Creating Cake Pops For Weddings: A Step-By-Step Guide

Cake pops are a fun and easy-to-make dessert option for weddings, engagement parties, or wedding showers. They can be served as a replacement for a traditional cake or as wedding favours for guests to take home. The process of making cake pops involves baking a cake, crumbling it into a large bowl, mixing in frosting, rolling the mixture into balls, inserting sticks, dipping the pops in melted chocolate, decorating them, and then allowing them to set. This introduction will cover the steps to make wedding cake pops, including shaping, decorating, and presentation ideas.

Shaping cake pops

To make the characteristic round shape of these tasty treats, you can try moulding the cake mixture by hand, shaping it in a silicone mould, or even using a mini meatballer. If you're rolling by hand, remember to cup your hands to keep the mixture rounded and prevent it from crumbling. About a tablespoon of cake mixture will make a standard-sized cake pop.

Since cake pops have become so popular, you can even buy a cake pop maker that shapes and bakes the tiny round cakes. However, be sure to check reviews before buying any such machine, as many may not stand up to the large batches you need to make for your guests.

To bring in the lollipop element, use candy sucker sticks, which can be found online or in craft stores. You can use plain white sticks, or decorated and coloured options to match your wedding colours.

Since cake pops need to stay upright while drying, it's best to buy a specialty cake pop stand to help with cooling and serving. You can also buy cello bags and twist ties if you plan on handing these out as favours.

Ingredients and equipment

To make wedding cake pops, you will need the following ingredients:

• Cake mix (vanilla or white cake mix for a pure white interior)
• Eggs (use only the egg whites for a whiter cake)
• Water
• Oil
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Butter
• Powdered sugar
• Milk
• Frosting (vanilla or buttercream)
• White chocolate candy or candy wafers (for melting and dipping)
• Semi-sweet or regular chocolate chips (for the grooms' tux coats)
• Vegetable oil
• Edible glitter or white sugar
• Candy dots
• Ribbons or colourful wire twist ties

For equipment, you will need:

• 9" x 9" or 9" x 13" baking pan
• Medium and large bowls
• Electric mixer
• Wax or parchment paper
• Baking sheet or tray
• Plastic wrap
• Double boiler or microwave
• Cello bags and twist ties (optional, for favours)
• Candy sucker sticks (in desired colours)
• Styrofoam block (for drying)
• Piping tools (optional, for decorating)

Cake and frosting recipes

The cake pop recipe you choose will depend on the colour and flavour you want. For a pure white interior, use a vanilla recipe and omit the egg yolks. You can also buy a box of white cake mix.

Vanilla cake recipe

• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-3/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9” X 9” pan. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and stir in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to creamed ingredients, mixing well. Stir in milk until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven and check if done with a dry toothpick.

Basic Buttercream Frosting

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp milk

Mix powdered sugar and butter with an electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and one tablespoon of the milk. Slowly beat in just enough additional milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable.

White cake mix

• 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ White Cake Mix
• 1 tub (16 oz) Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9x13 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare cake mix according to the package directions (using egg whites to make the cake as white as possible). Bake as directed, removing from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean and the cake springs back to the touch.

Chocolate cake recipe

You can also make chocolate cake pops by substituting the vanilla extract in the recipe above with chocolate extract, or by using a chocolate cake mix.

Chocolate frosting

Chocolate frosting can be made by adding cocoa powder to the basic buttercream frosting recipe above.

Decorating bride and groom cake pops

To decorate bride and groom cake pops, you will need to prepare a few things in advance. First, you will need to bake a white or vanilla cake, crumble it into fine crumbs, and mix it with frosting to create a mouldable cake pop base. You will also need melted white chocolate, melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate, sucker sticks, small plastic bags, and ribbons for packaging.

For the bride cake pops, you can create a white dress pattern by piping white chocolate or frosting onto the cake pop. Immediately sprinkle with edible glitter or white sugar to make the design stand out like lace. You can also add candy dots to the top to resemble a necklace.

For the groom cake pops, dip each side of the cake pop into melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate to create a tuxedo effect. You can use piped chocolate or mini chocolate chips to create a bow tie and buttons.

Once the cake pops are decorated and completely dry, place them in small plastic bags and tie them with ribbons. You can also use beads or colourful wire twist ties to secure the bags.

• Bake a white or vanilla cake and allow it to cool completely.
• Crumble the cake into fine crumbs, removing any golden or browned parts to ensure a perfectly white cake pop base.
• Mix the cake crumbs with frosting until you have a mouldable mixture.
• Roll the mixture into balls of about 1-1/2 inch in diameter.
• Insert sucker sticks into the cake balls and chill until the mixture is hardened.
• For bride cake pops, pipe white chocolate or frosting onto the cake pop in a dress pattern. Sprinkle with edible glitter or white sugar and add candy dots for a necklace.
• For groom cake pops, dip the sides of the cake pop into melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate to create a tuxedo effect.
• Use piped chocolate or mini chocolate chips to create a bow tie and buttons on the groom cake pops.
• Allow the cake pops to set and dry completely.
• Place each cake pop in a small plastic bag and tie it with a ribbon or secure it with beads or twist ties.

Packaging and presentation

Now comes the fun part: packaging and presenting your wedding cake pops! Packaging is half the fun and adds a lot to the presentation, so don't skimp on this step. It's also a great way to hide any imperfections in your cake pops.

For the bride-themed cake pops, create a white dress pattern with piped frosting. You can sprinkle edible glitter or white sugar and add candy dots to enhance the dress pattern. For the groom-themed cake pops, melt some chocolate chips and dip just the sides of the cake pop to create a tuxedo effect. Use mini chocolate chips to add a bow tie and buttons.

Once your cake pops are completely set and dry, place them in small plastic candy bags. You can tie the bags with ribbons that match your wedding colours or use colourful wire twist ties. If you're giving them as favours, you can also add a tag with a personalised message or the guests' names.

To display your cake pops, consider purchasing a specialty cake pop stand to keep them upright. This will not only help with cooling and serving but also create a visually appealing display. You can also place them in a large Styrofoam block to hold them upright while drying.

Frequently asked questions