Love to bake but don’t exactly want a whole cake? Make some cake pops instead! Better yet, simplify this dessert with a box of cake mix. If you haven’t heard about them yet, cake pop makers are an amazing appliance that have been gaining popularity in homes all across the country. Their small size and convenient design allow people to make delicious bites of cake quickly.

You can make small, no-hassle batches without having to wait for a big bulky oven to preheat or figure out the perfect ratio of buttercream frosting to crumbled cake.

A baby blue pail filled with cake pops, sprinkles in the background.

It’s really easy to learn how to make cake pops with cake mix. Just pick up a tasty box of mix from the baking aisle, grab a few extra ingredients if you don’t already have them on hand and you’re all set!

Mix the batter up and in 5 minutes or less of bake time, you too can be enjoying these bites of deliciousness. The homemade icing is very easy to make and adds the finishing touch to these unique and tasty treats.

What I love about baking cake pops in a cake pop maker is the lightness of the cake balls, compared to forming the balls by hand with the heavy frosting. This method makes it far easier to keep the treat from falling apart or off of the treat sticks when dipping into the coating! Yes, you know what I’m talking about.

Table of Contents

Ingredients & Items You Will Need

Prepped ingredients for cake mix cake pops.

For the Cake Pops:

Ingredients indicated on the cake mix package (usually milk, oil and eggs)
Cake pop maker
Cake pop stand - you can buy a stand that is specifically made for cake pops or make a stand out of an egg carton by turning it upside down and poking holes in the center of the egg cavities.
Lollipop sticks

For the Coating:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, juiced (if you don't want lemon flavor, use milk instead)
Sprinkles

If you don't have a cake pop maker just yet, take a look at our top 5 picks.

Step #1. Pour Cake Mix into Bowl

Cake mix in a bowl, spatula and pastry brush on the side.

Lightly oil the inside of the cake pop maker and then preheat. Pour the cake mix into a bowl.

Step #2. Add Ingredients Indicated On Cake Mix Package

Cake mix batter in a bowl and whisk, spatula and pastry brush on the side.

Add the ingredients according to the cake mix package (in our case: butter, egg and milk). Mix well.

Step #3. Fill Cake Pop Maker with Batter

Cake pop maker getting filled with cake batter, spatula and pastry brush on the side.

Pour the batter into the cake pop maker cavities (fill them about 1 mm from the top so that they don’t spill over or come out flat). Bake them for 4-5 minutes (if a toothpick comes out dry they are ready). Repeat for remaining batter. Unplug the device and let it cool before cleaning.

Cake pop maker filled with cake mix batter, spatula and pastry brush on the side.

Baked cake pops in the cake pop maker, spatula and pastry brush on the side.

Step #4. Prepare the Cake Pop Coating

Bowl of icing sugar coating for cake pops.

Mix the powdered sugar with the lemon juice to make the icing. For a thicker coating, add more icing sugar. For a thinner coating, add a little bit of water or more lemon juice.

For an alternative coating: you can melt candy melts or chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until fully melted.

Step #5. Insert the Cake Pop Sticks

Cake pop stick dipped into coating, blue plate of cake balls on the side.

Insert the tips of the treat sticks into the icing, and then into the cake pops (about half-way into the cake pop). Place them on a tray or plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Treat stick with frosting at the end, pushed into cake ball on a blue plate.

Step #6. Coat the Cake Pops

Cake pop getting coated with powdered sugar and lemon coating.

Dip the cake pops into the icing and coat with sprinkles. Place in a cake pop stand and let sit until coating has hardened (approximately 1 hour or more). They can be set in the fridge as well, for about 30 minutes.

Hand holding a cake pop that has rainbow sprinkles on it.

Step #7. Serve & Enjoy!

2 cute pails filled with finished cake pops, jar of sprinkles on the side.

The cake pops are now ready to eat!

Tips

Whether you’re just short on time or simply prefer your cake on a stick, this simple recipe allows you to bake your cake pops in a jiffy. Don’t worry if you’re having some trouble with the cake balls sticking to the cavities of the cake pop maker. Simply spray it down with baking spray or make sure each cavity is lightly oiled before piping in the batter and your cake balls will pop right out.

For more variety, melt some baking candy in different flavors to use as the coating. Adding a little bit of coconut oil to the melted candy helps to thin it out and make it easier to coat the cake balls.

If you accidentally overfill the cake pop cavities, that is okay. After the cake pops bake, let them cool for a few minutes (they will crisp up) and then you can break off the excess cake.

If you don't want to make all of the cake pops at once, you can freeze some of the cake balls for later in a freezer bag. Thaw them on the day of decorating/serving.

Try out this recipe next time you’re in the mood for a cake but want to eat something unique and snack size. The moisture and sweetness of these bite-sized morsels will have your mouth watering before they’re even out of the cake pop maker. The only downside to this recipe is you’ll want to eat them all yourself.

Bring them to your next party or simply make a whole batch and share with friends. Either way, everyone will be admiring your awesomeness and talking about your baking skills for days.

Did you enjoy making these easy cake pops with cake mix? Let me know in the comments below and please share the recipe!

📋Recipe