The perfect round and smooth cake pops will attract everyone’s attention, whether you’re serving them for a baby shower, birthday party, or anniversary celebration.
But what if your cake pops don’t look as perfect?
Don’t worry, as I will teach you how to make cake pops round and smooth. So, let’s dive in.
Should Your Cake Pops Be Round and Smooth?
Yes, they should.
Bumpy cake pops don’t look professional, and the coating won’t settle on them perfectly. You won’t be able to impress your guests with your culinary skills if your cake pops have popcorn-like texture with bumps that make them look amateurish.
Moreover, when you dip them in the chocolate or frosting coating, it will settle in the holes, giving you an uneven result.
But it only gets worse. When the coating doesn’t cover your cake pops perfectly, it will pool in certain places, skipping others.
As a result, your cake pops won’t get properly attached to the sticks, and they might slide off the sticks.
How to Make Cake Pops Round and Smooth
No one likes bumpy cake pops where the cake peaks through the coating in spots, sliding off others.
But you can avoid having sloppy cake pops even if you aren’t a seasoned chef by following these tips.
1 – Pick the Right Cake
Having round and smooth cake pops starts with picking the right cake.
You must avoid dense and moist cake, as airy and light cake types will work better.
If you have to use a moist cake, let it dry. Ideally, you should let your cake sit for a day or two before using it to make cake pops.
This is why cake pops are an excellent way to use your cake leftovers for a delicious dessert.
2 – Use Fine Cake Crumbs
The most important tip to avoid having bumpy cake pops is to use the food processor to crumble your cake into tiny pieces. It will help your cake pops turn out smooth once you add the binding agent and shape them.
Don’t add too much cake to the processor to guarantee that every piece is finely shredded. You don’t want the blade to move without cutting the cake into tiny pieces.
Although you might think using a fork works fine, your cake pieces won’t turn out as uniform as you want them to be. As a result, they won’t give you smooth and round cake pops when you start shaping them.
3 – Don’t Overuse or Overmix the Frosting
Start by adding an amount of frosting equal to ½ or ⅓ amount of cake. Too much frosting can make your cake pops too mushy.
Some types of cake frosting offer better adhesion, like chocolate ganache and cream, and if you prefer to use frosting or buttercream, you can use icing sugar to help make the pops easier to shape.
If you use frosting to hold the cake pieces together, avoid overmixing the frosting because your cake pops will become too gummy.
The more you handle the cake pops, the harder they will become. This makes them more challenging to shape.
It’s better to lightly fold your crumbled cake with the binding agent you prefer and spread it with a spatula.
Ensure the binding agent isn’t too runny, or you can add icing sugar and cocoa powder to make your cake pops round and smooth.
4 – Shape Your Cake Pops Properly
Shaping your cake pops properly is probably the trickiest part.
You can use slightly moist hands to manually shape your pops into tiny and uniform smooth cake pops.
Big cake pops aren’t that appealing and can easily break. If your cake pops break, you probably need to add more binding agent like buttercream, chocolate, or frosting.
Squish and press your balls as hard as possible to remove all the air pockets. Squeezing will make them less likely to become misshapen.
You can also use a small cookie scoop to make small cake pops. Let them rest for a few minutes in the scoop to guarantee all your pops are the same size.
Remove the pops from the scoop and use your hands to shape them into tightly packed cake pops.
5 – Chill Your Cake Pops
I always recommend using a cold 2-day-old cake to make your cake pops. Using an old cake guarantees that all the moisture has been removed.
But after shaping the cake pops, you should re-chill them until the binding agent is firm. It will allow your cake pops to set, so they stay round and smooth.
Insert a stick into a cake pop and make sure it goes all the way through without poking through the other side. Keep the cake pops in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes to help the coating harden.
6 – Let the Cake Pops Dry After Coating
Before dipping your cake pops into the coating, make sure that it has the right consistency.
Avoid using a thick coating, as it won’t leave a smooth layer covering your cake pops.
A thin and uniform layer will work best, giving you the desired smooth texture.
After dipping your cake pops into the frosting, you can roll them over in the sprinkles. With or without the sprinkles, you should let the cake pops dry on a wire rack.
Leaving them on a wire rack allows the extra coating to drip, leaving a smooth texture.
Let your cake pops dry overnight in a cold, dry place if you can. Don’t cover them, or they will sweat and become too moist.
Final Thoughts
Round and smooth cake pops make you look like a seasoned chef, even if you don’t have much experience making desserts.
Luckily, a few tips can help you get the perfect cake pops.
Start with picking the right cake, breaking it into fine pieces, using the right amount of binding agent, tightly shaping them without overmixing them, chilling the pops, and allowing them to dry after dipping them into the frosting.
If your cake pops aren’t perfectly shaped, you can start over before adding the coating. Remember that practice makes perfect.
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.