Double Chocolate Holiday Cake Pops
Rich, fudgy double chocolate cake filling coated in festive candy and sprinkles. Perfect year round, these cake pops are simple to make and last days to weeks, making them a perfect holiday treat to have on hand!
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On today’s episode of “I had leftover chocolate cake”, I made cake pops. But not just any cake pops. Double chocolate Christmas sprinkle cake pops.
And they were a huge hit. I keep pawning them off on my friends (because cake pops tend to make a huge batch) and they keep asking for more.
I’d say that’s the sign of a successful recipe.
There’s just something about the double chocolate filling, the yummy candy coating, and the crunch of sprinkles that makes these addicting.
Why this recipe works
The chocolate cake and the chocolate buttercream are just perfect in this recipe. It’s probably my most requested recipe among friends. The cake is rich yet perfectly sweet, fluffy yet incredibly moist and tender. And you just can’t go wrong with chocolate buttercream. I happened to have some leftover, but I would absolutely make a fresh mini batch for these because it’s infinitely better than canned frosting.
One other key success to this recipe is the trick I discovered: double dipping. Sort of. Many cake pop recipes call for dipping the stick into the chocolate before inserting it in the cake or brownie ball. I have you to a step further and chill (or freeze) them after this step to harden that chocolate glue and keep that brownie pop well adhered to the stick. I had zero issues dipping these after adding this simple step.
Key ingredients
Flour. Always spoon then level flour, and never skip sifting! Trust me. The cake is just not as good without sifting with a fine mesh sieve.
Cocoa. Again, be sure to sift this as it can be very clumpy.
Sugar. This cake actually uses less sugar than most of my other cakes, but the black chocolate provides more than enough flavor to make it delicious.
Baking soda and powder. The combo helps create a great fluffiness in this cake.
Salt. Sea salt is ideal, but table will work, too.
Eggs. Use large, fresh, room temperature eggs.
Oil. I prefer avocado or grape seed, as they are the “healthy” oils with not taste and little color. Vegetable and canola work, too.
Buttermilk. I usually make my own by putting 1 tablespoon white vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup then filling it with room temperature whole milk, stirring, and letting it sit for 5 minutes while I sift and whisk the dry ingredients.
Vanilla. Use pure extract! It just tastes better.
Hot coffee. I prefer blonde coffee in this cake, so that it helps bring out the chocolate flavor without adding any bitterness or coffee flavor.
Chocolate buttercream. You can honestly use any buttercream you want. I also love using my chocolate ganache buttercream with this cake, but you’d need a little less because it’s a looser frosting. And my absolute favorite frosting is my chocolate marshmallow! You only need about a cup, so if you have any leftover, this is a great use for it! I always freeze my leftovers (rolled up in plastic wrap like a log so I can slice off as much as I need). You’d be surprised how often leftover frosting comes in handy!
Red and green candy melts. You can use any holiday colors you like, but I just love red and green.
Cake pop sticks. Try to get longer ones, so you have more options for displaying them in taller cups.
Holiday sprinkles. I used what I had, which was adorable but the trees kept falling off. Jimmies tend to stay on better, but you can also just embrace a few lost trees and pearls to get a great looking cake pop.
How to make double chocolate holiday cake pops
Make the cake
1. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. I usually don’t sift the sugar because we use organic, which is larger grain. However, everything else must be sifted.
2. Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until well combined. You’ll know this is the case when the oil and eggs are emulsified, meaning everything is one homogenous color and texture.
3. Slowly whisk in hot coffee. Pour slowly with one hand and whisk vigorously with the other. It can help to have a bowl that stays put for this, as I’ve nearly whisked mine off the counter before.
4. Slowly stir wet ingredients into dry. Use the paddle attachment on low and pour slowly—taking about 30 seconds or so to combine. Scrape the bowl before continuing (or use a paddle attachment with a rubber scraper built in—they’re life-changing!).
5. Beat on medium for exactly 2 minutes. No more, no less. Beat on just under medium if your paddle has the built-in scraper.
6. Bake. Pour into your prepared pan(s) and bake 25-30 minutes for two 8” rounds or 40-45 minutes for a 9x13 cake, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just some moist crumbs—not fully clean (that means it’s slightly over baked). Check early, as baking times can vary by climate, elevation, and even ovens.
