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Starbucks Copycat Chocolate Cake Pops Recipe

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4.6 from 147 reviews

These Starbucks Copycat Chocolate Cake Pops are a delightful and easy-to-make treat featuring moist chocolate cake balls coated in rich dark cocoa candy melts, perfect for parties, gifts, or a fun dessert snack. This recipe replicates the beloved café favorite with a smooth chocolate buttercream mixed into the cake crumbs, dipped in a luscious candy shell, and decorated with sprinkles for a festive touch.

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Cake

  • 1 box (13.25 oz) chocolate cake mix
  • ⅓ cup neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, canola, etc.)
  • 1 cup milk or water
  • 4 large eggs

Chocolate Buttercream

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1½ tbsp cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp milk (add more if needed)

Decoration

  • 12 oz dark cocoa candy melts
  • White nonpareils or sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325-350℉ (162-175℃), referring to the cake mix box instructions for exact temperature based on your pan size.
  2. Prepare Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine all the cake mix ingredients—cake mix, oil, milk or water, and eggs—until blended. Pour the batter into a greased or lined baking pan.
  3. Bake Cake: Bake in the preheated oven. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick 2-4 minutes before the bake time ends; it should come out clean. Be careful not to overbake.
  4. Crumble Cake: Immediately transfer the hot cake to a large mixing bowl. Using a paddle attachment on a stand mixer at low speed, crumble the cake until no large pieces remain. Alternatively, crumble by hand or with a handheld mixer after the cake cools slightly.
  5. Make Buttercream & Mix: In a small bowl, sift and combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add softened butter, vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and milk, mixing well until mostly smooth. Pour this buttercream into the crumbled cake and mix thoroughly to combine.
  6. Form Cake Pops: Roll the mixture into balls about 1¼-inch (3 cm) diameter or 30g each. Place the cake balls on a tray and freeze for 15 minutes, then let them come back to room temperature for 10 minutes while preparing candy melts.
  7. Insert Sticks: Melt a small amount of candy melts in the microwave using 15-30 second intervals, stirring until smooth and thin. Dip the tip of each lollipop stick in candy melt and gently insert halfway into each cake ball. Freeze again for 15 minutes.
  8. Dip Cake Pops: Bring cake pops to room temperature for 10 minutes. Melt the remaining candy melts to a smooth, thin consistency. Fully dip each cake pop into the candy melt coating it completely to the stick to ensure adhesion.
  9. Even Coating: Hold the stick and gently tap the cake pop to let excess candy melt drip off, creating a smooth, even coating. Avoid double dipping to prevent the cake pop from detaching from the stick.
  10. Decorate & Dry: Quickly sprinkle white nonpareils or sprinkles onto the wet candy coating. Insert finished cake pops into a styrofoam block to stand upright while the coating sets. Repeat until all cake pops are coated and decorated.

Notes

  • Make sure not to overbake the cake to maintain moistness in the pops.
  • If candy melts are too thick, add a small amount of vegetable oil or shortening to thin them.
  • Chilling cake balls before inserting sticks and dipping helps them hold their shape better.
  • Room temperature cake balls before dipping prevents cracking in the candy coating.
  • Use a styrofoam block or a cake pop stand to keep cake pops upright as they dry.
  • The recipe works well with different flavors of cake mix and candy melts for variety.

Keywords: cake pops, Starbucks copycat, chocolate cake pops, chocolate dessert, cake balls, candy melts, homemade cake pops

Find it online: https://dailysimplerecipe.com/starbucks-copycat-chocolate-cake-pops-recipe/