If you’ve ever wondered how to make cake pops, you might be surprised to discover how easy the process actually is. They usually consist of mixing crumbled cake with a frosting, inserting treat sticks, then coating them in icing and finally decorating to give them that finishing touch.
We’ve got the frosting part covered for you here! This recipe for homemade cake pop frosting and coating is simple and straightforward. It uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
This recipe teaches you how to create frosting and coating options, without candy melts, that are deliciously smooth.
You may not require the entire amount of frosting; just use what the recipe you are following calls for. The serving size can easily be adjusted to your needs or you can store the extra amount in the fridge or freezer.
Your finished made-from-scratch cake pops can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, though we’re pretty sure they won’t last that long! Be sure to keep them covered well so the cake won’t dry out. Storing them in the freezer is also possible.
Once you’ve mastered this basic recipe, you may want to consider some alternative flavors and substitute ingredients that can make your cake pops unique. For the powdered sugar-based coating you may consider using a different extract than the basic vanilla.
You can add peppermint or almond extract to add flavor to the icing. You can also adjust the thickness by adding more milk or icing sugar. Try experimenting with different kinds of cake.
Red velvet is a common favorite! If you’re feeling confident with the frosting you can also try making colorful pops by adding food coloring to the mix.
Are you ready to make some cake pops? Pull out your favorite mixing bowl and all the ingredients you’ll need to follow these instructions and get started!
Cake Pop Frosting and Coating
Ingredients
Cake Pop Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package) - softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lime - optional
Coating Option #1 – Cake Pop Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coating Option #2 – Chocolate Coating:
- 8 ounces chocolate bar - broken into chunks (can be white, milk, dark or ruby chocolate)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
For the Cake Pop Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Melt the unsalted butter.
- Mix the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Add the lime zest and mix well. This frosting will be mixed with a crumbled cake to form the cake pop balls.
For the Cake Pop Icing:
- Mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. This icing/glaze is to be used as the cake pop coating. If you would like it to be thicker, simply mix in more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. If you'd like a thinner coating, add some more milk, little by little.
- After dipping the cake pops in the coating, you can dry them at room temperature or in the fridge if you are in a rush. It will take about 30 minutes or more.
For the Chocolate Coating:
- In a microwaveable dish, such as a mug or measuring glass, add the chocolate bar chunks and coconut oil. Melt in the microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring each time until fully melted. It will continue to melt as you stir. Careful not to overcook it.
- This is a second option for coating the cake pops, instead of the icing. After dipping, it will need to set in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes or longer at room temperature (1 hour or more).
Equipment
Notes
- Nutrition information is for the frosting/icing combined, per serving.
- This recipe makes about 2 cups frosting and 1 cup icing/coating, which should be enough for approximately 18 cake pops.
- It is best to use clear vanilla extract so that it doesn’t affect the color of the icing.
- You can add food coloring to the icing if desired. If you use a white chocolate coating, you can also add some food coloring to it to make it whatever color you choose.
- The coconut oil thins the chocolate out so that it is easer to coat the cake pops.
- Use as much frosting as your cake pop recipe calls for. If there is left-over frosting, it can be frozen for later use.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Hungry for more? Try our Hemp Seed Salad
Can you add banana extract instead of vanilla?
Hi Katrina, absolutely you can add different flavor extracts instead of sticking to vanilla.
I'm wondering how people store these because I have cream cheese in the cake pop… I want to make them ahead of time however I'm afraid they will sweat in the refrigerator can someone help.me understand if these can be made ahead of time successfully or if I just have to make them the day of hours before
Hi Jess, if you want to make them ahead of time they should be refrigerated but if they are wrapped individually or stored in an airtight container separated by paper towel you shouldn’t have to worry about condensation when you bring them out and let them sit for a bit before serving. Try to make sure the room isn’t too warm as well.
Hi,
Could cocoa powder be added to the coat mixture?
