You will love these Halloween-themed cake pops. They’re so much fun to decorate and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Turn them into mummy cake pops, Frankenstein cake pops, eyeball cake pops, or vampire cake pops. You can even make pumpkin-shaped ones. The cake pop ideas for halloween are endless. They’re perfect for parties or just as a weekend Halloween Dessert project with the kids. If you need more help with the basics, then check out my post on how to make cake pops.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Chocolate fudge cake — I use a box cake mix for these halloween cake balls for convenience. However, if you have some leftover chocolate cake lying around, you cake use that as well.
Powdered sugar — you’ll need 1¾ pounds of powdered sugar to make the frosting. Since we are also decorating with the frosting, you don’t want to cut down on the amount.
Butter — make sure the butter is soft enough so when you press into it, your finger leaves a dent. It’ll be challenging to beat it into a smooth consistency for the frosting if it’s cold.
Candy melts — once melted and dipped, candy melts will set up with the same look and texture as chocolate. It’s easier to use than chocolate, as you can skip tempering it. Careful not to scorch the melts or they’ll harden too quickly to work with.
How to Make Halloween Cake Pops
1. Bake the chocolate fudge cake according to package directions and cool completely. Crumble the cooled cake.
2. Make the frosting and leave 1 cup in the mixer. Add the cocoa and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat until well combined. Combine with the crumbed cake and sprinkles. Scoop and roll into 1-inch balls. Place on a wax or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.
3. Melt the candy or chocolate according to package directions. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick in melted candy and insert it halfway into a cake ball.
4. Dip the cake ball into melted candy to coat, tapping on the sides of the bowl to remove excess. Insert the end of the stick into a foam block. Repeat with the remaining cake balls.
5. Divide reserved frosting and color as desired.
6. Place in piping bags with grass piping tips. Pipe onto cake balls to create fur.
7. Attach the candy eyes to cake balls by dabbing melted candy on the back of each one.
8. Cut fruit leather to make mouths; use melted candy to paint on fangs. When set, add antennas or other decorations as desired to the Halloween monster cake pops.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- While I prefer using gel food coloring, you can use what you have on hand. Keep in mind that gel food coloring is more concentrated, so you can add less, whereas liquid food coloring may thin out the frosting if you add too much to it.
- If you want all of the Halloween cake pops to be completely furry monsters, then you may want to double the frosting recipe. You can also decorate some of the coated ones with festive sprinkles before the coating sets.
- Let the chocolate fudge cake cool completely before you begin to crumble it. If the cake is too warm, it’ll keep the chocolate frosting that binds warm, making it difficult for them to stay together. If you have the time, make the cake a day ahead of time.
- As the cake and frosting are moist when warm, it’s much easier to roll perfectly round and even balls if the mixture is chilled a bit.
- The more finely you can make the chocolate cake crumbs, the more even they will roll and hold their shape.
- If you’re having trouble keeping them upright as they set, you can try sticking them into styrofoam or a jar filled with dried beans.
- When dipping them into the coating, make sure the entire ball is coated, even a smidge of the lollipop stick, to prevent any cake from leaking out of the coating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the coating cracking?
If your Halloween cake pops are cracking, it is due to significant temperature differences. If the cake balls are too cold and the melted candy melt is too hot, the coating will crack as the hot mixture will cause the cake balls to expand and then contract. To prevent this from happening, make sure the coating isn’t piping hot when you dip your cake into it. Allow your coating to cool for a few minutes before dipping.
Why are my cake balls falling off their sticks?
Don’t skip dipping lollipop sticks in the frosting before inserting. This helps the sticks stay put. Not inserting the lollipop stick deep enough will cause them to fall off as well. Also, ensure your lollipop sticks aren’t too thin as you need a thick enough stick to hold the weight of the cake balls.
How do I store cake balls?
If you’re making them ahead of time, un-dipped cake balls last in the refrigerator for up to 1 or 2 days. After dipped and decorated, store them in an airtight sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can these be frozen?
They are best fresh but you can freeze un-dipped cake balls for up to 2 months. You can also freeze them with the coating on. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before eating.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Halloween Cake Pops recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Halloween Cake Pops
Equipment
- Lolipop sticks
- Piping tips
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened and divided (4 sticks)
- 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix (15.25-oz.)
- 1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1¾ pounds powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons orange sprinkles
- 24 oz. colorful candy melts or chocolate melting wafers
- Candy eyes, red fruit leather, sour candy straws for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 13x9-inch cake pan.
- Melt ½ cup of butter. In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, 1¼ cups milk, melted butter, and eggs until combined. Pour into the cake pan.
- Bake according to package directions. Cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining 1½ cups of butter until smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar. Beat in the milk. Increase the speed to medium-low, and beat for 1 minute.
- Remove all but 1 cup frosting from the bowl. Add the cocoa and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat until well combined. Crumble the cooled cake into the chocolate frosting.
- Beat on low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand. Mix in sprinkles. Scoop and roll into 1-inch balls. Place on a wax or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Melt the candy or chocolate according to package directions. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick in melted candy and insert it halfway into a cake ball. Dip the cake ball into melted candy to coat, tapping on the sides of the bowl to remove excess. Insert the end of the stick into a foam block. Repeat with the remaining cake balls. (Only take a few cake balls out of the freezer at a time so that they stay cold and the coating sets quickly.)
- Cut fruit leather to make mouths; use melted candy to paint on fangs. Attach mouths and candy eyes to cake balls by dabbing melted candy on the back of each one.
- When set, divide reserved frosting and color as desired. Place in piping bags with grass piping tips. Pipe onto cake balls to create fur (have fun!). Add antennas or other decorations as desired.
Video
Notes
- While I prefer using gel food coloring but you can use what you have on hand. Keep in mind that gel food coloring is more concentrated, so you can add less, whereas liquid food coloring may thin out the frosting if you add too much to it.
- If you want all of the Halloween cake pops to be completely furry monsters, you may want to double the frosting recipe. You can also decorate some of the coated cake balls with festive sprinkles before the coating sets.
- Let the chocolate fudge cake cool completely before you begin to crumble it. If the cake is too warm, it’ll keep the chocolate frosting that binds warm, making it difficult for the cake pops to stay together. If you have the time, make the cake a day ahead of time.
- As the cake and frosting are moist when warm, it’s much easier to roll perfectly round and even cake balls if the mixture is chilled a bit.
- The more finely you can make the chocolate cake crumbs, the more even they will roll and hold their shape.
- If you’re having trouble keeping the cake pops upright as they set, you can try sticking them into styrofoam or a jar filled with dried beans.
- When dipping the cake balls into the coating, make sure the entire cake pop is coated, even a smidge of the lollipop stick, to prevent any cake from leaking out of the coating.
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