Description
Delightful Valentine Cake Pops made from moist chocolate cake mixed with cream cheese, coated in white candy melts, and decorated with festive sprinkles and optional pink drizzle. These bite-sized treats are perfect for Valentine’s Day celebrations and are easy to prepare ahead of time.
Ingredients
Cake Mixture
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (prepared and baked according to package directions)
- 1 1/4 cups cream cheese, softened
Coating and Decoration
- 1 3/4 cups white candy melts or white chocolate chips
- Valentine’s Day sprinkles or nonpareils, for decorating
- 1/3 cup light pink candy melts (optional, for drizzle)
Instructions
- Bake the Cake: Prepare and bake the chocolate cake according to the package instructions. Once baked, remove from oven and allow it to cool completely to room temperature to prevent melting the cream cheese in the next step.
- Crumble the Cake: In a large mixing bowl, crumble the cooled cake into fine crumbs, ensuring there are no large lumps for a smooth cake pop texture.
- Mix with Cream Cheese: Add the cream cheese to the crumbled cake. Start by mixing half of the cream cheese, then gradually add more until a uniform dough forms that holds its shape without being too wet.
- Form Cake Balls: Using your palms, shape the cake mixture into 20 even-sized smooth balls. Make sure they are compact and evenly sized for uniform baking and coating.
- Insert Sticks and Chill: Carefully push a lollipop stick into each cake ball. Place the sticks upright on a tray and transfer to the freezer for about 20 minutes or until firm enough to dip.
- Melt the White Candy Coating: Melt the white candy melts in the microwave by heating at 15-second intervals, stirring in between until smooth and fully melted.
- Coat the Cake Pops: Dip each chilled cake ball into the melted white candy coating, covering it completely.
- Decorate with Sprinkles: Immediately decorate the coated cake pops with Valentine’s Day sprinkles or nonpareils before the coating sets.
- Optional Pink Drizzle: Melt pink candy melts in the microwave in 5-second increments until smooth. Add food coloring drops if needed to achieve desired color. Drizzle over the cake pops using a piping bag or a cut sandwich bag for an elegant touch.
- Set the Coating: Place the decorated cake pops in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until the candy coating is firm and set.
Notes
- Ensure the cake is completely cooled before mixing with cream cheese to avoid a runny mixture.
- Adjust the amount of cream cheese based on the moisture of the cake; less cream cheese may be needed for moister cakes.
- Freezing the cake balls before dipping makes coating easier and prevents them from falling apart.
- Use lollipop sticks or sturdy cake pop sticks for ease of handling and presentation.
- Store cake pops in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best freshness.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
