This delightfully spooky vanilla cake pop recipe is perfect for Halloween! To make these delicious Halloween cake pops, you will need 11 ingredients plus decorations. Watch out, these seem to disappear as fast as you can make them!
I can't wait to share with you how to make one of my favorite Halloween desserts! I give you easy-to-follow photos and directions along with a video.
If you are looking for more Halloween dessert ideas check out my Halloween Cake.
Why this recipe works:
- It's one of the best Halloween desserts kid-friendly options out there.
- They are festive and so adorable.
- These crowd-pleasers are perfect for Halloween or other events.
- You can make this recipe with just 11 ingredients + decorations.
Instructions
Let's start with the cake batter by preparing a 9x13 inch / 23x33cm baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
Then combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl then set aside for later.
Beat the butter, oil, and sugar. It should be creamy and will take around 2-3 minutes, for best results use a stand or handheld mixer.
Put in the vanilla and egg whites. Mix until they are completely incorporated, which takes around 2 minutes.
Alternate between dry ingredients and milk. Always begin and end with the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 38-42 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if it is done. Try not to overbake the cake, or it will end up begin dried out. Allow it to come to room temperature.
After the cake has chilled, prepare the frosting. Therefore, beat the butter and cream cheese until it's smooth and creamy. Use a stand mixer or handheld mixer. It's ready when there are no lumps, and it usually takes 2-3 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until the frosting is creamy, smooth, and the sugar has dissolved. It takes around 2-3 minutes.
After you are done with the frosting and the cake has cooled, you can start assembling. Therefore, crumble the cake with your fingers into a large bowl.
Add the frosting to the crumbled cake and combine either with your hands, a spoon, or an electric mixer.
Decide if you want the cake pop dough to be colored or not. To make them colored, you need to divide the cake into different bowls. Then carefully add food coloring until you get the color you want. In my experience, this works best with gel food coloring.
Then roll 1 heaping tablespoon or 2 leveled tablespoons into a ball.
Place the balls onto parchment paper until all the cake has been used. Ideally, you will end up with around 40 cake pops. Then refrigerate for 2 hours.
Now, let's start with the decoration.
Using a heatproof bowl, melt the coating in the microwave. You can also use a double boiler as well. You will need around 2 cups of the melted coating.
Take 3 cake pops out of the refrigerator at a time. Then roll them carefully, so they are extra smooth.
Take a lollipop stick and dip it into the melted coating.
Carefully insert the stick into the center of the cake pop until it reaches halfway through.
Dip it into the candy melts until it is completely covered. Add sprinkles if you wish.
Stand them upright by either sticking the sticks into a block of styrofoam or placing them in glasses (be careful that they don't touch each other), then store in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Top Tips
- Don't skip out on putting the pops into the fridge once rolled. It's an important step, and they won't stay together if you skip this step.
- Use just egg whites for the best coloring results.
- Never add more food coloring than recommended to the batter or coating.
- Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to the icing if you want it to be super smooth (if possible - read package directions).
Substitutions
Milk
You can easily substitute the milk. Just use whatever you have on hand or what you prefer. Almond, cashew, and coconut milk would all work great. Be aware that the flavor will be different than when you use regular milk.
Gluten-Free Flour
You can replace the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour if you want or need to. Use a 1:1 ratio when substituting. You will also want to add in 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum if it's not already in your gluten-free flour mixture. I recommend Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour.
Eggs
You can replace the egg whites. Use 1/4 cup of the following for every two egg whites: applesauce, mashed banana, plain yogurt, or pureed pumpkin.
FAQ's
Why did they fall apart?
Odds are if they fall apart, it's because the balls are either too small or too big for the stick. Measure the cake balls, so they are uniform. You want them to be either 1 heaping tablespoon or 2 measured tablespoons of the dough mixture.
Otherwise, if they are too big, they will be heavy and are likely to fall apart. And if they are too small then the stick with cause them to crack.
Why are they mushy?
They end up mushy when they have too much frosting mixed with the baked cake mixture. Always make sure to follow the directions and ingredient recommendations precisely. This will save you a headache later on down the road.
Can I use melted chocolate chips for coating?
No, if you use chocolate chips, they won't set up correctly, and you will end up with a disaster. Always use candy melts or chocolate coating for coating.
Storage
Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They should last around 4 days in the fridge. To serve, just take them out and eat them.
Freezing
You can freeze them for up to 6 weeks. Use either a freezer bag or storage container that's freezer safe.
Recipe
Halloween Vanilla Cake Pops
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups milk
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)
Decoration
- gel food coloring (optional)
- sprinkles (optional)
- 2 cups candy melts, color(s) of your choice
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and the sides of a 9x13 inch / 23x33cm baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with a stand or a handheld mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat butter, oil, and sugar until creamy for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and egg whites and mix until fully incorporated about 2 minutes.
- Alternately add dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir just until combined.
- Transfer batter to the prepared baking pan and bake for 38-42 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake or the cake will be dry. Let cool to room temperature.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl with a stand or a handheld mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, creamy, combined, and no lumps remain about 2-3 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until the sugar is dissolved and the frosting is creamy about 2-3 minutes.
Assembling
- Crumble the cooled cake with your fingers into fine crumbs into a large bowl. Add cream cheese frosting and combine. I use my hands to combine but you can do this with a spoon or with an electric mixer as well.
- Uncolored: Spoon about 1 heaping or 2 leveled tablespoon of the cake mixture and roll into a ball. Place on a parchment paper layered sheet. Repeat until you run out of cake mixture (you should end up with about 40 cake pops).
- Colored: If you want to them then divide the cake mixture into different bowls and dye to your preference and according to the package. I find gel food coloring works best. Then spoon about 1 heaping or 2 leveled tablespoon of the cake mixture and roll into a ball. Place on a parchment paper layered sheet. Repeat until you run out of cake mixture.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Decoration
- Melt the coating in a deep heatproof bowl or cup in the microwave or double boiler. A 2-cup pyrex cup works best for dunking.
- Remove 3 cake pops at the time from the fridge and gently re-roll to smooth them if necessary.
- Dip one end of a lollipop stick into the coating (about 1 inch / 2.5 cm). Then insert the dipped stick into the center of one cake pop about halfway through and dip it into the melted coating until fully covered. Let excess coating drop off and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Place upright into glasses or a styrofoam block and let dry. Repeat with remaining cake pops and work in batches. Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Draw faces or patterns with a brush and melted candy melts on top of the dried coating if desired.
- Store in the fridge up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Video
Notes
- Don't skip out on putting the pops into the fridge once rolled. It's an important step, and they won't stay together if you skip this step.
- Use just egg whites for the best coloring results.
- Never add more food coloring than recommended to the batter or coating.
- Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to the icing if you want it to be super smooth (if possible - read package directions).
Milk You can easily substitute the milk. Just use whatever you have on hand or what you prefer. Almond, cashew, and coconut milk would all work great. Be aware that the flavor will be different than when you use regular milk.
Gluten-free flour You can replace the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour if you want or need to. Use a 1:1 ratio when substituting. You will also want to add in 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum if it's not already in your gluten-free flour mixture. I recommend Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour.
Eggs You can replace the egg whites. Use 1/4 cup of the following for every two egg whites: applesauce, mashed banana, plain yogurt, or pureed pumpkin.
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