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All made from scratch, these strawberry cake pops are truly delicious! This cake pops recipe is full of flavor and super easy to make. It’s a great treat for a party or just because!
Now that it’s February (HOW!?) we can feel completely at ease with posting – and eating – all of the chocolate things, pink and red things, and just overall cheesy desserts and treats that go along with Valentine’s Day!
You may already know that I’m a fan of the day! I embrace the cheese 🙂 These strawberry cake pops were actually born out of a need to use up some strawberry buttercream. Rather than just finish off the icing with a spoon, which is my usual style, I thought I’d create something new and marvelous with it!
My kiddos LOVE cake pops. They don’t get them very often, but if I am feeling generous I will sometimes treat them one from Starbucks when I pop in for a coffee. But MAN those suckers are expensive! $2 per cake pop – at least!
A homemade version is just as delicious, and waaaaay cheaper. Plus you can make a big batch and freeze some!
What is a cake pop?
If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 10 years (haha – I jest) you may not know what a cake pop is! Chances are, if you’ve found this page through the Google then you already know about them. But, for the sake of SEO and for this post, let me fill you in!
A cake pop is essentially crumbled up cake, mixed up with frosting and rolled into a ball. A lollipop or candy stick is then stuck into the center of the ball and the ball is then dipped in chocolate, with sprinkles on top! They’re a super fun treat for kids (who doesn’t love things on sticks) and a great party trick!
How do you make strawberry cake pops?
This particular recipe is made with an all-from-scratch strawberry cake, crumbled up and mixed up with a homemade strawberry buttercream. It’s seriously delicious!
To make the cake pops, you first need to bake the cake! It’s a simple cake recipe, and you can bake it in a standard round 8 or 9″ cake pan. If you want to bake it in an 8 x 8″ baking dish, that would work too!
The cake is easy to throw together and takes about 30 minutes to bake. For both the cake and the frosting, you’ll need to make a simple strawberry puree on the stove, with either fresh strawberries or frozen.
Once the cake has completely cooled, crumble it all up! It’s kind of fun, to be honest. Destroying a perfectly good cake 😉 Before mixing the crumbled cake with buttercream, you want the cake to be COMPLETELY cool. You can put it in the fridge if you’d like, to speed up the cooling process.
NOW for the buttercream!
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the softened butter with powdered sugar, then with the remaining strawberry puree.
Important: this recipe makes exactly the right amount of frosting for the amount of cake; if you want to use a store-bought frosting, you’ll need about 1 cup in total.
Combine the strawberry buttercream with the crumbled cake and mix together.
Once the mixture is combined, create the balls. Each ball is about 1 tablespoon of mixture; you don’t want them any bigger than that or they’ll weigh down the lollipop stick! The balls might not be perfectly shaped at first, but that’s ok. Once we’ve rolled all of the cake balls out, we’re going to pop them into the fridge for a couple of hours.
After that, we’ll re-roll them a bit with our hands to create a perfect circle. It’s much easier to do this when the balls are cold!
Keep the balls in the fridge until you’re ready to dip!
What kind of chocolate do you use to dip the cake pops?
Pure chocolate is the best, but it can get pretty expensive, so you can definitely use chocolate candy melts. If you want to create some pretty hues, you can choose the white candy melts and add a small drop of gel food coloring once it’s melted.
I actually used white chocolate for the white and red pops, and pink candy melts for the other.
The perfect tool for dipping these cake pops is a 2-cup glass measuring cup! It’s just deep enough to reach the cake pop in and cover it in the melted chocolate.
Tip: Keep the cake pops in the fridge while you’re dipping. It works best when they’re cold! Remove a few at a time while you’re dipping. Take a lollipop stick, dip it a little into the melted chocolate, then insert it into the middle of a cake ball. Then, holding the stick, quickly dunk the cake pop into the melted chocolate and allow the excess to drip off, gently tapping it against the side of the measuring cup. If you’re using sprinkles, add them immediately after dipping, then insert the stick into a styrofoam block or cardboard box until the chocolate dries. Repeat this until you’ve done all the cake pops! You might need to work in batches, melting more chocolate as you go.
How long will cake pops keep?
Once the chocolate is hardened, the cake pops can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge or freezer (for up to 2 months). They can be kept at room temperature for a while (up to a day) but they’re definitely best in the fridge!
