Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 13x9-inch cake pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, water, oil, and eggs until combined. Pour into the cake pan.
Bake according to package directions. Cool completely.
Line a small baking sheet or plate with wax or parchment paper.
Crumble cooled cake into a large bowl. Add frosting and stir with a wooden spoon or beat on low speed until mixture resembles wet sand, but is not smooth, about 30 seconds if using an electric mixer. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the cake mixture and roll into 1-inch balls. Place on the lined plate. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
Melt candy or chocolate wafers according to the package instructions and place in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or tall drinking glass. Pull a few cake balls out, leaving the others in the fridge as you work so they stay cold (keeping them cold helps the coating set quickly). Dip the tip of a lollipop stick in the melted chocolate and insert about halfway into a cake ball. Dip the cake ball into the chocolate making sure to cover the base where the stick and cake ball meet,and turn to coat. Remove and gently tap on the side of the cup to let excess coating drip off.
Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Place upright in a styrofoam block or cardboard box. Let stand until the coating is set. Cake pops should be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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Notes
Want to make it more colorful? Add some gel food coloring to the candy melts. 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.
Let the cake cool completely before you begin to crumble it. If the cake is too warm, it’ll keep the 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, so it has sufficient time to cool.
As the cake and frosting are moist when warm, it’s difficult to roll into perfectly round and even cake balls. Be sure to allow time for the mixture to chill before rolling.
The more finely you can make the cake crumbs, the more even they will roll and hold their shape. You don’t want large chunks of cake pieces poking out!
To hold your cake pops upright, poke tiny holes in a styrofoam block or the bottom of a 4 to 5 inch-deep cardboard box. Insert the end of the lollipop stick once the cake pop is coating and decorated. Let stand until set. You can then place them in plastic wrappers or in jars to hold them upright. If you don’t have styrofoam, you can place them in a jar filled with dried beans.
Alternatively, you can place them cake ball-side down on wax or parchment-lined baking tray to dry. This will give them a flat side but make them easier to transport if you’re traveling with them.
This recipe works with just about any classic cake mix flavor and complementary frosting, so have fun! Just bake your favorite flavor cake in a 13x9inch sheet and proceed with the recipe as instructed. Check out my Pumpkin Cake Pops for another variation.