6 Tips for Better Cake Pops (That I Learned the Hard Way)

Is it just me, or are cake pops a heck of a lot harder to make than they appear? I'd say I'm pretty confident and dexterous when it comes to crafting confections (see title of my blog) yet making cake pops have proved to be... well, a giant pain in the tush. 

One of many cake pop fails

From getting the cake balls to taste good, to getting the candy coating smooth, to getting the darn things to stay on their sticks - there seem to be so many things that can go wrong with these otherwise adorable treats...

Unless, you have a little insider information from someone who's made all the mistakes multiple times, so you don't have to.

Cake Pop Success!

Here are 7 common problems I've encountered when making cake pops, and how I eventually overcame them:


Problem #1: My cake pops are disgustingly sweet and mushy.
Solution: Don't feel like you have to use frosting.


There are recipes out there call for up to one whole can of frosting per box of cake mix.

One whole can.

When I first tried making cake pops, I didn't even use half a can of frosting and still found them too dense and unpalatable. Eventually I found that if I started with a good, moist cake, I didn't need frosting at all, to form them into balls. If your cake isn't moist enough, add frosting one tablespoon at a time and stop when it starts to come together. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Untested tip: one of my friends uses coconut oil to moisten her cake, which could be a better option than frosting if you're looking to control sweetness. My question is, will that add some coconut oil flavor? Because I'm not sure how I feel about that.


Problem #2: My cake balls keep falling off their sticks.
Solution: Make smaller cake balls.

When you start rolling your cake crumbs into balls, you'll be tempted to make them the size you want your final cake pop to be. But remember, your candy coat will add to the size and, more importantly, the weight, of your cake ball. Try making your cake balls a little smaller (2" max) and see if that helps.


Problem #3: My cake balls are misshapen and not uniform. 
Solution: Try using a meatballer.


This is a good investment if you plan on making a lot of cake pops. I've been hard pressed to find a meatballer at a "bricks and mortar" kitchen supply store, but you should have no problem finding one on the good ol' interwebs. I made the mistake of ordering a 2.5" meatballer off Amazon - it was too big (see problem #2.) Finally, I stumbled upon my trusty 2" meatballer when I wasn't even looking, at Eataly in NYC. 

Perfect.

Besides keeping your cake balls the same size, using a meatballer can also make sure they're nice and compact, and therefore keep them from falling apart (yes, again, even without frosting.) Use your hands to stuff as much cake as you can between the domes of your meatballer, and use your hands again to squeeze the domes together. Open, release the cake ball, rotate, and squeeze again, peeling off the excess cake that squishes out the middle.

If you need another reason to buy a meatballer, they make quick work of making cake balls. I made cake pops this past weekend and I banged out these 13 cake balls in 2 minutes flat. 

Once you've formed your cake balls, you'll still want to give them a final roll with your hands to smooth out any lumps which might show through your candy coat (not pretty.) Compare the cake balls above (before hand rolling) to the ones below (after hand rolling.)

Problem #4: My candy coating is not easy to work with (not smooth, too thin, too lumpy)
Solution 1: Don't overheat / overmelt your candy

Most recipes will tell you to nuke your candy melts in 30 second increments until they've melted. What they don't all tell you is that you should actually stop while there are still a lot of solid chunks remaining, and then work out the lumps with the help of any residual heat and a lot of elbow grease.

- I've found that the more I heat my candy, the more prone it is to seizing. UPDATE: The Cakeb0t blog confirms that overheating is an issue. Binky of Cakeb0t says she uses a candy thermometer to monitor the melting process and makes sure the candy doesn't heat up over 100°F.

- I've also found that dipping cake balls in candy that's too hot, makes them more likely to disintegrate.

- You can add a little (a little!) vegetable oil or shortening (or some paramount crystals if you are willing and able to get them) to the candy before melting, if needed, to make it more fluid. UPDATE: Cakeb0t shares her tried and tested proportions of candy to shortening in a recent e-mail newsletter:

"I've found that a tablespoon of shortening to 6 or 7 ounces added to melted candy melts makes for a nice dipping consistency."

- If your candy is too runny, your coating will be too thin and your cake, lumps and all, will show though. My cake pops come out better when my melted candy is a little on the  thicker side.

- Make the effort to mix properly (who couldn't use the extra upper body workout?) Small lumps in your melted candy will result in small lumps on your cake pop. Big lumps in your melted candy could mess up the smooth finish when the lumps slide off your cake pop as it dries.

Top right: Too thin.
Bottom right: Too lumpy

Solution 2: Try a different brand of candy
All candy melts are not created equal. I generally use Wilton brand and have had the best results with their brown and white varieties. I've had the most trouble with their orange and blue versions. I also had a hard time with Make N' Mold's blue candy melts, although I only tried it once, and may have overmelted them. Wilton and Make N' Mold are among the more affordable brands. I'd be surprised if more professional-grade brands aren't easier to use. 

Solution 3: Keep away from water! 
You should know by now that candy melts and water DO NOT MIX. But if you didn't know that, take note: candy melts and water DO NOT MIX.  

Use completely dry containers, spoons, hands, etc. when melting candy, and don't even think of adding food color that's water-based. Melted chocolate / candy that comes into contact with water will "seize" and you'll have to throw it out (and you know how I feel about waste.)

The pictures below show what melted chocolate / candy looks like when it has seized. It will form a lump as you're stirring it and slide right off your spoon.

Blech.

Problem #5: My cake pops keep cracking / splitting
Solution: Let the cake balls come back to room temperature a little before dipping

Most, if not all, cake pop recipes will call on you to refrigerate your cake balls after inserting your sticks, dipped in a small amount of candy. This is so the candy will harden and the sticks will take hold. This should only take a few minutes. But if you have to leave your pops in the fridge for a while and come back to them later, as I often do, let them come back to room temperature-ish before you dip them in your melted candy.

Just chillin'

When troubleshooting my own cracking issues, it dawned on me that it could all be a simple matter of physics -- matter shrinks when it's cooled, and expands when it's heated. I figured my cold cake balls were simply expanding as they warmed back up, and then, appropriately, busting out of their candy shells. Waiting until the cake balls were back at room temperature before dipping solved that for me.

Crack is Whack

Problem #6: Decorating cake pops can be, for lack of a better word, a b*$%h. 
Solution: Use parchment triangles, not pastry bags, for piping designs.

If you know me, you know I like to take short cuts whenever possible. But trust me, melting your candy right in a plastic decorating bag is not worth the time you think you'll save. The candy will be likely to melt unevenly, and be difficult to pipe smoothly, and you will have to start all over.

Unless you're going the "drizzle and swirl" route and don't care if it's messy, take the extra trouble to melt your candy separately, and spoon just a little bit into a small parchment triangle. Again, gently heating your candy in a bowl and mixing vigorously as it melts the rest of the way, will ensure it's smooth. Using a small parchment triangle will mean more control when drawing. 


Take a look at the sports cake pops I made and painstakingly decorated this weekend, for my 3-year-old neighbor and birthday boy, A.J. I did not use a parchment triangle for the footballs, but I did for the baseballs. Notice the difference?

 

And that's all I got! 

Here's a link to the quintessential site on making cake pops, Bakerella.com. It's full of ideas and pictures from readers. And here's a link to  more cake pop tips from Cakeb0t.com, one of my favorite cake websites. 

Good luck!