If you’re looking for a fun recipe for the kids this Valentine’s Day, give these strawberry cake pops a try!
I have one other cake pop recipe on the site (Halloween cake pops).
And here’s a few other favorite cake recipes:
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Strawberry Cake Pops
- Total Time: 4-5 hours
- Yield: 40 cake pops 1x
Description
All made from scratch, these strawberry cake pops are truly delicious! This cake pops recipe is full of flavor and super easy to make. It’s a great treat for a party or just because!
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- 1 1/2 cups diced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Strawberry Cake
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk*
- 1/2 cup strawberry puree
Strawberry Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup strawberry puree
- 4–5 cups chopped chocolate or candy melts
- sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare the strawberry puree. Add the strawberries to a small saucepan with 1 tsp of water and cook them over medium heat, for about 10-15 minutes, until softened. Either using an immersion blender, or placing the strawberries into a blender, blend the strawberries until smooth. Return the strawberries to the pot and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
- Bake the cake. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour an 8 or 9″ cake pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix together. With the mixer running on low, slowly mix in half of the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients, and then the strawberry puree. Mix just until combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes, before inverting it on to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 2 hours.**
- Prepare the strawberry buttercream. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on high for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, followed by the strawberry puree. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Crumble the cooled cake into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the strawberry buttercream until mixed together. 1 tablespoon at a time, roll the mixture into balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the balls are rolled out, place the baking sheet in the fridge for 2 hours to firm up. Remove the pan and re-roll the balls with your hand to create firm, smooth balls. Place the pan back in the fridge.
- Melt half the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, in 30 second intervals and at half power.*** Once the chocolate is smooth and runny, remove a few cake pops from the fridge. Dip a lollipop stick about a half inch into the melted chocolate, then carefully insert it into the middle of a cake pop. Holding it by the stick, dip the cake pop directly into the melted chocolate, covering it right to the base of the stick. Tap the cake pop lightly against the side of the cup to remove any excess chocolate. Add sprinkles immediately after dipping, if you’re using. Place the cake pop to dry into a styrofoam block or cardboard box with some small holes poked into it. Repeat with the remaining cake pops, heating the other half of chocolate up when the melted chocolate begins to run low. Once the cake pops are dry, remove and enjoy!
The dry cake pops can be removed and stored in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer.
Notes
*If you do not have buttermilk, make your own by adding 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 cup whole milk
**To speed up the cooling process, place the cake in the fridge.
***I love to use a glass 2-cup measuring cup for dipping (see post text above). You can melt the chocolate right in the measuring cup or pour the melted chocolate into it.
Cake recipe and methodology for the cake pops is adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: oven bake
- Cuisine: american
I feel same way about February! January is the time you are kind of embarrassed to eat and share (Well, mostly share) sweet recipes – I guess you’re supposed to have a break from them after all that Christmas festivity. February, on the other hand, is a legit reason! These strawberry cake pops is a beautiful and lovely dessert for this time of the year. I would probably have also added a little of rose water. Pretty pink, too!
Yes that is EXACTLY it. I would feel very odd posting something decadent the first week of January, but after a few weeks of salad I’m ready for the treats again (haha)! Rose water would be super good with the strawberry, Ben!
Right, those cake pops at Starbucks..?! Definitely doesn’t cost $2 to make at home, that’s for sure!
Love how you’ve incorporated strawberry in all the elements! Yum!
They’re SO expensive. And my kids love them, of course! Thanks Michelle!
These cake pops look so delicious and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Thank you Caleb!!
Irresistible bites Katherine ! Truly irresistible !
They are delicious, my friend!!
What a fantastic Valentine’s treat these Cake Pops are! Beautiful, delicious and they look like so much fun to make!
Thank you Catherine!! They were such a fun one to make!! The kiddos loved them 🙂
These cake pops look delicious. I never get tired of baking so adding these to my favorites. Would love to try this.
Thank you Abigail!!
Can these be made in advance? I needed something I can make and freeze… looks yum!
Yes definitely! You can freeze the cake pops with or without the chocolate coating, and thaw overnight in the fridge!
Made it, loved it! Thank you SO much!
Yay!! So happy to hear that!
Thanks for this! This was a hit with my kids. They used sprinkles to decorate.