How to Make Valentine’s Day Cake Pops

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I love everything Valentine’s Day, and Valentine’s Day cake pops are my favorite treats to make to celebrate the occasion. As you can probably tell, pink is my favorite color and I love anything pink and sparkly and heart-shaped, so this holiday is made for me. I like to think that Valentine’s Day is not just for people in love, it’s also for people who love hearts and desserts. As you’ll see in these photos, I go all out on Valentine’s Day decorations. A lot of these items I got from Target. They always knock it out of the park on holiday decorations.

I’ve always enjoyed this holiday, with or without a significant other. For me, it’s not just about a significant other, it’s about showing love for your friends, your family, and yourself. I routinely buy myself heart-shaped candy and treats on Valentine’s Day to show myself some love. As a busy mom, it’s important to love myself just as much as I love my kids. Since I love cake and I love Valentine’s Day, making Valentine’s Day cake pops was inevitable … and amazing. I also bought this awesome Draper James heart top. It’s super comfortable and adorable. I can see myself wearing this even when it’s not Valentine’s Day. I also got matching jogger pants in this print from Draper James. I’ll be sure to share some pics of those soon!

Make your Valentine’s Day cake pops and eat them too!

I have to preface this recipe by saying that I had no reason to make Valentine’s Day cake pops. I wanted cake and I wanted something pink and fun. Those were enough “reasons” for me! And really, you don’t need an excuse to eat cake. Sometimes it’s just necessary. So whether it’s Valentine’s Day or just a Tuesday, treat yourself to these delicious bites of heaven.

The best part about these cake pops is that they’re really easy to make. I’ve tried making cake pops before and they didn’t turn out so well. This recipe for Valentine’s Day cake pops is simple and straightforward. Plus, you can adapt the colors and sprinkles on your cake pops to make them fit any holiday or occasion!

Super Easy Valentine’s Day Cake Pops Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons Madagascar bourbon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk

Icing:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1 and 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 3 teaspoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon Madagascar bourbon pure vanilla extract

Candy Coating:

• 32 ounces candy melts or pure white chocolate
• Sprinkles or sanding sugar in red and pink
• Pink or red gel food coloring

Tools:

• 9- or 10-inch round cake pan
• Candy melting pot
• Lollipop sticks
• Cake pops stand or box with holes poked in the top
• Silicone baking mat
• Baking sheet

Directions:

Bake the cake:

1. Turn your oven to 350 degrees F and spray nonstick cooking spray in a 10-inch round cake pan.
2. Whisk together your dry ingredients in a bowl and set to the side (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt).
3. Use a stand mixer and your paddle attachment to beat the butter and sugar together until they are blended (2 minutes). Add in the egg and vanilla extract and turn the speed of your mixer to high until all the ingredients are well mixed together.
4. Switch the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and milk to your wet ingredients. Once they’re combined, use a whisk to make sure there are no big lumps in your batter.
5. Pour the batter into your greased pan and bake for 30-36 minutes. Check the center of the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Let the cake cool completely.

Mix the icing:

1. Using your stand mixer and paddle attachment again, beat the butter until creamy. Then, slowly add in your confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla extract with the mixer on low-speed. Turn the mixer to high and beat for 3 minutes.

Put it all together:

1. Take your cooled cake and crumble it into the bowl of icing. I just used my hands to crumble it all up. Just make sure you don’t have any large chunks. Then, turn your mixer to low-speed and mix the crumbs with the icing.
2. Use 1 tablespoon to measure out your cake balls. Roll each ball and place them on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Put the baking sheet into the refrigerator to let them chill for at least 2 hours (or freeze them for 1 hour).

Dip the cake pops:

1. I used my new melting pot from Rosanna Pansino’s Nerdy Nummies baking line to melt the white chocolate for the cake pops. You’ll need to warm up the melting pot according to the directions and add the chocolate a bit at a time, stirring occasionally, until it’s melted. (You can also use a microwaveable bowl and melt the chocolate in the microwave, just heat in increments of 20 seconds at time, stirring in between.) If you want to dye your chocolate, now is the time. I did some cake pops with plain white chocolate and some with the chocolate dyed light pink, using a few drops of gel food coloring.
2. You don’t want the cake balls to get too warm, you want them really cold for dipping. So, only take 3 cake balls out of the fridge at a time. Dip one of your lollipop sticks about a 1/2 inch into the melted chocolate. Then stick the lollipop stick about halfway into the cake ball. And then, completely dip the cake ball into the melted chocolate. Make sure the chocolate covers the cake ball all the way around. Gently tap the stick on the side of your bowl to let the excess chocolate drip off. (This is really important because you want a thin layer of chocolate, otherwise it will drip off your stick when you place them upright to dry.)
3. Then it’s time to decorate! I coated my cake pops in sprinkles or sanding sugar, or just a few sprinkles on top. Whatever you want to do is fine, just make it fun! I used a cardboard cake pops stand that I had to store the pops while they dried. You can also use a box with small holes poked in the top. As long as you have something to keep them upright, that works. The cake pops should be dry in about an hour.

This recipe was adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.