Joanna Gaines Just Shared the Cake Pops That Her Son Is Obsessed With

If you’ve ever been in line at Starbucks and peeked into the glass case of pastry goodness, chances are you’ve seen those delicious-looking cake pops. The only thing better than cake is cake on a popsicle stick! While the cake pops look delightful, making them seems like a conundrum. How exactly do you put a cake on a stick and dip it in icing?

Thankfully, our favorite fixer-upper recently shared an incredibly easy way to make them. Joanna Gaines’ cake pop recipe is going to be your new favorite thing to whip up at home!

Joanna Gaines’ Cake Pop Recipe

Here’s how to make these delightful cake pops, thanks to a recipe from Magnolia‘s Joanna Gaines—plus her son Crew! The recipe comes straight from her Instagram and makes 24 cake pops.

Yes, her Instagram post is themed for the Fourth of July—with the most adorable red, white and blue cake pops—but the recipe she shares is versatile. You can use any flavor of cupcake, icing and colored chocolate dipping to make the cake pops your own, no matter the season!

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A post shared by Joanna Stevens Gaines (@joannagaines)

Ingredients

• 6 normal-sized cupcakes, homemade or store-bought
• 1 cup icing, like this vanilla buttercream frosting
• Colorful chocolate wafers
• Cake pop sticks
• Toppings: Sprinkles, nuts, candy, crushed-up cookies, extra melted chocolate, etc.

Directions

Step 1: Combine the cake and the icing

In a stand mixer, combine the cupcakes and the cup of icing and beat together for 3 to 5 minutes. The mixture should resemble cookie dough.

With clean hands, form the balls of cake—this recipe should make about 24 of them. Place them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator for two hours.

Step 2: Melt the chocolate

Using whichever colored chocolate wafer you desire, melt your chocolate in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Keep an eye on it! You don’t want to overheat it in the microwave; the consistency should be creamy and loose.

Step 3: Dip the cake pops

Dip the cake pop sticks into the chocolate first, then push the stick at least halfway into the cake pop. Then dip your cake pop into the melted chocolate. When you lift the cake pop, let the excess chocolate drip off the cake before flipping it and placing it in a cake pop holder. Sprinkle with your desired toppings, or drizzle with another color of melted chocolate for a crafty twist! For a speedy finish, stick the cake pops back in the fridge for another 15 minutes to let the chocolate harden before you devour them.

Editor’s Tip: Dip your cake pop stick in chocolate first so it can act as an adhesive to your cake ball when it hardens. That way when you press it into the cake ball and then dip it into the chocolate, everything will stick together nicely and the ball won’t fall off the stick after your first bite.

Tips for Making Crew and Joanna Gaines’ Cake Pop Recipe

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How to easily dip cake pops

Before you even go to dip your cake pops, you have to let them chill first! This will ensure that you have a smooth dipping experience, with no cake balls falling apart or sliding off your pop stick.

For a smooth dipping experience, dip your cake pop into melted chocolate. Then over the bowl, tap the cake pop stick gently a few times to get rid of that excess chocolate drippings so your cake pop has a smooth surface. Once the dripping has stopped, either move on to decorating or simply flip it over and place it in a cake pop holder to dry and harden.

How to decorate cake pops

For an easy way to help your cake pop toppings stick to the pops, dip your pop into the topping right after you dip it into the chocolate.

If you’re looking to add an extra drizzle using a different color of chocolate, you’ll want to do this second step after a few minutes. After tapping away the excess chocolate on your pop, flip it over and place it in a cake pop holder. Give the chocolate a few minutes to harden before adding a second drizzle design of your choosing. Repeat this step if you plan on adding a third color!

Why won’t my cake pops stay on the stick?

It might slide off the stick for a few reasons. The first has to do with the cake pop size. You don’t want it to be too big or the pop will be too heavy to stand upright.

Second, the cake pop may not be cold enough to dip yet. A warm cake pop may split or crumble if you dip it right away, so be sure to give the cake balls at least two hours in the fridge before dipping and decorating.

Third, adding too much frosting to a recipe could cause the consistency of the cake pop to be too gooey, making it easy for them to fall off. Be sure to stick to the ratios above—six cupcakes with one cup of icing—to avoid this cake pop catastrophe.