Cake pops can be frustrating, I know. But, with some simple tips and tricks they can become easy. Let’s review some solutions to common cake pop problems and before you know it, they will be your favorite sweet treat too!
Today’s cake pop challenge… taming those unruly cake balls that fall off the stick.
Possible Cake Pop Mistake #1
You added too much frosting to your recipe.
Some cake pop recipes call for you to create the cake ball “dough” by adding an entire can of frosting to your cake pop crumbs. Woah! There’s no need to be so frosting happy! Going overboard can cause your cake balls to fall of the sticks. Exactly how much frosting you need depends on the moistness of your cake recipe. The best rule of thumb is to start out with a small amount of icing and slowly add more until your mix reaches the consistency of clay. In my basic cake pop recipes, I use up to 1/3 cup of frosting.
Possible Cake Pop Mistake #2
You made your cake pops too big.
The bigger your roll your cake balls the more they weigh. If you roll them too big, they may be too heavy to stay on the cake pop sticks. To get consistently sized cake pops, I use a stainless steel coffee scoop
Possible Cake Pop Mistake #3
You stir your cake pops in the candy coating.
Sometimes when you dip your cake pops into the candy coating, the cake ball doesn’t get completely covered. To fix this, gently tilt your cake pop in one direction and then in the opposite direction. Do not stir, swirl, or bounce around your cake pop unless you want to risk it falling off the stick into a candy coating abyss. Once the cake pop is sealed in the candy coating, pull your cake pop straight up and out of the coating.
Helpful Hint: All chocolate is not created equal! For help choosing the best chocolate for dipping your cake pops, checkout the results of a side-by-side comparison of six different brands based on consistency, taste, and price, in The Best Chocolate for Cake Pops.
Possible Cake Pop Mistake #4
You are not gently tapping off the excess coating.
After you dip each cake pop, you will need to remove the excess coating. The key to keeping your cake pop on the stick is keeping this process short and gentle. Do not vigorously bang or shake your cake pop. I like to “tap and turn”. Gently tap your cake pop on the side of your bowl and turn it a quarter of a turn to keep the coating smooth. Repeat this until most of the excess candy coating has dripped off.
Helpful Hint: A tall narrow bowl works best for dipping cake pops. Keeping the coating warm (but not too hot) throughout the entire dipping process is key to having a smooth coating on your cake pops. To avoid having to repeatedly reheat your coating, a chocolate melting pot
Possible Cake Pop Mistake #5
You did not dip your sticks before inserting them into your pops.
Hardened candy coating acts as glue so it can be very helpful in preventing your cake pops from falling off the sticks. Before inserting your cake pop sticks into your chilled cake balls, dip the end of each stick into candy coating. I suggest inserting the stick about half way into the cake ball. Then, set them back in the fridge to chill for dipping.
Helpful Hint: Rotating your cake pops in and out of the fridge while working with just a handful at a time will ensure that you always have perfectly chilled cake pops ready to dip. This is where it comes in handy to have a few small cake pop stands to rotate around!
I was making at least three of these five common cake pop mistakes at one point in time. Now that I’ve learned these simple tricks, I almost never have a cake pop fall off of the stick. Are you making any of these common cake pop mistakes?
What other issues do you have when making cake pops? Share in the comments below for a chance to see solutions to your cake pop problems here on sugarkissed.net!
My cake balls fall off the stick because when I push the candy melt covered stick into the ball, it pushes the candy melt out so there’s nothing holding the cake ball to the stick on the inside.
before dipping the stick in the candy coating, poke it in the cake pop to form the hole…you can even move it in a little circle to widen the hole a tiny bit… Then dip the stick in the candy coating and then back into the cake ball hole to harden. Hope this helps!
Vianks, it’s possible that your cake pop dough is not the right consistency. Maybe you are using too much frosting. You want to use a small amount, just enough to make your dough the consistency of Play Doh.
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Why do my cake pops crack?
Glenda, is it the coating or the cake that is cracking?
I want to try to make these with my class of kids, we wont be able to cool them in a fridge. Is there another way to get them to solidify? thanks!
Geena, you can dip them at room temperature. Having the cake pops chilled slightly makes the dough a little easier to work with but it will still be solid.
Hello! My coating cracks after dry. Why is this happening?
Veronica, this is probably a temperature issue. If your cake pop is too cool when you dip it, it will expand as it warms to room temperature and crack the coating. Hope this helps. Happy cake popping!