake pops entirely into the candy melt.
  13. Add your sprinkles and let the candy melt on the cake pops and solidify.

How to Make the Cake Pops

Image of vanilla cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil in separate bowls ready to be mixed.

Firstly, your package instructions call you to add your vanilla cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and water from the separate bowls into a large bowl and stir.

Image of required cake ingredients mixed thoroughly being poured into a glass baking dish.

After stirring, the easy step is to pour the cake mixture into a baking dish and set it into the oven at 350°F for 28-33 minutes. Scoop the sides of the bowl to get the cake batter into the baking dish.

First image shows cooked cake in a bowl that is ready to be crushed and turned into a fine powder. Second image shows cake as a fine powder, there is also a scoop of frosting being put into the bowl with the cake, both cake and frosting are ready to be stirred again.

As the cake cools until it is room temperature after baking, take the cake out of your cake pan then place it into a bowl to crush it into crumbled cake.

Add the frosting to the cake and mix. I personally use an electric mixer. You will know it is done mixing when the cake clumps together.

Removing the leftover cake crust on the cake before crushing it into crumbs will make the cake look lighter, but it is optional.

Image of several 1-inch cake pop balls lying on a pan.

Using your cookie scoop, mold the cake into a 1-inch round (for the best results) shape and set it on the cookie sheet.

I might set one or two in an airtight container for later so it does not dry out.

Add your candy melts or candy wafers to a bowl and heat it until liquified.

First image shows cake balls on a pan on the right and melted candy melt on the left. The end of a lollipop stick is being dipped into the candy melt. The second image contains the end of lollipop stick with the candy melt being inside of the cake balls.

Once you have your liquid candy melt, dip the tip of a lollipop stick into the candy melt. Stick the end with the candy melt all the way into the cake pop.

Image of several cake pops with lollipop sticks sticking out of them.

Now let the lollipop sticks with the candy melt cool.

Image of cake pop being dipped into the melted candy melt. On the right there are cake pops ready to be dipped.

Once the melted candy melt on the cake pop stick has cooled, very delicately submerge the cake pop into the liquid candy coating until you cover all sides with candy melt. Let the excess coating drip back into the candy melt bowl.

I used a pan, but you can use parchment paper.

Image of 1 cake pop with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles in the frame.

Quickly add the sprinkles to the liquid candy melt on the cake pops, then place upright and let it cool.

Ways To Add Variety To Your Copycat Starbucks Cake Pops Recipe

  • You can change your vanilla boxed cake mix with something else, like a birthday cake mix, to make Starbucks birthday cake pops. It will be a great fit for a birthday party or any other special occasion.
  • If you want to have different colors in the candy melt, mix the candy melt with any liquid food coloring.
  • You can also use chocolate cake mix with chocolate frosting if you want chocolate cake pops. Using melted chocolate candy melt is also a possibility if you love aesthetics.
A cake pop that has vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles.

Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Cake Pops

Yield: 19
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

These easy cake pops are so much fun to make. Cake pops are the best bite-sized dessert and are the perfect treat. This is the best way to make this cake pop recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 box of Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of frosting
  • 1 cup of candy melts
  • 25 lollipop sticks
  • Sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease 9x13-inch baking dish.
  1. Add cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and water then mix.
  2. Pour the mix evenly into the baking dish.
  3. Bake at 350°F for 28-33 minutes.
  4. Once done cooking, let cool for 20-30 minutes.
  5. Optionally, discard the crust on each side of the cake.
  6. Remove the cake from the baking dish, place it into a bowl and crush it into fine crumbs.
  7. Add the frosting to the bowl with the cake and mix thoroughly.
  8. Once mixed, use a cookie scooper to scoop out 1-inch cake balls and place them onto a tray.
  9. Empty the candy melt into a bowl then heat it up until it liquifies.
  10. Take your lollipop sticks and dip the end into the candy melt. Take the lollipop sticks with the candy melt on the end and stick it all the way into the cake balls and wait for the candy melt to solidify.
  11. Once the candy melt on the stick has solidified, delicately dip the cake pops entirely into the candy melt.
  12. Add the sprinkles and let the candy melt on the cake pops solidify.

Notes

While the cake pops are drying, stick the bottom of the lollipop stick into a styrofoam block.

When molding the cake balls, do not make them too big or they will break apart when they are being dipped into the candy melt.

When putting the cake pop sticks into the cake balls, push them in all the way so they do not fall off.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 19 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 252mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 0gSugar: 35gProtein: 2g
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