Whether you're a Starbucks fanatic or you've decided to boycott them entirely, there is NO reason you'll miss out if you make these Starbucks Copycat Birthday Cake Pops at home. You can try to think of one, I'll wait. Not only do they taste better (sorry not sorry, Starbucks), you can make over 30 cake pops with this recipe for the same price as buying 2 of theirs. But most importantly, you will be REALLY proud of yourself! Don't be scared. Let's do it together.
These are the first cake pops I attempted. To get as much information as possible, I dived deep and looked up older Youtube videos. Most of what I learned were definitely from Angie Dudley herself, aka Bakerella. Her cake pop designs are incredible! Cooking With Karli's videos also taught me so many useful tips and tricks - I highly recommend reading their blogs for cake pop inspiration!
If you love the chocolate version, be sure to check out my Starbucks Copycate Chocolate Cake Pops. And if you haven't seen these cake pops turn into mini "Ice Cream" Cake Pops, you HAVE to see the photos in that post!
Jump to:
Why It's Worth It To Make Cake Pops At Home
Currently, Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops costs $3.25 each where I live. How much do they cost in your neighborhood? We don't really need to discuss the money you'll be savings making these at home, do we? To buy 30 cake pops at my price, it would come out to $97.50. All the supplies and ingredients needed for this recipe doesn't even come close to a FRACTION of that cost.
What initially caught my interest was seeing so many of you sharing your decision to boycott Starbucks, yet not wanting to miss out the Starbucks items you love. I know our kids look forwards to these treats. I am not a huge cake pop lover, I would rather dig into a cake slice with a fork. But I found out many of you guys are, and for good reason! Cake pops are deliciously made in a variety of flavors, perfect cake-to-icing ratio, and served on a convenient cute little stick.
With this recipe, you will learn the crucial fundamentals steps to making cake pops successfully, and this will help you make any other cake pop flavors just as easy.
Optional, But Highly Recommended
To make these popular Starbucks Copycat Birthday Cake Pops, we'll be using store-bought cake box mix and a simple HACK - elevating the recipe on the cake box. What do I mean by "elevate" and why? We're going to ADD an extra egg and use milk INSTEAD of water. This hack is nothing new - so many of you already use this for your cupcakes! I find the milk creates better overall flavor and the extra egg adds a little more richness but more importantly, it adds a little more moisture to help bind them into shape.
Another step you should not skip is adding a quick VANILLA BUTTERCREAM to your baked cake, and you can whip this up in one bowl in no time. Why? Check Starbucks' cake pop label. They use buttercream - it's probably why they are so tasty! You can roll these cake pops by just binding warm crumbled cake alone. You can also add some vanilla and powdered sugar. Some of you add store-bought frosting, although I find this too sweet. Do what works for you! I tried them all, and this is what I learned - adding buttercream makes the closest COPYCAT to Starbucks'. These tips will help you create the BEST fluffy cake pops that's EASY to assemble.
Key Notes About A Few Ingredients
- Use any store-bought vanilla cake mix: Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, Kroger - any brand works. And I apologize if any of these brands are on the boycott list.
- Oil or butter for the cake batter: A few people have told me they will substitute butter instead of the oil. Butter is always more flavorful, but I find oil does a better job keeping the cake moist which is especially essential for cake pops. So I recommend oil for cake pops, and perhaps butter for classic cake.
- Use pink candy melts: Although you can color white chocolate pink with gel food coloring, I find it much easier to simply use pre-colored candy melts. My favorites are from Michael's Arts & Crafts - Light Pink Sweet Tooth Fairy® Meltables. It melts into a thin consistency and the color is a perfect match to the original. You can also find similar brands at Walmart and Amazon.
How To Make Starbucks Copycat Birthday Cake Pops
Highly recommended: Adding an extra egg and milk instead of water will add more flavor and moisture to your cake mix.
Feel free to bake in any size pan(s) listed on the box - greased and/or lined. Be sure not to over-bake. Check your cake 5 mins prior to finished bake time.
Add HOT baked cake to mixer bowl and crumble immediately using paddle attachment. You can also use handheld mixer or crumble by hand once cake is cool enough to touch.
I recommend making a quick and easy homemade vanilla buttercream to the cake. It adds flavor and helps cake bind together to roll smoothly.
Add buttercream to crumbled cake and mix until evenly combined.
Roll each cake pop into 30g balls - approx 1¼ inch or 3cm in diameter.
Chill cake balls in freezer for 15 mins. Do not step any chilling steps.
Melt candy melts according to package instructions. Dip tip of cake pop stick.
