Starbucks Birthday Cake Pop Recipe
Ever since I released my ultra easy cake pop recipe (that now has over 19.7 MILLION views on social) I’ve been getting requests to make a Starbucks Birthday Cake Pop. This recipe for Starbucks cake pops is the perfect copycat and is SO easy.
Copycat Starbucks Cake Pop Recipe
Not to toot my own horn, but my popular method for making cake pops is insanely easy and this Starbucks cake pop recipe is no different. Here’s the secret: making homemade cake pops doesn’t have to be difficult to be beyond yummy! All you have to do is throw AN ENTIRE CAKE into your mixing bowl straight out of the oven. Mix it with your paddle attachment and add a little powdered sugar and vanilla to create the best dupe for the popular Starbucks cake pop you’ll find on the internet.
Starbucks Cake Pops Price
In the name of research, I bought two cake pops and it was over SEVEN DOLLARS. For two! So obviously, once I had perfected my Starbucks cake pop recipe, I calculated how much my homemade version cost. With this recipe, you can make 24 cake pops for only $8, which means each individual cake pop is ONLY $0.35 FOR EACH CAKE POP. And if we’re being honest, I liked my cake pops better.
Starbucks Cake Pop ingredients
- Vanilla cake mix – You’ll also need all of the ingredients on the back. Bake this as normal!
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Light pink color melts – You can choose a different color if you’d like, but to be the Starbucks dupe you need it to be pink.
- White nonpareils sprinkles – This is optional, but again, to stay true to Starbucks you’ll need these!
- Lollipop sticks
How to make Starbucks Cake Pops
- Prepare and bake the cake mix according to the boxed directions.
- Immediately after taking the cake out of the oven, pour the hot cake into the bowl of a stand mixer. (Do not over cook the cake! if so, it will have a harder time coming together)
- Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until a dough forms that can be pressed together into a ball.
- Portion out the dough and press into a ball in the palm of your hands or with a cake pop press.
- Place the cake balls on a cookie sheet and then into the freezer to chill.
- Melt the colormelts.
- Once the chocolate coating is melted, remove the cake balls from the freezer.
- Dip each lollipop stick into the candy melt and then press the stick into the center of each cake ball. This will help avoid the cake pop falling off of the stick.
- Return to the fridge or freezer to help speed up the process of the stick and chocolate setting.
- Once the chocolate is set on the sucker sticks, pour the remaining melted candy melt into a tall, skinny jar or glass.
- Dip the cake pops one by one in the candy melt and gently shake the cake pop to remove any excess melted chocolate. Tip right side up and add sprinkles, if desired.
- Allow the candy melt to set while the cake pop is right side up, you can poke holes into a cardboard box or foam block to help them stand up straight to dry, if desired.
- Serve as is or package up individually in bags with ribbon if desired.
- Enjoy! Store at room temp for up to 3 days.
How to store this Starbucks Birthday Cake Pop Recipe
Once your cake pops have set, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Starbucks Birthday Cake Pop FAQs
It is a delicious moist, tender, vanilla cake with a white chocolate candy melt coating.
The Starbucks cake pop is $3.75 a pop!
This recipe makes 24 cake pops out of one cake mix. That means each cake pop comes out to $0.35!
Other Copycats to Love
Birthday Cake Pop (Starbucks)
Ingredients
- 1 box vanilla cake mix (plus the ingredients on the back)
- 1/4 cup (27g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 oz light pink color melts
- white nonpareils sprinkles
- 24 lollipop sticks
Instructions
- Prepare and bake the cake mix according to the boxed directions.1 box vanilla cake mix
- Immediately after taking the cake out of the oven, pour the hot cake into the bowl of a stand mixer. (Do not over cook the cake! if so, it will have a harder time coming together)
- Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until a dough forms that can be pressed together into a ball.1/4 cup (27g) powdered sugar , 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Portion out the dough and press into a ball in the palm of your hands or with a cake pop press.
- Place the cake balls on a cookie sheet and then into the freezer to chill.
- Melt the colormelts.12 oz light pink color melts
- Once the chocolate coating is melted, remove the cake balls from the freezer.
- Dip each lollipop stick into the candy melt and then press the stick into the center of each cake ball. This will help avoid the cake pop falling off of the stick.24 lollipop sticks
- Return to the fridge or freezer to help speed up the process of the stick and chocolate setting.
- Once the chocolate is set on the sucker sticks, pour the remaining melted candy melt into a tall, skinny jar or glass.
- Dip the cake pops one by one in the candy melt and gently shake the cake pop to remove any excess melted chocolate. Tip right side up and add sprinkles, if desired.white nonpareils sprinkles
- Allow the candy melt to set while the cake pop is right side up, you can poke holes into a cardboard box or foam block to help them stand up straight to dry, if desired.
- Serve as is or package up individually in bags with ribbon if desired.
- Enjoy! Store at room temp for up to 3 days.
Wonder if I don’t have a kitchen stand mixer. Should I use my handheld electric mixer that would be ok, right?
SO yummy and easy! I dipped mine in almond bark because that’s what I had, but the kids loved them.
When you say they can be frozen, is that before or after they are dipped in the pink chocolate? If frozen after dipped, does that not change anything with the chocolate melts? And thank you! I have been following you for about six months and I love your energy and attitude! You are one of my favorites and social media land!
Can the pops freeze overnight before icing?
Hey Karli!
Quick question. In the video you use a French Vanilla cake mix and in the recipe directions you say just vanilla. Which is best for the most authentic SB copycat pop?
Love your recipes!!!
When you dip the sticks in chocolate then into the ball, how long should they be in the freezer before dipping the whole thing in the chocolate? I know mine weren’t in the freezer long enough because the balls fell off (HOWEVER, I ate the parts of the broken ones and am very pleased). 😂 Thank you!
Made these for valentine’s day for my kids and for them to give to their friends. Both teens said they were great – but coming from my son this was especially special!! Easy but still time consuming, but great payoff. A few notes: 1. made my balls 24 grams each so had more. I think 25 grams would be good. 2. No room in freezer so put in fridge. Better to dip them chilled than room temp so they harden quicker. 3. used a box I put knife X-cuts into – worked well enough.
I did alright for a rank rookie! They’re not very pretty but the sentiment will be appreciated. Made these for my Valentine sweetheart.
I’d use 20-24 oz of color melts next time. I didn’t have nearly enough and that’s one reason why they’re not pretty…I had to spread the little I had left on the pops. I’d assume you can reuse the leftover candy on something else if you reheat it, yes?
Procedurally, this worked well for me.
Thanks for a fun recipe and •definitely• saving money with these!
These turn out great. We have used a bunch of recipes and variations! I also have done almond bark, chocolate chips, and melts to coat and they all work great!
I’m just wondering why you add the vanilla after the cakes baked instead of baking it into the cake. I have made hundreds of cake pops but never thought of waiting to put in after. I know there has to be a reason because you are the GOAT of cookies! ❤️
Adding the vanilla to the baked cake helps bind it together when creating the cake pops.