Cake pops are my favorite snacks to make whenever I have company coming over! No matter how old my guests are, the tiny truffles always fly off the plate.
Not only are they colorful and delicious, but they’re also incredibly easy to make.
However, if you’ve tried your hand at making homemade cake pops, you probably know how hard it is to get the outer coating right. It takes some time to dry, which can be enough for the pops to lose their shapes.
If you’re trying to figure out how to dry cake pops without compromising their shapes, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, I’ll cover several tips and tricks for drying the sweet treats.
How to Dry Cake Pops
After making hundreds of cake pops over the years, I’ve come up with a foolproof way to dry them while maintaining their perfect shape.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
There’s nothing worse than running around your kitchen with a dripping cake pop looking for a stand. We’ve all been there, and it can be a real chore to clean.
So, it’s best to prep all the tools you’ll need beforehand to avoid turning your kitchen into a sticky mess. Here are all the items you’ll need:
- Styrofoam board
- Thin cake dowels or sharp sticks
- Cake pop batter
- Chocolate melts
- Parchment paper
Step 2: Prepare Your Styrofoam Board
Once you have all the materials you need, lay the parchment paper flat on the styrofoam board.
Then, using the sharp sticks, poke holes into the styrofoam and leave the dowels in place. Your cake pop holder should look like the back of a hedgehog, with a bunch of dowels sticking out in every direction.
Step 3: Form Your Cake Pops
Forming your cake pops is the fun part, and it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Start by washing your hands, then mold your batter into many tiny balls.
This step can be an exciting family activity if you have kids. Asking your little ones for assistance will help them get more comfortable in the kitchen.
Plus, it means less work for you!
Step 4: Secure the Sticks to Your Cake Pops
With your cake pops formed, you’ll need to support them with straws to ensure they don’t change shape as they dry. To do that, grab your chocolate melts and place them in the microwave for 30-second bursts until they turn into a smooth, pourable liquid.
Next, dip one end of the stick in the chocolate melts and gently poke it into the center of your cake pops. After that, coat your cake pops in a layer of chocolate and secure them onto the styrofoam to allow them to dry.
You can place them in the fridge for two hours or the freezer for an hour to help them set faster.
Finally, allow the excess chocolate to drip onto the parchment paper. You can reuse the excess for future cake-decorating projects.
Step 5: Let Your Cake Pops Air-Dry
At this point, all the hard work is out of the way. Now, sit back, relax, and wait for the chocolate to re-harden around your cake pops.
You should leave your sweet treats at room temperature on your kitchen counter. Some people like to use a fridge or freezer to speed up the drying process, but I’m not a big fan of this technique because tiny water droplets will form on the surface of your cake pops, which can cause the chocolate to bloom.
How Long Do Cake Pops Take to Dry?
The drying time for your cake pops can change based on the outer coating you choose. When you use candy melts, the process should take around 15 to 30 minutes.
As for chocolate melts, the drying time can be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. However, if you’re like me and want to dig into the cake pops as soon as possible, tempered chocolate is your best friend.
It can harden in under five minutes and gives you a glossy finish that makes a nice crackling sound when you bite into it.
How to Dry Cake Pops Without Styrofoam
If you can’t get your hands on a styrofoam board, it’s not the end of the world. All you have to do is walk around your house and find an alternative.
There are many everyday household items that can work as a cake pop stand in a pinch. For instance, you can use a cardboard box, colander, or strainer.
Plus, when making small batches of cake pops, you can rely on plastic plates or bottles.
How Moist Should Cake Pops Be?
One of the hallmarks of a good batch of cake pops is a fudgy center. You need the cake filling to retain a lot of moisture.
Otherwise, it’ll dry out and crumble before you get a chance to dig in.
Luckily, keeping the center of your sweet treat moist should be a walk in the park. It’s all about the ratio of cake to frosting.
Ideally, for a standard cake mix that comes in a box, you need around half a cup of frosting. This will give you the perfect balance between structure and moisture.
However, this ratio can change depending on the cake recipe you use. It’s better to focus more on the texture of your batter to figure out if you need to adjust your cake pops.
Once you combine your mixture, the batter should be moldable but not sticky. If you notice your cake pops clinging to your hands as you shape them, you may want to add a few more tablespoons of frosting.
How to Fix Cake Pops That Are Too Moist
I’m a strong believer that frosting makes everything taste better. So, I’ve made the mistake of adding too much icing to my cake pops plenty of times.
The result was a messy batter that couldn’t hold its shape, so I always tell beginner bakers to start with less frosting than they think they need and add more icing gradually.
If you’ve already added too much moisture to the sweet treats, you can sprinkle a little icing sugar on top of your cake pop batter. The powder will absorb the excess moisture and fix the consistency of your mixture.
However, this will also add a powerful sweet kick to your dessert. While children will love the addition, it may lead to a sugar rush that’s tough to calm down.
To stay away from this candy craze, you can use cocoa powder instead of icing sugar. Even if you’re not making chocolate cake pops, a hint of cocoa can add an extra layer of richness to your dessert.
Finally, you can try popping your batter in the fridge for about 15 minutes. This will harden your cake pops, which should make coating them in chocolate much easier.
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to figure out how to dry cake pops, the process is simple. Start by poking holes into a styrofoam board to create a make-shift cake pop stand.
Next, form your sweet treats into balls, dip one end of your sticks in molten chocolate, and poke it into the center of your cake pops.
Finally, place the cake pops on your styrofoam board and allow them to air dry. This process can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the coating you use.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.