Insert dipped lollipop stick halfway through the center of each cake ball.
Chill cake pops in freezer once more for 15 mins. This is the MOST OVERLOOKED STEP - do not skip!
Submerge entire cake pop until it meets candy melt & stick. Dunk only once, do not re-dip.
Gently tap stick until excess candy melt has dripped off.
Sprinkle nonpareils over an empty bowl quickly before candy melt dries.
A styrofoam block works great to keep cake pops vertical until they fully set.
Suzy's Tips For Success
- Use one baking pan: I used two round pans mainly for video purposes, but feel free to use one rectangular 9x13-inch greased/lined pan. Refer to baking times on cake box.
- Make a habit of checking your cake BEFORE bake time is up: You can always bake longer, but you can't go back if you over-bake. It's always a good practice to check ANY bakes a few minutes prior. It is especially important here since over-baking leads to dry cake. Dry cake is more difficult to roll into balls, and you end up with crumbly lumpy cake pops.
- Add HOT cake to mixer immediately after baking: The steam from the baked cake helps keep crumbled cake soft and moist. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can also use a handheld mixer or crumble cake by hand once it's cool enough to touch.
- No sifting necessary: Many people sift powdered sugar to make homemade buttercream. Since we are not using it for cake decoration, sifting is not required. Your buttercream may have small lumps, but it will mix with the cake perfectly fine.
- Avoid rolling BIG cake pops: One of the biggest problems people face later on during assembly is the cake pop balls not staying attached to the cake pop sticks. I highly suggest using a kitchen scale to weigh them and stay under 30 grams, or 1¼-inch (3cm) in diameter.
- Melting candy melts: Melt only a small amount to dip tips of the cake pop sticks. Melt the rest when submerging the entire cake pop. Follow the package melting instructions. I find using a glass bowl or cup deep enough to submerge the full cake pop ball in short increments in the microwave works the best. You want a fairly thin consistency.
- Insert dipped cake pop sticks HALFWAY into cake pop: If you go too far, the cake pop will fall apart. If not enough, then it won't stay attached to the stick. Don't worry, you'll find the sweet spot!
- CHILL CAKE POPS AT EVERY STAGE: This is the step you DO NOT SKIP. Chill cake pops in freezer after rolling into balls. This allows the cake to bind together. Chill them after attaching dipped cake pop sticks. The candy melt on the tip of the stick will set and act as an adhesive to keep them together. Skipping this step is the most common reason why cake pops do not stay attached to the lollipop sticks.
- To avoid cracking: Once you've chilled the cake pops, transfer them to the counter for 10 minutes BEFORE dipping in candy melt. Cracks usually happen when different temperatures play a tug of war. So when cake pops are too cold and/or the melted candy melt is too warm, cracks may appear. To prevent this, bring the cake pops closer to room temperature and melt the candy melts in short increments according to package instructions.
- Dunk cake pop only ONCE and allow excess candy melt to drip off: Submerge the entire cake pop ball ONCE until it meets the set candy melt and lollipop stick. Our goal is to apply only one coating of candy melt as best as you can. Dunking your cake pop more than once will create a heavier candy coating, which may result in cake pop falling off the stick due to its weight. Be sure to tap the lollipop stick for a few minutes after dipping to allow all the excess candy melt to drip off.
- Adding sprinkles and drying cake pops: Candy melts dry fairly quickly, so sprinkle your nonpareils fast. A styrofoam block works great in keeping cake pops upright. If you want an alternative to buying styrofoam, you can fill a deep loaf pan with rice or beans. Stick the stick into the rice once it's assembled to dry. You can also poke holes using an empty cardboard box.
How To Store Starbucks Copycat Birthday Cake Pops
You can keep cake pops at room temperature in a cool dry place for 2 days. If not consumed, you can store in fridge individually wrapped or in an airtight container for 2 weeks or up to 3 months in the freezer.
FAQ
My favorites are from Michael's Arts & Crafts - Light Pink Sweet Tooth Fairy® Meltables. It melts into a thin consistency and the color is a perfect match to the original. You will also find a few at Walmart, Target, definitely Amazon.
It's most likely the cake was over-baked. Be sure to set a timer and check your cake a few minutes before your bake time is done.
Cracks usually happen when different temperatures play a tug of war. So when cake pops are too cold and/or the melted candy melt is too warm, cracks may appear. To prevent this, bring the cake pops to room temperature. Melt the candy melts in short increments according to package instructions and stir consistently. You want to make sure not to dip your cake pops in extremely hot candy melt.