Assemble
7. While the cake cools, make the buttercream. You can also make the buttercream ahead of time or use leftovers of your favorite flavor.
8. Crumble completely cooled cake. Be sure it’s not chunky—you want it all as evenly small as possible so you get a round cake ball.
9. Stir in buttercream. You want it evenly stirred in so the mixture comes together.
10. Shape and chill cake balls. If they aren’t getting very round, you can chill them for an hour then re-shape them to get them perfectly round. Also, you can make more of a cylindrical shape if you want tall cauldrons.
11. Dip the sticks first. I dip my sticks into the melted candy, insert that into the chilled cake ball, then continue on until I’ve got all pops on sticks. Freeze those for a few minutes to set it then transfer to the fridge (it’s hard to dip frozen cake balls).
12. Dip into candy melts. Take a couple cake balls out at a time to dip in the fully in the candy melts. Work gently and use a small spatula to get the candy on the very top (or bottom?) where the stick is, as it can be hard to get the entire cake pop in the candy without it falling off.
13. Dip in sprinkles. Do this right away so they stick to the melted candy.
14. Let dry. This is the tricky part. There are some stands you can buy, or you can use an overturned colander or a block of styrofoam. Let dry at room temperature so the color stays nice.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Split up your work
These can easily be made over a few days. I made my cake one day, rolled it into balls the next day, then dipped them in candy the third day. Just be sure to cover the cake well until it’s dipped (so after baking and after rolling into balls). The candy melts will will seal in moisture and flavor. Also, feel free to make these a day or two before you’ll need them (see below). Even if you split up your work and have them fully made before you need them, they’ll still be fresh and delicious!
Can these be made ahead?
Yes! You can keep them at room temperature for a day or two (longer does work, but the candy melts can begin to discolor). They’ll last in the fridge (covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container) for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer (again, covered) 1-2 months.
Can I use a different cake recipe?
Yes! Most recipes call for boxed cake, but I just can’t bring myself to make that when I have such an easy homemade cake that I love so much. You could also make this Christmas sprinkle cake if you don’t like chocolate. Or, you can use something festive like eggnog latte or peppermint chocolate! Just remember that you don’t need a full batch of frosting, just about a cup or 1/3 of a recipe.
Can I use a different frosting?
Again, yes! I used chocolate because I had some leftover. However, I almost exclusively make this blackout cake with marshmallow frosting. It tastes just like an Oreo and is the ultimate “cookies and cream” flavor. I also think this would be divine with a black chocolate frosting—the exact same as my chocolate buttercream, but using black cocoa in stead of regular. It would have more of a chocolate cookie taste and would be pure black without food coloring. Some other great options are plain vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, or chocolate marshmallow.
How do I get the filling round?
You need to shape it twice. I’ve found that with a softer cake like this, it’s difficult to get it perfectly round when you first mix in the frosting. But if you chill it then roll it again, it gets almost perfectly round. Just avoid freezing it, as that not only makes it difficult to do the final shaping but also makes it difficult to dip, not always making friends with the coating layer.
How to I keep the candy coating from turning grainy?
Keep it warm! I don’t own a microwave, so I had not choice but to melt my candy on a double boiler (a saucepan filled with 2 inches water, brought to a boil, then turned down to low). I just kept the bowl on the double boiler at low, stirring it every so often so it stayed in a melted state.
How do I dry dipped cake pops?
I happened to have some blocks of styrofoam that I just stuck these in. You could also poke some holes in a cardboard box or turn a colander over, as long as the holes aren’t too big and just let the pop slip right through. Just be careful to arrange them concentrically so one side doesn’t get too weighed down and fall over. Cause that definitely happened to me.
How do I display these?
Any way you’d like! Once they’re dry, you don’t have to worry about keeping them separate or not letting them touch. I arranged mine in a mason jar to take these photos, but the next week I made some adorable hunny pot cake pops for a Winnie the Pooh baby shower and displayed them in little flower pots with styrofoam situated inside. Any cup or similar item will work.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these cake pops. Affiliate links provided.
