Micah A. Leal
Decorative and cute, our Halloween Cake Pops are very simple to make, only requiring a little legwork for the decorating. The pops are made out of one prepared box of cake mix combined with some store-bought frosting. This mixture is then rolled into balls and set in the refrigerator before being submerged in different colored candy melts.
You can use any flavored cake and frosting that sounds appealing, just be sure to use the right amounts called for in the recipe. The candy melts that coat the cake pops are a better alternative to chocolate because they are more stable and less likely to seize up. They also add a smooth coating of color which is an important base for any delicate decorating. White chocolate, a simple royal icing, and black nonpareil sprinkles are all that’s needed to decorate the smooth surfaces of these three different Halloween cake pops—but whether you pick up the mummy, the pumpkin, or the spider web cake pop, you can count on them being equally delicious and adorable.
How to Make It
Step 1
Make Cake Balls: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl. Add frosting and stir with a large spoon until it becomes a smooth dough. Scoop 2 Tbsp. portions of dough into your hand and carefully form into 27 perfectly round balls. Place on prepared baking sheet. Take 9 of the balls and gently press one of the lollipop sticks 1/4-inch deep in 6 vertical lines around the sides of each ball, pressing the top and bottom of the ball slightly with your fingers to create the pumpkin shape. Place on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to allow the balls to set. Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temprature.
Step 2
Make Basic Royal Icing: With the whip attachment on a stand mixer, whip together pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes until glossy. Pour into container, cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to decorate.
Step 3
Make Mummy Cake Pops: Melt white candy melts according to package instructions. Make sure the candy melts are only slightly warm to the touch before proceeding. Dip 1 lollipop stick 1 inch into the melted candy. Lift to allow excess to drip off and push the coated end of the lollipop stick 3/4 of the way into a round cake ball. Lift the pierced cake ball and submerge in melted candy melts, twirling as necessary to coat the ball. Lift the ball up, allowing excess to drip back into bowl and push the bottom of the lollipop stick into the styrofoam block so the cake ball is suspended in the air to dry. Repeat with 8 more lollipop sticks and cake balls, stirring the melted candy melts before submerging each cake ball. While cake pops are drying, place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals at 30% power, stirring between each interval, until fully melted. Transfer melted chocolate to piping bag. Cut the tip of the piping bag and drizzle white chocolate across the white cake pops in thin ropes, creating the effect of mummy wrappings. Place two nonpareils next to each other in the center of one side of the cake pop for the mummy’s eyes. Push bottom of stick back into styrofoam block to allow white chocolate to dry completely. Repeat with remaining white cake pops.
Step 4
Make Pumpkin Cake Pops: Melt orange candy melts according to package instructions. Make sure the candy melts are only slightly warm to the touch before proceeding. Dip 1 lollipop stick 1 inch into the melted candy. Lift to allow excess to drip off and push the coated end of the lollipop stick 3/4 of the way into a pumpkin shaped cake ball. Lift the pierced cake ball and submerge in melted candy melts, twirling as necessary to coat the shape. Lift the pumpkin up, allowing excess to drip into bowl and push the bottom of the lollipop stick into the styrofoam block so the cake ball is suspended in the air to dry. Repeat with 8 more lollipop sticks and pumpkin cake balls, stirring the melted candy melts before submerging each cake ball. While cake pops are drying, stir together 2 Tbsp. reserved royal icing with green food coloring until desired color is reached. Transfer to piping bag. Cut tip of piping bag and pipe a small stem on the top of each pumpkin. Allow to dry until royal icing sets.
Step 5
Make Spider Web Cake Pops: Melt black candy melts according to package instructions. Make sure the candy melts are only slightly warm to the touch before proceeding. Dip 1 lollipop stick 1 inch into the melted candy. Lift to allow excess to drip off and push the coated end of the lollipop stick 3/4 of the way into a round cake ball. Lift the pierced cake ball and submerge in melted candy melts, twirling as necessary to coat the ball. Lift the ball up, allowing excess to drip into bowl and push the bottom of the lollipop stick into the styrofoam block so the cake ball is suspended in the air to dry. Repeat with 8 more lollipop sticks and cake balls, stirring the melted candy melts before submerging each cake ball. While cake pops dry, pour remaining reserved white royal icing into piping bag. Cut the tip and pipe one vertical line running from the top of the cake pop to the bottom of the cake pop. From the starting point of the first line, pipe 3 more straight lines at a 15° angle away from the previous line. Connect these lines with mirroring swoops to create a spider web effect. Push bottom of stick back into styrofoam block to allow royal icing to dry completely. Repeat with remaining black cake pops.
Chef's Notes
Candy melts can be found at any crafts store in the decorative baking section. Also, it’s important that the melted candy melts be only slightly warmer than the cake balls when they are submerged, so make sure the cake pops are at room temperature and that the melted candy melts are not hot at this point in the process.