Make sure you do not roll your cake pops too large. 30 grams or 1¼-inch (3cm) in diameter or smaller is perfect. CHILL your cake pops at every stage. Chill after rolling ball and once again after inserting your dipped stick. If you skip these steps, the candy melt does not have time to set and act as an adhesive. And finally, do not dip your cake pop into your candy melt more than once. This will create a heavy coating and adds weight to your cake pop. Dip once and shake off the excess candy melt gently.
Find an empty cardboard box. Poke small holes into the box big enough to hold the cake pop sticks upright while they dry.
You Might Also Like...
Equipment
- stand mixer or handheld mixer optional
- large mixing bowl
- small mixing bowl
- cake baking pan(s)
- lollipop sticks
Ingredients
Cake
- 1- 13.25 oz any store-bought box of vanilla cake mix
- ⅓ cup neutral oil vegetable, avocado, canola, etc.
- 1 cup milk or water
- 4 large eggs
Vanilla Buttercream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon milk add more if needed
Coating
- 12 oz candy melts
- white nonpareils or sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325-350℉ (162-175℃). Refer to recipe on cake box for exact temperature depending on your baking pan size.
- Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl. Pour batter into greased/lined pan and transfer into oven. Stick a toothpick in the center of cake to see if it comes out clean 2-4 mins PRIOR to the end of bake time. DO NOT OVER BAKE.1- 13.25 oz any store-bought box of vanilla cake mix , ⅓ cup neutral oil , 1 cup milk or water, 4 large eggs
- Transfer baked cake into a large stand mixing bowl immediately while it's still hot. Crumble cake on low speed using a paddle attachment until no large pieces remain. You can also use a handheld mixer or crumble slightly cooled cake by hand.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all buttercream ingredients. Sifting powdered sugar is not necessary. Stir well until fairly smooth, small lumps is common. Add all the buttercream to the crumbled cake and mix until fully incorporated.¼ cup unsalted butter , 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon milk , pinch salt
- Roll cake pops approx 1¼-inch (3cm) in diameter or 30g each. Chill cake pops in freezer for 15 mins, then bring them back to room temperature for 10 mins as you melt your candy melt.
- Melt a small amount of pink candy melts in microwave according to package instructions. Best way I found is heat and stir in 15-30 sec increments until thin and smooth. Dip tip of lollipop stick into candy melt, then gently insert dipped tip into the cake balls halfway in. Repeat to all cake balls, then chill again in freezer for 15 mins.12 oz candy melts
- Take cake pops out of the freezer and bring them back to room temperature for 10 mins. Melt the remaining candy melts until desired thin consistency. Dip cake pop into melted candy melt, making sure it's submerged all the way to the stick. This will help adhere the cake pop and prevent it from falling off the stick.
- Holding the stick with one hand, use your other hand to gently tap cake pop until all excess candy melt has dripped off. You want to achieve one even coating. Do not dunk again, as this extra weight may cause your cake pop to detach from the stick.
- Decorate with sprinkles or nonpareils quickly. Place finished cake pops into a styrofoam block to keep them upright as it dries. Repeat until all cake pops are dipped and sprinkled.white nonpareils or sprinkles
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for other recipes like this?
Anne says
Do you add the buttercream to warm cake?
Suzy says
Yes! If you crumbled your cake while still warm as suggested, you can add your buttercream as soon as your cake crumbles are ready. But even if you didn't crumble it hot (perhaps not having a stand mixer), you can add the buttercream at any time and mix in at any time.
Elisa says
Hello, how far in advance can I make these? And in room temperature or refrigerated? 🫶🏼
Suzy says
Hello Elisa. Made properly, cake pops can definitely be made far in advance. They can be at room temperature for 2-3 days, or stored in an airtight container fridge for 2 weeks. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Sally says
These turned out so good! They’re not too sweet, maybe even better than Starbucks. First time making cake pops as well and the instructions and notes were so helpful.
Suzy says
I'm so happy they turned out great - congratulations! It's no easy feat it being your first time and I'm sure you NAILED IT. Thank you for trying my recipe, Sally!
abiola says
hi i am scared to make this with my daughters bff because 1. we dont have a standmixer
2. idk where u go the pink choclate thing and any other ones i can use if u live in the uk
3.can anyone who is vegetrain eat this
4. would is work as the last one i ade not off this web everything just broke so yh pls reply
Suzy says
Hello! I understand being scared, but you can do it! If you don't have a stand mixer, you can simply crumble the cake by hand once it's cooled enough to touch. I'm not sure where in the UK sells pink candy melts, perhaps you can google "candy melts near you" and it will give you some store locations or order via Amazon. Vegetarian friends can enjoy these cake pops if they are okay having milk and eggs in their diet. One of the most common problems assembling cake pops is they fall off the cake pop sticks or they break apart. Please review my recipe again, I list all the tips to make sure you succeed! Make sure you make moist cake (adding the extra egg and mixing it with buttercream) and do not over-bake. Dry cake = crumbly lumpy pops. Also, be sure to weigh your cake pops so they are not too heavy and chill at every stage so the candy melts keep sticks attached. Hope that helps!