Fine mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY)
All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier so the batter doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)
Double Chocolate Holiday Cake Pops
- prep time: 50-55 minutes
- bake time: 25-45 minutes (depending on pans used)
- chill time: 2 hours
- total time: 3 hours, 40 minutes
servings: 36-48
Ingredients:
for the chocolate cake
- 1 ½ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups (226g) flour, spooned then leveled and sifted
- ¾ cup (75g) cocoa powder, spooned then leveled and sifted
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (236g) buttermilk, room temperature**
- ⅓ cup (108g) avocado oil (can sub vegetable, grape seed, or canola oil)
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) hot, light roast coffee (or hot water)
to assemble
- quarter batch chocolate buttercream (or 1+ cup of your favorite frosting)*
- red and green candy melts
- cake pop sticks
- holiday sprinkles
Instructions:
make the chocolate cake
- Preheat oven to 325F/165C (350F/175C if at high elevation). Lightly grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan (or use baking spray). Alternatively, you can use two 8” or 9” cake pans or three 6” cake pans to make the bake time shorter. This is also a great time to set your coffee to percolate.
- Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, sifting everything but the sugar (unless yours is fine enough to sift--go for it!). Set aside.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla together until well-blended and fully emulsified, about 1 minute.
- Very, very slowly stream the hot coffee or water into the wet ingredients, whisking vigorously and constantly as you pour to avoid scrambling the eggs. Feel free to do this in segments if it’s easier. If you do scramble some of the eggs, you can run the mixture through your fine mesh sieve to remove the cooked egg bits.
- Using the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), turn your stand mixer to low and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry. This should take about 30 seconds or so. The batter will clump up then thin out. Once you’ve poured all the wet ingredients, immediately turn off the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides. Beat on medium for exactly 2 minutes (set a timer).
- Pour into your prepared pan(s). Bake for 40-45 minutes (25-30 for two round pans, 20-25 minutes for three), until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs (ideally not fully clean, as this could mean they’re over baked). Check early and rotate halfway if not using convection. Be sure to check each pan separately, as one might bake faster than the other.
- Let cool completely in the pan.
assemble
- While the cake cools, make your buttercream (if not made ahead).
- Once the cake is cool, use your hands or a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Try to get it all crumbled up well so you don’t have any large chunks–those will make it hard to make a round cake truffle. Add the buttercream and mix on low or stir gently until fully combined. It shouldn’t come together like bread dough, but it should be evenly mixed. If you squeeze some together in your hand, it should stay. If it’s falling apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons buttercream.
- Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to get about 1 ½ tablespoons cake. Roll between your palms to create as round a ball as you can get. Don’t worry if they’re not perfectly round–you can fix that after they chill for a bit. Place on a parchment or silicone lined, rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, until firm. If the balls weren’t very round on the first roll, you can reshape them after an hour of chilling, which helps them stay more round.
- Melt both the red and green candy in separate bowls in the microwave according to directions (or use a double boiler). Optionally, you could do this in two batches, doing one color first then the other. Be very careful not to overheat it, as it will be ruined. You can keep it warm while you dip the cake pops by placing the bowl over a saucepan with 1” simmering water over lowest heat setting. You can also add ½ teaspoon shortening or coconut oil if it’s too thick.
- Remove just a few cake balls from the fridge at a time. Dip the very end of a cake pop stick in the candy and insert into a cake ball. Carefully place back on the baking sheet in the fridge, to set the candy “glue”.
- At this time, be sure you have a place ready to stand the pops upright as they dry. This can be a block of styrofoam, a cardboard box with small holes cut out for the sticks, or any kind of stand you plan to use for the pops.
- Again, take just a few cake pops out of the fridge at a time. Dip carefully in the candy coating, covering the whole cake pop.
- After dipping each cake pop, immediately dip it in the sprinkles (you can use a small bowl to help with this). Place upright in your prepared spot to cool until hardened, about 1 hour.
Enjoy!
Cake pops should be stored in an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for 3-5 days, in the fridge 1-2 weeks, or in the freezer 6-8 weeks.
*You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar with enough room temperature whole milk to equal 1 cup total. Stir and let sit 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