Yes, it sure can Char. 🙂
will the glaze be as cruchy as if i would use tempered chocolate?
hi i always made cake pops eith tempered chocolate. i would like to try it with the glaze recipe u gave but wouldnt it be too sweet?
to me it sound very sweet.
also what can i replace for milk on the glaze? i want it to be non dairy.
Hi Alexandra, thanks for the questions. It’s not too sweet for me but that will depend on your taste. I really like using the glaze as an alternative to candy melts or chocolate sometimes. The coating will harden, but I wouldn’t consider it to be as ‘crunchy’ and it’s a bit thinner than chocolate, although it can be thickened by adding more icing sugar. As for the milk substitute, you can use any plant-based ‘milk’ or even juice or water if you like.
Hi can you use regular frosting on the cake bites instead of the glaze??
Hi Kasey, regular frosting will be too thick to use as a coating. Besides a glaze, you can use candy melts or melted chocolate. Hope that helps!
How do i get the coating to stop falling off the cake pop ? i try to thicken it but it just makes it heavier and still falls off the cake pop
Hi Isabella, I will try to help you but I’m not sure I completely understand what is going on, as the cake pop coating doesn’t ‘fall off’ for me. It is a glaze, so it is more transparent than a chocolate or candy melt coating. Adding more icing sugar does make it less transparent and thicker, but I’ve never experienced it falling off by making it thicker either. Are you letting the cake pops cool completely before frosting them?
I freeze my cake pops and then cover with glaze or chocolate
Sounds good Diane.
Can you mix melted white chocolate with the glaze?
Hi Joyce, I’ve never actually tried that, but I think it’s great to experiment! I can test and let you know.
I did end up testing the melted white chocolate with the glaze. I’m not sure what texture you were looking for, but I used a ratio of 1:1. You need to mix it very well to make it smooth. It ended up being thicker than the glaze, less translucent and it dried fairly quickly. So to answer your question: yes, it is definitely possible to mix melted white chocolate with the glaze. Hope that helps Joyce!
Hi. Will the icing glaze dry hard like chocolate
Hi Asi, thanks for the question. Yes, the glaze does set as it dries and will no longer be wet, after about 30 minutes or more.
after you dip the pops in the glaze you just let them air dry for 30 minutes? or do we put back in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden? it doesn’t say about what you do with them after you dip in glaze. thanks!!
Hi Debbie, you can harden them at room temperature or put them in the fridge if you want them to harden faster. I can’t say exactly how long it will take, but about 30 minutes in the fridge should be good.
How much crumbled cake should be used for this recipe? What should the consistency be for the best cake pop?
Hi Madi, the amount of frosting will depend on how much cake you use and how moist it is. You may not need to use all of the frosting, it is just a base recipe that can be used with cake pop recipes that call for frosting. So let’s say you had 3 cups of crumbled cake, you would start with a couple tablespoons and work your way up from there until you can just so form the mixture into balls with your hands and you don’t see cracks. You don’t want to add too much frosting or the cake pop will become heavy and greasy. Hope that helps!
I love cake pops, but have only ever used candy melts to coat them. This frosting is a must-try- it sounds delicious!
Candy melts are a popular choice, but there are definitely more options out there if you want to be adventurous! Thanks for the comment Terri. 🙂
Can you still do color decorating using the icing glaze approach? I’d like to avoid using chocolate, but want to have a red coating on the pops so I can add a fondant or royal icing frozen leaf to the top and make it look like an apple. Would I just add red food coloring to the glaze or will it be too translucent? Also, is there a non-dairy substitute for the milk in the glaze that works well? Thanks!
Hi Rachel! Good question. You can add food coloring to the glaze, but yes it will still be somewhat translucent. I would recommend using a gel color and if you add more icing sugar to the glaze it will thicken up and become less translucent. I would also avoid adding the vanilla if you are coloring the glaze. You could definitely use a non-dairy substitute like almond milk. Hope that helps. Good luck with your apple cake pops!
I was just wondering will the icing glaze on the cake pop be as crunchy as the chocolate coating would be
Hi Luella, the glaze won’t have the hard crunch that the chocolate or candy melts would have.