2cupsunsalted buttersoftened and divided (4 sticks)
1box chocolate fudge cake mix(15.25-oz.)
1¼cupsplus 2 tablespoons whole milkdivided
3large eggs
1¾poundspowdered sugar
3tablespoonscocoa powder
3tablespoonsorange sprinkles
24oz.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.