Description
Delightfully sweet strawberry cake pops made from moist strawberry cake mix, coated in creamy vanilla melting chocolate tinted with pink or red food coloring, and adorned with festive Valentine’s Day sprinkles. Perfect bite-sized treats for parties or celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1 package strawberry cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
Frosting and Coating
- 2 tablespoons canned white, vanilla, or cream cheese frosting
- 20 ounces vanilla melting chocolate or almond bark
- Pink or red food coloring gel (for half of the cake pops)
- Valentine’s Day sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake: Preheat your oven according to the cake mix package instructions. In a mixing bowl, combine the strawberry cake mix, water, oil, and eggs. Mix thoroughly until well blended. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan and bake as directed on the package.
- Cool the Cake: Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. Cooling fully ensures the cake is easy to crumble and handle without becoming mushy.
- Crumble the Cake: Transfer the cooled cake into a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, crumble it into fine crumbs to prepare for combining with frosting.
- Add Frosting and Mix: Add 2 tablespoons of your chosen white, vanilla, or cream cheese frosting to the cake crumbs. Use your hands or an electric mixer to thoroughly mix until the mixture holds together and forms a dough-like ball. Add a bit more frosting if needed to reach the right consistency.
- Form Cake Balls: Roll the cake mixture into 1-inch diameter balls using your hands. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to keep them from sticking.
- Insert Sticks: Melt a small amount of the vanilla melting chocolate or almond bark in the microwave. Dip the tip of each cake pop stick into the melted chocolate, then insert it halfway into each cake ball. This anchors the stick inside the cake pop. Refrigerate the pops for 1 hour to firm up.
- Color the Coating: Melt the remaining melting chocolate or almond bark in the microwave until smooth. Divide the melted chocolate into two separate bowls. Add pink or red food coloring gel to one bowl and stir until evenly tinted to your desired shade.
- Coat the Cake Pops: Dip each chilled cake pop into the melted chocolate to fully coat it. Gently scrape off excess coating on the side of the bowl to avoid drips. Place the coated pops upright in a holder or foam base to allow the chocolate shell to harden.
- Decorate and Chill: Before the coating hardens completely, quickly sprinkle Valentine’s Day themed sprinkles on the cake pops to decorate. Allow the coating to fully set, then chill the cake pops in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Make sure the cake is fully cooled before crumbling to avoid a soggy mixture.
- If the cake pop mixture feels too dry, add frosting a teaspoon at a time to achieve proper consistency.
- Use a cake pop stand or foam base to keep the pops upright while coating and drying.
- You can use any color food gel to customize cake pop coating colors for different occasions.
- Store finished cake pops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