abiola sulaiman says
HI I HAV A LOT OF QUESTIONS
1. CAN I USE ANOTHER TYPE OF CHOCOLATE FOR THIS RCIPE
2.WHAT MEASUREMENT DO I DO IF I WANT TO MAKE A BATCH OF 5 OR TEN?
3.DO I HAVE TO USE UNSALTD BUTTER?
4.CAN I USE GRANULA\TED SUGAR INSTEAD?
Suzy says
Hello. I'll try to answer them as best as possible! So when you mean another type of chocolate, are you wanting to use really chocolate or almond bark instead of candy melts? Yes, you can. Melt them slowly in small increments in microwave or over a double boiler. However, just keep in mind chocolate and almond bark may melt thicker than candy melts. Many people will thin it by melting it with a little coconut oil. To make this recipe into smaller batches less than half the recipe (which you can turn on the 1/2 option in the recipe card), you would basically have to do the math. One recipe will make roughly 30 cake pops if you measure correctly. So if you wanted to make only 10 cake pops, you would need to divid all the ingredient into 1/3. Use a third of the cake box mix, weigh the eggs and divid out a third, make only a third of the buttercream, and so on. I would recommend making a full recipe if you can, since they can be stored for a while and freeze beautifully. Yes, you can use salted butter if you wish. Just keep in mind that salt is already added and you can skip adding more salt if you wish. I would not recommend using granulated sugar for the buttercream. It isn't as fine as powdered sugar and doesn't incorporate and blend in as smoothly. So you may be left with a grainy texture which will be unpleasant. You would also have to convert the right amount of granulated sugar. I hope that helped!
Diana Herrera says
Do I follow the cake box recipe on the cake box? or do I follow your recipe?
Suzy says
Hello Diana. I wrote this recipe for viewers to follow INSTEAD of the box instructions. If you compare the two, you will see it's similar - I used milk instead of water and added an extra egg. You can follow the box instructions if you wish. But I feel adding milk adds extra flavor and the extra egg gives more moisture which is very helpful in keeping the cake moist. This aids you in rolling smoother cake balls later. Hope this helps!
Evan says
Great recipe! My second time making these, whenever I dipped them, they would fall off of the stick. Any troubleshooting ideas? And, yes, I did freeze after every step.
Suzy says
Hello Evan! I'm glad you are chilling your cake pops at every stage. Two reasons why your cake balls are falling off their sticks. Did you weigh your cake pops as you rolled them? When I tested them, cake balls that weighed more than 32g max had a tendency to fall because they simply were too heavy. The other reason could be because your melted candy melt texture is too thick. This means the heavy coating is weighing it down. I would heat the candy melt in small increments (microwave) until consistency is thinner or using a double boiler. There are also people who add a small amount of coconut oil to their melted candy melt. This will help create a thinner coating. I hope this helps! I have it all written down in the recipe if you need to refer to it later.
Emely Olayo says
Hello!
How can I make the buttercream for this recipe?
Suzy says
Hello Emely. The chocolate buttercream recipe is listed in the recipe card. You can click the "Jump To Recipe" button from the top of the page or simply scroll down. It's listed after the cake ingredients.
Nicole says
I made these today for Easter with my son. My husband said they were the best cake pops he ever tried. Only thing I did different was use a half batch of America's Test Kitchen's Quick Vanilla Icing recipe (a buttercream), but that was because I was going off your short and hadn't come here to the site yet to see your buttercream recipe.
I have never made cake pops before but when I saw your short and showed my eldest son we decided we had to make them. The recipe is so easy to follow and with the chilling tips and weighing the balls we were able to have success our first try. Thank you for sharing your recipe and expertise. We can't wait to surprise our family with these tomorrow. Happy Easter and God bless! 😊
Suzy says
I'm so happy to hear that, Nicole! You had the patience to take your time and follow the recipe, so great job to you and your son. Thank you for trying my recipe - I know your family. will love them!
Faith says
Hi, thank you for the great receipe! I made the vanilla and everyone loved it. Can I do the same for chocolate cake? serving for kids bday party
Suzy says
That's amazing, Faith! You can find the similar Starbucks Copycat Chocolate Cake Pops recipes right here on my blog. It includes the recipe where you use chocolate cake box and a simple chocolate buttercream you can whip together to add and bind the cake. Thank you so much for trying my recipe. I'm so proud of you!
Scarlette says
Is there different ingredients for high elevations? I live in a town with high elevation and things don’t always turn out right. If there is anything I could change that would be amazing!
Suzy says
Hello Scarlette! Cake mixes usually recommend baking at 350ºF, and I believe watching to make sure your cake doesn't over-bake is more important than changing the temperature. Coating the cake pops - the process would be most likely be the same for us: re-melting the candy melts or chocolate to maintain a thin consistency to coat one even layer. All the most important tips in the recipes - weighing the cake pops, chilling at every stages, etc. would apply to all of us!
Emily Brogan says
First time I’ve been able to make these work is with your recipe
When coating my cake pops the candy coat is cracking as they dry. Could this be because the cake pops are too cold ? I did leave them for the required time to come to room temperature
Suzy says
Hi Emily. Yes, the reason they crack is because the temperature of the cake pops and the melted candy melts shock each other. One is drastically cold while the other is hot. So after chilling the cake pops, bring them back to room temperature AND when you melt the candy melts, make sure it is not scorching hot when you coat them. It's about gauging and balancing the two contrasting temperatures.
Julie says
How and can you freeze these amazing and delicious cake pops?
Suzy says
Hi Julie! Yes - cake pops freeze beautifully. Most cake pops you buy from Starbucks were frozen, FYI. You can store them in freezer or airtight containers in the freezer for months - look up the specifics in the STORAGE section on my recipe.
Quinn Hammel says
what type of candy melts did you use? I used Milton and it got hard really fast so I had to stop.
Suzy says
Hello Quinn. Do you mean Wilton? I do use those, also Sweet Tooth Fairy and also ChocoMakers. Many of these brands can react differently, but reheating in small increments to create a thin consistency is a necessity. You can also add a small amount of coconut oil, many people find that helpful to maintain a coat-able consistency. So I guess I'm saying it's not really the brand, it's just a matter of knowing how to reheating.
Caitlin says
Hi there! I’m having a hard time keeping the shape of the balls as I roll them they are falling apart. Do I need more frosting maybe? Thanks! Up to this point the recipe has been super easy! 🙂
Suzy says
Hello Caitlin. Yes, you can attempt to add more frosting. The most common reasons people have issues keeping smooth round cake balls is the cake is dry over-baked or inaccurate measuring. Cake pops roll well when the cake stays moist, so you can keep that in mind in the future!
Jenice says
This is first time making cake pops and I must say your recipe is so simple and easy to follow. I have a quick question. Can you freeze the cake pop balls for longer than 15 minutes before bringing to room temp to dunk into the chocolate?
Suzy says
Hello Jenice. If you need to chill the cake pops for longer than 15 mins, I would suggest you put them in the FRIDGE instead. The reason you shouldn't freeze them for too long is because once you're ready to dunk them into candy melt/chocolate, you don't want the temperature of the cold cake pops and the warm melted chocolate to shock each other. If this happens, you will most likely get cracks on the coating after they dry. This is why I suggest in the recipe to bring the cake pops to the counter for a few minutes before dunking, also. Hope this helps!
Chrissy says
Hi! What’s the best way to thin out the chocolate so it’s easy to dip. I always find mine to be too thick and nervous to add too much oil! Thank you!
Suzy says
Hello Chrissy! First, I would experiment with different chocolate candy melts. They melt very smoothly. If not, I would chop chocolate bars - not chocolate chips. They are coated with soy lecithin that prevents them from melting too quickly and maintains their tear-drop shape. Usually the better chocolate brands (Callebaut or better) are great, but have a higher price tag. The chocolate coating I used were Sweet Tooth Fairy Candy Melts, or Wiltons works great too!
Carina says
Hey, I'm having trouble dipping my pops. I have tried double boiling and the microwave method but the chocolate sooner or later gets stiff. I have made sure no moisture is in the chocolate but it keeps hardening. When I try to dip my pops in, the stick falls off and I have done all the chilling and setting. Could you help?
Suzy says
Any melting chocolate will start to thicken, so it's a matter of timing. How long do you let it sit before you coat your cake pops? I don't think it's because of moisture, it's simply melting it and using it quickly. If your cake pops are falling off the sticks, the issue usually isn't the coating. It's because your cake pops are too heavy. Weigh each cake pop and don't let them exceed 30 grams.